As a small business owner you are busy. When you engage in any type of marketing activity you want to know that you’re going to get results. And the end result needs to be more sales.
So why should you be blogging?
Before I answer that I should probably answer a more basic question, what is a blog? Blog is short for web log. In the early days blogs were really just online diaries for angst ridden teenagers.
Things have changed.
Today a blog is a specialized website that is updated frequently, usually with articles although it can also be photos, video or audio.
Who reads blogs? Just about everyone who has ever looked up information on the Internet. Odds are if you’ve looked up an online review before purchasing a new smart phone or computer, the article you read was actually a blog post.
More Traffic to Your Website
That leads into the first reason why having a blog for your business is so important. Because in addition to people reading blogs, Google and other search engines read them too.
A blog post that includes a well-written title containing important keywords to your business and an accompanying article can be found by Google which in turn means it can be found by somebody looking for an answer to a question or a solution to a problem.
When you write a blog post, in reality it is like adding an additional page to your website. If you only write one blog post the month at the end of the year your website will have 12 new pages added. That’s 12 more pages that can turn up in a Google search.
In addition to that, too many small business owners create a website and then don’t touch it for months or years at the time. When Google or a person comes across one of these static websites it’s hard for them to know if this business is still around. However, if you’ve been blogging on a regular basis both Google and people can see your business is a going concern.
Trust
If I’m buying a pack of gum from you I don’t really need to know, like or trust you very much. However, if I’m going to let you handle my money, keep my computer network running or give me a massage I need to trust you a lot more.
In this situation blogging is a must. If you have lots of useful information on your website in the form of a blog, it gives potential clients a chance to check you out long before they ever pick up the phone or walk into your store.
In fact, it’s not unusual for someone to contact me after having read several of my posts ready to become a client.
In many ways your blog is a 24/7 sales and marketing machine.
Social
Another big advantage of having a business blog is it gives you relevant content to share on your social networks.
One of the most common questions I get asked about social media marketing is “what to post”. While I would certainly hope that you’re not only posting your blog posts new social media, it’s a great way to spread your reach.
More Leads
While everything I’ll set mentioned is nice, none of it matters if you aren’t getting new business. Blogs help there too. According to HubSpot B2B businesses with a blog gets 67% more leads than their competitors without a blog.
How? As I said before, having a blog means more traffic on your website. Once you get that traffic you need to convert it into a lead so you can start them along your sales process.
You need to make sure you have a “call to action” as part of every post. Perhaps you have a free report or checklist to give to prospects. Have a sign-up box for the at the end of each blog post where they give you their email in exchange for the report.
Offer a discount code that they can use when placing their first order. Or you can just invite them to call with any questions (don’t forget your phone number).
In any case, if you haven’t started blogging yet, perhaps it’s time to reconsider.
Are you wondering if it makes sense for you to start a blog? Why not set up a complimentary consultation with me and we’ll discuss your options. Schedule a free call with Andrea (See what I did here? It’s a “call to action”)
