Business blogging is not a thing of the past, it’s a thing of the present and the future. There are millions of blogs and blog posts across the internet and it’s not an option to start one, it’s a requirement.
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I start with explaining blogging and business blogging and below I explain some reasons why one of your New Year’s resolutions should be to start your business blog:
- It drives traffic to your website – As a business owner or entrepreneur, you might be looking for traffic for numerous reasons. It’s very important to be clear about what the goal is for your blog so that when you blog, you can leverage that traffic to reach your goal. These goals might be branding (point #2), lead generation, “list building” (email or social media) or selling your products or services.
- It helps to build your brand – For an expert or professional, your goal might be to simply brand yourself as an expert in a specific field. One of the best ways to use your blog is to educate and inform your target audience. If you provide a tip or tool that someone that’s in your target audience finds useful, you will instantly become an expert in their eyes. For a local business owner, if you simply provide relevant information for your target audience (even if it’s not directly related to the services that you provide) you will be seen as a go-to-person for all topics. For example a web developer might look to provide general information about business because if they are able to provide relevant information for the B2B industry they will be seen as an expert. This foundation of trust might lead to a that person becoming a future client.
- It’s a long term benefit – I’m a strong believer that blogging is a long term marketing strategy. While you can advertise your blog post using Facebook Ads or Google Adwords to get out quicker, you still are providing “free” information. Your initial goal might be to increase your email list or to get more people to like your Facebook Page. Think long term when it comes to your blog. Think of what you can provide for free or value you can give (e.g. Jab, Jab, Jab. Right Hook-Give, Give, Give. Ask)
- It is a good way to test out ideas – In one of my new favorite books, The New Rules of Marketing & PR the author David Meerman Scott discusses how he used his blog to test out ideas and different ways of thinking that he had before his first edition was published. It was Scott using forms of new media that opened up the opportunity for him to even create the book. In a similar way, you can use your blog to test out the popularity of a new product or service or even think through how you might develop your minimum viable product or MVP.
- It provides a greater opportunity to be found online – In the beginning of the post, I touched on how Google and search engines are making it easier to find long tail searches. As search becomes more sophisticated, individuals are not just searching for plumbers in your local town, they are searching for plumbers that work with churches or Facebook specialists that work with nonprofits. Using your blog to establish yourself as not just an expert but an expert in a specific niche is a huge opportunity. If you are doing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) on your website and you are publishing blog posts that target those long tail inquiries that your target market is typing into the search engine, you have a great opportunity to be found.
- It’s “Free” – Blogging by itself doesn’t cost. There can be ancillary costs such as hosting or domain name or if you hire a person or agency to handle your blogging; however, the only cost you really have is your time. If there’s a way to set yourself apart from your “competitors,” why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of it?
Read more: Why You Should Start Business Blogging in 2016 [CEO Press]
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