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Alright, let’s start at the beginning. Maintaining a blog for a business website is very important, especially as it helps drive traffic to your site. Most folks visit a business’s website to get some form of value, whether that be contact info, product pricing, news or events, or other general types of content.
Sure, it took Samantha a while, but after 3 years, she finally realized that adding a blog to her small-business website really made sense. With minimal expense and effort, she was able to boost search engine rankings, build an email list, and started becoming recognized as an industry expert by sharing helpful articles.
The good news? Samantha is now successfully competing with her competitors to capture the attention of her target audience.
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Here’s Why Your Business Needs a Blog
No matter what kind of industry you are in, your business needs a blog. In addition to your home page, product pages, and other information, you should also have a place where you can post new content regularly and interact with your visitors.
A blog can be the perfect place to answer this call for content. While a business should generally stick to their area of expertise, some companies use their blogs as a forum for fun posts aimed at building a loyal community around their brand.
Content is king (for many reasons) and a blog allows you not only to own content on your website but also to cross-promote on social platforms.
Blog content can come in many forms including:
- Articles/ Listicles
- Videos/Pictures
- Infographics
- Frequently Asked Questions
- And so much more…
When you have a regularly updated blog on your site, you offer fresh content, giving your audience a reason to check back regularly. Your business needs a blog to help keep people on your site. It will also help with search engine traffic, as Google loves sites that update their content often.
Ensure that you utilize your blog to boost your multi-platform content marketing strategy by – packing your posts full of long-form content, catchy quotes, attention-grabbing headlines, and resourceful content upgrades.
The only downside is that you have to post regularly, and this takes time and effort. However, if you approach it strategically, you can make blogging much easier.
Listen up buddy, without a blog, your website is susceptible to the waves and tides of the internet. So, hoist your main blog sail and catch the website traffic to propel your business forward.
What’s Blogging for Business?
Why do you think business owners or business managers would want to focus on blogging if it will not be beneficial to their business at all? You’re right. You could already say that there should be no more question as to why more and more business owners are gearing towards doing blogging for business.
Your business needs a blog because it is obvious that blogging has proven its worth as far as any business is concerned. Blogging has slowly and surely picked up speed as more and more business owners are realizing the benefits that blogging brings to a business. Here is blogging defined for us to better understand why more and more business owners are into blogging for business nowadays.
The Definition of Blogging
In The Beginning
As Pyra Labs Blogger has put it, a “blog” is actually a web page composed of some short and concise, regularly updated posts arranged by order of the dates posted. It was originally called “weblogs” in 1997 as thought up by a certain Jorn Barger.
These weblogs started gaining popularity in 1999 when quite a number of companies, as well as developers, came out with blogging software and tools that would make blogging much easier to use. And since then, the number of users patronizing blogging has boomed from just a thousand to about a hundred million of bloggers.
Blogging Today
The definition of blogging is something that is very much in flux, as the new technologies that appear every day redefine what a blog is, what a blog can be, and what a blog should do. For many years, blogs were defined as text-based websites that kept records of days, similar to a captain’s log on a sailing ship.
However, this started to change as the group of people who kept blogs became more diverse. The more bloggers began to explore the limits of the medium and of the technology that made it possible, the more the boundaries of what could be called a “blog” expanded.
Today, there are an abundance of photo blogs, and there are even video blogs as well. Mobile blogging devices may well change the definition of blogging entirely by making it possible for bloggers to create new kinds of posts. Another element of the blogosphere that is starting to redefine blogging is the corporate blog.
As more companies hire writers to keep blogs with the sole purpose of creating positive buzz about their brand, bloggers across the globe are arguing about whether these manufactured blogs are really worthy of the name. Between all of these different forces that are constantly expanding and reshaping the blogosphere, it is difficult to imagine that the definition of what is and is not a blog will ever remain fixed for very long.
Business Blog Category
There are two kinds of blogging. Firstly, personal blogs, are a combination of a personal diary or journal with some postings on opinions and where research links are present. And lastly, there are business blogs, which is considered more of as a communication tool for promoting business to existing clients, prospective or new and potential customers.
Blogging For Marketing Purposes
Blogging for business is also usually made as a venue for marketing products and services, communicating the special features and benefits of each product or service. It has slowly yet captivatingly seized the attention of the global business community what with the dramatic increase in the number of bloggers recorded.
Truly, blogs are a brilliant technique a business owner can use for sharing or campaigning its expertise and business portfolio. These, while at the same time boosting the site’s traffic and connecting with new prospective customers as well.
Why Blogging Fuels Your Business Goals
Are you still not convinced your business needs a blog? As for small enterprises or businesses which have just recently started and recognized the benefits of blogging, there are several reasons why maintaining a blog can support your broader business goals:
A Low-Cost Alternative
Setting up your own blog on the Web will not even hurt your pockets. It is a very cost-effective alternative to indulging into advertising and marketing promotions. As we know these advertising and marketing endorsements will cost your business a great deal of money just to promote your products and services.
And especially for small business owners who do not have much resources. Yet to learn blogging for business, you may simply hire a Web developer. However, if you don’t have the time to learn about web html, then settle with the cheaper means of getting your business’ name visible online.
Very Easy to Use
Basically, jot down your thoughts, link your site to other various resources, and after which you should publish to your blog, in just a few pushes of the button. You may try using a blog software application such as the Movable Type, Blogger.com and Typepad since they are all known to provide user-friendly blogging tools for your business.
Squarespace®, another application is an all-in-one platform to build a beautiful online presence in no time. However, the most wildly utilized blogging platform is WordPress, the software that powers over 43% of the web, is open-source software you can use to create a beautiful website, blog, or app.
Content, Content & More Fresh Content
Whenever you are developing your content, part of your marketing strategy should be to always look at how it can be monetized. For some odd reason, many marketers create tons of content for their blogs, emails, and social media profiles, only to fail at making sure it has some sort of profit generator attached to it.
Whether it drives people back to your site for a product review for which you are an affiliate, adds them to a subscriber list so that you can earn from them over time, helps you earn ad revenue, or sends them directly to a product that you created, you want to create and publish your content with the intent to earn money from it.
It doesn’t have to be a direct or instant sale. You can monetize content by creating a series of engaging pieces that build trust and loyalty with your audience, allowing them to spend money with you in the near future.
Link Building for SEO
Link building means that you not only include links within your site to your own content (internal linking), but also build links from outside of your site to your website (backlinks).
The most important aspect of links, whether internal or backlinks, is relevancy. First, look at the links that you have on your site and then look at the links outside the site. You want them to be relevant to your audience, otherwise, there is no point in the link. You can use Google Analytics to study this on your site.
Backlinking
The best way to get good backlinks is to simply share and promote your content in the right places. Every piece of content that you publish should be promoted across social networks as if it’s the best product you’ve ever created. Hopefully, you’re starting to realize the benefits of why your business needs a blog.
Backlinks affect ranking a lot more than people realize. That’s because when someone takes the time to link to your site, it gives a signal that your website is authoritative, accurate, and relevant. Most people don’t even work on getting backlinks because it often happens naturally. But, if you can improve your SEO just by getting relevant people to link to you, why not give it a go?
What Internal Links Accomplish
Internal links help your audience navigate your website, outline the structure of your website, and boosts page rank and authority throughout your website. Internal links guide your audience to view the content that you want them to see based on where they first entered your website, by pointing them to more relevant content.
Build Thought Leadership, Credibility & Authority
Here’s one of my favorite reasons why your business needs a blog. It can help launch your leadership and credibility. When done right, “authority building” also means “audience building” with people who believe you can help them . . . with people willing to pay you for your help.
Like the word or not, building “authority” will help you create the type of influence, platform, and content that allows you to run a successful online business based on truly helping people.
However, publishing good content alone is not sufficient…
You need the right kind of content to showcase your expertise. According to Meera Kothand, such content pieces usually have 3 characteristics.
Now, your content can break sacred cows, have a clearly identifiable point of view and fill an opportunity gap but if you don’t have the credibility or authority to show for it, your content can quickly come across as a rant.
This is the mistake most people make when they’re starting out. They focus heavily on blogging or podcasting or video without considering the other aspects.
All three (content + authority + marketability) have to work hand in hand. These elements accelerate the process of positioning yourself as a thought leader or expert.
Keyword Relevancy
Another reason why your business needs a blog is that it can help build a popular website with keyword research. What’s the difference between a blog post that receives hundreds of referrals from search engines or none at all? The right words.
And hey, what’s the difference between an attention-grabbing opening paragraph and one that has your readers looking for the Back button? The right words.
Choose the right words, and you’ll receive traffic, subscribers, revenue, influence … everything you need to become an authority blogger. Choose the wrong words, and you’ll be just another nobody that doesn’t get it, forever clamouring for attention but forever ignored.
So where do you find the right words? You guessed it—by understanding what copywriting is really all about.
What to Write About on Your Blog
Still need more proof why your business needs a blog? Cool,…the goal of your blog content should be to offer help and solutions for the problems and issues your audience faces. If you can offer tips to help them solve their problems, you’ll build a strong relationship with them. Your site will become the go-to source of information in your niche and this will result in sales.
Start by creating a customer profile. Include demographic information so you can get to know your readers. Focus on problems they face and questions they have. Write your content with this ideal individual in mind.
Where to Get Ideas for Your Blog
Writing is just one part of the process. In order to blog regularly, you need a steady stream of good ideas for your content.
Create an idea file that you can add to as you brainstorm and refer back to when you’re ready to start writing. Start by considering things like:
- Questions people regularly ask you
- Ways you’ve helped people before
- The basics of your niche and industry
- Things you can talk endlessly on
Since you have a customer profile in hand, brainstorm the type of information this person would be looking for.
Locate Idea Sources
Since you’ll need to gather more ideas as you go along, locate a few good places to search for ideas to add to your list. Question and answer sites like Quora are great for finding ideas. Other places to look for ideas include social media, online forums, blog comments, and competitors’ blogs. Go to these places to see what people are talking about and asking about. Look for topics you can address.
Once you find some good places, bookmark them so you can refer to them when you’re looking for ideas.
Tips on Writing Great Blog Posts
- Write in a conversational tone like you’re talking to a friend and avoid industry jargon.
- You don’t have to be a great writer, but make sure there aren’t any typos, misspellings, or grammar mistakes.
- Use at least one image for each blog post. Professional quality images give people something to look at and make it more visually appealing.
- Avoid huge blocks of text. Break up your posts with sub-headers and space between paragraphs so they’re skimmable.
Once you get into a routine of writing and posting to your blog regularly, you’ll quickly see results in your traffic and website conversions.
Do you have a checklist of things I should do before publishing?
I sure do! My free Blog Post Checklist is designed to help your blog posts meet your business goals.
Features That Can Boost Sales
Blogging for business has become the new trend among businesses and entrepreneurs today. Therefore, if your business needs a blog, the following are some of the blog features that you must be familiar with other than content:
Blog Archive
A blog archive is a collection of old posts which are usually grouped by week or month. The archive is usually located in the blog’s sidebar or near the header, somewhere that will facilitate easy access to old posts.
Blog Categories
Related blog entries can be grouped into categories such as products, promos, services, and others. This will facilitate easy access of visitors to those entries that catch their interest.
Blogroll
This is a list of blogs that you like or follow, located in your blog’s sidebar or below for easy access. You can include your other blog sites in your blogroll so that your blog viewers can link to them easily. If your business is flower arrangements and you’re also selling gardening supplies, for example, you can place a link to your gardening supplies blog in the blogroll of your flower arrangement page.
Blogrolls are great traffic generators. If you are included in the blogroll of other sites and blogs, your site will get greater exposure. Site visitors can easily click on your link and arrive on your site. And if your blog has many incoming links from other high-quality blogs, it will rank higher in search engines.
Blog Comments
Another feature that you can include in your blog is the section for comments. Your blog visitors can easily leave comments on every article you post, to which you respond accordingly.
If you diligently post interesting entries, respond to all your commenters, regularly visit other related blogs and correspondingly leave comments, you can eventually form a blog-based community. This can greatly bring more traffic to your blog
The primary purpose of all the above blog features is to facilitate easy browsing of your blog as well as to boost traffic, thereby increasing the exposure of your products and services, which can be converted into sales. Al these can make your blogging for business successful.
Blogging For Business Owners
If you run a small company, you may find that the world of blogging for business owners is a world that you want to be a part of. Your business needs a blog because blogging is a great way to get the word out to consumers about your product or service.
Additionally, it can even be useful for inspiring employee loyalty and helping you keep your workers at peak morale. If you are looking for a way to take your business to the next level, consider what starting a blog might be able to do for you.
Blogging for business owners has a lot in common with all other types of blogging, but it has its own unique pitfalls and strengths. The key to having a successful blog as a business owner is keeping your goals clear and concrete at every step of your blogging adventure.
It can be all too easy to get sidetracked, especially if you are just learning about the exciting possibilities of blogging technology. But if you want your blog to succeed you need to stay focused.
Write up a plan for how often you will update, how you will promote your blog and retain readers. Whether you will feature photographs or video, and other aspects of your blog, and then stick to it with the same kind of determination that you used when you built your company.
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