There are numerous ways to grow a small business. Some of those have been discussed in our previous posts. This very post is mainly about one practice in particular. This post talks about the reasons why you need to start a blog for your business. Some reasons are obvious, some not so evident initially, but if you run a business without a blog, you’d be losing out on some pretty useful benefits that blogging brings you. Join us as we uncover everything you need to know about blogging for companies in the following paragraphs.
It is becoming increasingly important for small businesses to develop a strong web presence to engage and communicate with their customers. While social media is one way of achieving this, it still doesn’t fill the void entirely. Companies need to write about their fields of expertise frequently and in detail in efforts to become leaders in those fields. According to a recent inbound marketing report, nearly 80% of companies that use blogging as a part of their marketing strategy reported acquiring customers through their blogging efforts. Additionally, 82% of businesses admit that blogging is critical to their business. The following are some reasons why you need to start a blog:
1. Increases search engine traffic
As you add more content to your site, more pages from your domain become indexed in search engines. This improves organic search visibility and increases website traffic. The main purpose to start a blog for your business arguably is to drive more traffic to your website, and blogging is an inexpensive way for small businesses to drive that traffic, enhance inbound marketing efforts and attract more potential customers.
2. It helps convert that traffic into leads
Now that you have traffic coming to your website through your blog, you have an opportunity to convert that traffic into leads. Just like every blog post you write is another indexed page, each post is a new opportunity to generate new leads. You can just add a lead-generating call-to-action to every blog post, and that would be an excellent way to convert traffic into leads.
3. Gives your brand a personal touch
When you start a blog for your business, you’re giving your brand a human voice. Blogging gives your business a way to touch on issues and concerns of interest to your prospects, while also sharing what you and your employees are passionate about. Your blog posts give you a unique opportunity to share your voice and personality, building up trust and increasing your brand’s likeability quotient. It’s an indispensable way to connect with your readers and potential customers.
4. Shows that you’re an expert in your industry
Blogging is a great way for your business to share knowledge with your customers about the industry or other relevant interest areas. Successful companies consistently publish blog articles to assert their authority as industry leaders and subject matter experts. It helps consumers build trust and confidence in your brand. A user who reads your blog often naturally has a relationship with you and trusts you. This trust is immensely valuable and goes a long way when it comes to sustaining the business-prospect relationship.
5. Creates value for your customers
One of the most important benefit of starting a blog for your business is to create value for your customers. You want to provide a better customer experience than your competitors. With blogging, you’re giving your customers something for free before they make a purchase. In hopes that free information will lead them in choosing to make a purchase on their own. The more your potential customers can get from you for free, the more loyal they will be when they become customers. Educating first before selling is always a good tactic.
6. Helps establish authority in your industry
The best business blogs answer common questions their leads and customers have. If you’re consistently creating content that’s helpful for your target customer, it’ll help establish you as an authority in their eyes. If prospects find answers to their common questions via blog posts written by people at your company, they’re much more likely to come into the sales process trusting what you have to say because you’ve helped them in the past — even before they were interested in purchasing anything from you.
7. Facilitates valuable discussion
Blogging gives businesses the opportunity to connect with customers and prospects through a two-way conversation. It signals to visitors that you’re open to comments, feedback and even criticisms. And from a business perspective, learning what’s on the minds of prospects is marketing gold. You can use this dialogue to ask further questions, gain new insights into your customers’ needs and structure your content and marketing initiatives based on what you’ve learned.
Are you convinced yet to start a blog for your business? A fair example of a blog post is this very post itself. The benefits are numerous and it is inexpensive. Just know what to write, keep it relevant and keep at it. It’s one of the most useful practices of your business.
Happy writing.