We get it. You’re busy, your company is busy, everybody is busy. Whether you’re the owner, the entrepreneur or the employee, there are probably a billion things you could be doing at any given moment. But one thing in marketing that has grown enormously in recent years: blogging.
Blogging can seem like a daunting task. What if you’re not a great writer? What would you even write about? There’s nothing like great content marketing, and blogging is the place to start. Today, we’re going to talk about why you should be blogging, and some easy tricks to get going.
Blogging drives website traffic.
Promoting a blog on your website not only gives you great, personally-sourced, up-to-date content, but it also gives you something to continually connect your customers back to. If your business has a strong social media presence, sharing your blog articles on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn is an excellent way to link followers back to your website, thus increasing traffic and potential sales. This gives consumers a reason to click on your website, rather than just a plea for product or service promotion.
Blogging increases SEO.
Search engine optimization allows your website to be easily found online, specifically through popular search engines. When consumers research a related topic, you want your business to be first on the list of links they can click on for more information. By using keywords in your blog articles, you generate searchable content for your website, making it better optimized for search engines to find. Better SEO then drives more website traffic, which can increase sales and grow your business. Whether you choose to write uninhibited or are more conscious about your keyword choice, any content is good content when it comes to blogging for your business.
Blogging positions your brand.
In today’s world of modern technology, it’s not enough to just have a good product. Consumers are looking for more—more information, more knowledge, more presence. Your brand should seek to be a leader in your industry, and blogging positions you to do just that. A well-written article shows your business actually knows what it’s talking about, and makes you the go-to for products, services and information. This builds your customers’ trust, as blog articles deepen the customer-brand relationship and demonstrate your credibility.
Write about what you know.
The first step in starting a blog for your business is pretty simple: write about what you know. What products or services does your company provide? How can it turn those into a blog article? For example, if your business is a locally-owned print shop, write about the different types of fonts you use and which you prefer. Your articles can be as fun or as professional as you want, can be directly targeted to your business goals or can be a little more freestyle; however you tie the article into your company is up to you. Writing about what you know first and foremost sets you up as a strong content producer, before you start researching into topics that may be a little more of a stretch.
Write yourself… or find someone who can.
If you’re eager to get started on your business blog, you yourself can be the main content producer. However, for some businesses, it’s difficult to keep up with content when there’s so much else going on. If possible, designate an employee to be the main “blog writer,” or spread the responsibility out among a few different sources. Create a content calendar and schedule writers and blog ideas over time to make sure your information is as current as possible. And of course, have an editing system. Whoever your blog writer ends up being, it’s always important to have a second set of eyes read the material before publishing it to your site.
When it comes to content marketing, nothing grows your business quite like a blog can. While starting a blog can seem overwhelming or maybe even a little unpredictable, a successful blog definitely has more advantages than risks. Try it out and see how your business can benefit.
