Blogging takes time. And blogging requires a bit of effort. And obviously it helps if you have something interesting and relevant to write about. Oh – and of course it’s useful if you are actually able to write.
That’s why some would say that blogging isn’t for everyone and it isn’t for every business. I beg to differ. I update my blog as often as I can. Sometimes I get on a roll with a particular subject and my blog is finished before I’ve had a chance to really think about it (my number one rule when the energy is there is let it take me to wherever it’s going and don’t hold back). And sometimes it’s a major pain in the butt and I just keep grinding through until it’s done. Regardless of how you get through your blogs, just KEEP CALM AND KEEP GOING.
Your thoughts are free so blogging gives you exposure and costs you nothing except your time. There are loads of other reasons why a regular blog will benefit your business. Consider this:
- Blogging improves your SEO ranking. Why? Because search engines LOVE fresh content. Every time you write a blog post that includes your relevant keywords, you’re increasing your chances that people will be able to find your company on search engines. Google and other search engines prefer dynamic websites to static ones and blogs are a great way to keep your content dynamic.
- Blogging helps you build credibility. Regular blogs about topics that are relevant to your industry will resonate with your audience and demonstrates that you are at the forefront of your industry. Don’t know where to start? Take every single question you’ve ever been asked by a customer (real or prospective) and turn it into an informative piece about your processes, your business sector or something newsworthy.
- Your blog can help strengthen your relationships with your existing customers. It’s great for customer service and it also gives you an opportunity to subtly cross sell. It’s also a great way for your customers to learn about you and find out about your business easily.
- Your blog reinforces the voice of your brand and builds your business story. Showcase your brand values, manage your online reputation and develop a personality that is uniquely you. From the structure of your story through to the tone of your conversations, your blog is a perfect opportunity to get your message across in a way that is clear, compelling, relevant and powerful.
- Your blog is fodder for your social media sites. Post links to your blogs on your Facebook, Twitter or other social media sites and you get a double benefit! First you’ll be posting fresh updates for your connected audience and second you ’ll get clicks back to your website – great for business and great for improving those all important SEO rankings.
- Your blog promotes your business. Many businesses who promote their brand through more traditional activities are finding it increasingly difficult to generate content that is relevant to their specific audience. Online marketing strategies just make so much sense and by incorporating blogs into your overall marketing mix you’ll not only promote your business, you’ll cut down on costs as your blog is free advertising!
If you’re still not convinced, check out these stats from inbound marketing software gurus Hubspot (www.hubspot.com)
- Businesses that blog have 55% more web visitors.
- B2C businesses that blog generate 88% more leads per month.
- B2B businesses that blog generate 67% more leads per month.
So it’s time to dust off the keyboard and get blogging! If you don’t have the time, the patience or you simply hate writing then hire someone else to write your blogs for you (and in case I forgot to mention it, I am for hire. I’m standing by my phone right now waiting for you to call me on 0400 514579)