There are millions of new blog posts uploaded to the internet every week and that creates a lot of noise. So you might wonder, is there any point in creating a blog for your business?
It’s not a hard and fast rule, but in most the cases the answer is yes. The latest data shows small businesses with blogs generate more than double the leads (+126% more precisely) – so maybe the question is, can you afford not to have one?
It does take a level of commitment and persistence but it can drive large benefits for your business in the following ways.
It helps get new customers to your website
Well-crafted blog content, that has thoughtful use of words that your potential customers are using to search for your services, will be findable on Google. Just look at this example search phrase below and see how blog posts dominate the search results.
The searcher is looking for help with the search term “how to fix a leaking tap” and some helpful articles appear in the search results. Customers will click these links for sure – wouldn’t that be nice if that traffic was coming to your website?
It makes sure your website remains fresh
Just consider for a moment how many pages you have on your website currently. Fewer than 20? Fewer than 10? And how often do you update those pages? Once a quarter? Once a year? Compare this to the breadth of content and immediacy of social media and you can see there is a gap.
If you can fill this with some interesting content, your potential customers will see how passionate you are about your business and your industry and are much more likely to want to work with you.
It helps get you found on Google
Google loves fresh content and surfaces this higher in its search results. Plus it also surfaces websites that remain fresh more highly as a whole. Wholesale content changes can be time-consuming and expensive. Blogging solves this: you can help Google by providing regular new content for your site.
And because it’s focussed on your industry and your customers it great for Search Engine Optimisation (getting found in Google’s search results).
It can boost your social media
Your blog posts may also be shared around on social media, not just by yourself but by other people who may find it interesting. This can give you a huge boost. Plus, if you’ve ever scratched your head about what to post about – you can share your latest pithy, insightful blog post for your customers to devour and share!
More traffic equals more leads
You can use your blog to connect to sign-up pages on your website or even call you for more information. Blogging shouldn’t be about selling directly every time, but if you can help your readers out with a problem you are blogging on, it makes sense to share your offer.
It gives your business more authority
With a blog, your business can become an authority within your industry. If you make a blog that’s consistently helping potential customers and answering the burning questions people are likely to have, then you build up a solid reputation and look great to the customer.
Health Warning
Blogging is not a quick fix. Unless you plan to really commit to producing consistent, quality content – say 500 well thought through words each month, and to do this for the months to come, it’s better not to start. You’ll need to get used to it and get feedback to see what’s working and what isn’t. Results will likely take some time. Stay patient.
However, if you consistently put out good content, it’ll get picked up by Google and you’ll start ranking for more and more terms in and around your industry, and this will pay dividends in the future.
Tips for your blog
So, if you’re reading this part, it seems you still like the idea. That’s great news. Here are our top tips for success
- Start with the end in mind: Think about who you want to read the blog, what their problems are and how you can help them.
- Be strategic with the content: If you just put out “offers of the month” it’s unlikely to help with relationship building. Create a mix of latest industry news, what’s special about your company and some content around how you can help. Plan it all into a calendar so you can stay focussed.
- Think of your specialisms and focus deeply on that. Rather than talking about accountancy in the UK, consider covering tax implications for people coming to work in this country. Hopefully, you can see how much more helpful that is and how much more likely to be found in search results you would be.
- We’ve focused on our local community – small business owners in Hertfordshire. It’s a set of tips and thoughts to help this community with their online marketing. We get consistent traffic to it and some great feedback. It’s not perfect, but it’s helpful and shows we care. Which we do!
What should I do next?
There are plenty of online resources to help you plan your blog, just search and you shall find. Or, if you find the whole thought of it overwhelming, just give us a shout and we can see if we can help.
