How Can A Blog Help My Small Business?
Everyone knows what a blog is but many don't understand a blogs impact on business? Blogs are crucial to your overall marketing strategy and are greatly important in establishing your business' digital footprint. The main goal with a blog is to create value and purpose. Content is king and blogging is an easy way to attract and retain visitors to your web site. There is no question that blogging can boost SEO and potentially help searchers find your site easier but here are three other ways a blog can help your business:
1. Build Rapport & Credibility Blogging gives you an avenue to interact with readers, express opinions, and share expertise. It is an easy and natural way to build rapport with potential and existing customers. Sharing what you know and the experiences you have encountered gives you credibility and makes you stand out as a knowledgeable resource.
TIP: Provide opportunities for a two way conversation by posing questions and encouraging comments. Write about topics your customers and clients are interested in, share your thoughts on what's going on in your industry and you will gain credibility as a thought leader.
2. Increase Visibility and Traffic
You know your business better than anybody else - blogging is just a way to let readers know that you understand the problems they are experiencing - and you can help them by sharing what you know. Blogging is an easy way to generate valuable content to attract more people to your web site. Additionally blogs are easy for readers to share on social media sites which provides even more exposure. Did you know that the average company that blogs generates 55% more website visitors than those who don’t?
TIP: When generating ideas to blog about focus on your target audience. Take the time to build buyer persona's to help identify your niche audience; make it easy for readers to share your blogs on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc... by placing social share buttons on your blog page.
3. Gain New Customers
Consumers are more informed than ever and blogging is just another way to influence buying decisions throughout the buyers journey. The more meaningful the content you create, the more likely a reader will come back to consume more. Each time they return to your site you are making an impression and giving them a chance to learn more about what you do and how you can help them. These repeat visits increase your chances of converting more visitors to leads and ultimately converting more leads to sales. It is estimated that 70% of consumers learn about a company from an article rather than an advertisement. Another widely used stat says 92% of companies that blog have acquired a customer from their blog - OK do I need to say more?
TIP: Create blogs for each stage of the buyer's journey. The majority of your posts should be created for buyers in the awareness stage - these are the readers that are thirsty for information and want to be educated-so blogs should center around problems or challenges they may confront and highlight potential solutions. This should be very high level and speak more about the industry and little about your specific company. Buyers in the consideration stage know their problem and are now looking for ways to fix it. So make sure to offer some quick and easy solutions that a company like yours might provide. Lastly, buyers in the decision stage have identified the problem and know the solution and are now looking to see if your company is the right choice for them.
If the only reason you are not blogging is become you just don't have the time-there are a number of very affordable services and or freelancers you can work with to help you get going. You can also invite guest bloggers to author blogs as well!
This infographic has some great stats and really demonstrates how important blogging is in your content marketing strategy.
Infographic source: gate39medi
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