Why Your Small Business Needs a Blog
How blogging effectively can drive traffic to your website.
Blogs are one of the most cost-effective ways to build brand awareness and establish industry expertise. Are you leveraging blog traffic to benefit your business?
I know I know, you’re busy running a business and the last thing you want to do is add yet another hat to the many that you already wear as a small business owner. But as a millennial woman who loves to spend money, I have to tell you that your online presence (or lack thereof) will absolutely impact whether I spend money at your business or not.
Whether I’m looking for a restaurant for girls’ night, an auto body shop that can change my oil, or a lawyer to help me read over a new contract, the first thing I’m doing is searching online. Don’t let this discourage you! I know there are a lot of national chains with multi-million dollar marketing budgets that have the brand recognition that small businesses can’t even dream of. But that’s okay because my online searches lead me to local businesses all the time.
But, I can’t find you online if you’re not there! An easy and cost-effective way to establish an online presence and market your business is to establish a blog. Still not convinced?
Here are 5 reasons why every small business owner should start a blog.
1. Blogging helps potential customers find your website.
There are over 1.7 billion websites out there, and search engines like Google have to sift through all of them every time I search “local shoe store”. So how does blogging help Google recommend your website over others?
When you have a blog it helps with SEO ( search engine optimization). Search engines sift through all of the words on your site and the more words you have, the more chances there are for Google to find and recommend your site. This does not mean that you should fill your site with random keywords, because your website needs to remain user-friendly. It’s no good to you if I find your website on Google, but once I’m on your site I can’t figure out how to find your company address because your pages are filled with random keywords. By blogging you can provide real, useful information for potential customers that will also drive traffic to your website.
2. Blogging creates brand recognition.
Until I do more research, your company is just a name on a screen. But if you have a blog that I can read I can get a better sense of who you are, what you do, and what your company culture is like. By creating a blog, you can increase your brand awareness and help potential customers get to like your company before they ever meet you.
If I am searching for ‘plumbers near me’ and 4 companies pop up in my search results, the first thing I’m going to do is go to their websites. If one company doesn’t have a website and only has a phone number listed there is honestly a 1% chance that I will call that number. Calling a company that I know nothing about gives me anxiety and I would only do it if it were a plumbing emergency and they were the only option, or if someone I trust recommended them to me.
If the next company had a website I would click on it, but I would immediately leave the website if the page was glitchy, the information was outdated (links don’t work, dates referenced are several years old, etc.), or if it’s overrun by pop-ups. If the last two websites both had user-friendly websites I would spend some time exploring the sites. Services and prices are important, but so are pictures of previous projects, customer testimonials, and anything else I can learn. This is where a great blog can set a website apart! If they had a blog post about new eco-friendly toilets and how they can reduce your water bill, I would now consider this company for even bigger projects, and this is all before I’ve given them any business at all! Blog posts can allow consumers to get to know your company and if they like what they see, they are more likely to give you their business.
3. Blogging establishes you as an expert in your field.
When I’m finding random businesses on the internet I am coming in blind, I know nothing about the business, the owners, or the goods and services provided. It can be a little scary to decide where to spend your money when you know nothing about the business! But if you use your blog to establish yourself as an expert in your field and legitimize your business, you can help alleviate these fears. If I’m looking for a new nail salon, there could be dozens in my area. But if I find a company that has blog posts about new nail color trends for winter, nail hygiene best practices, and bios about the staff and the work that they specialize in, I am already going to associate this company with expertise and quality. The other nail salons in the area might provide the same quality of services, but if they don’t have a blog to show me that expertise it immediately gives the salon with the blog the upper hand.
4. Blogging is cost-effective.
There are lots of free blog sites and low cost blog sites that can get your blog up and running in no time! You do not need to be a computer wiz as most of these sites provide easy-to-use templates and royalty-free images that enable anyone to make a high-quality blog. If you want to write the blog posts yourself that is the most cost-effective way to get your blog started. Posts can be short, but make sure they are at least 300 words for SEO. Blog about anything related to your industry that you think your customers might have questions about. If writing isn’t your thing, that’s okay too! You can hire a freelancer on sites like Upwork or Fiverr who can write blog posts for you. There are freelancers of all experience levels and rates so you should be able to find someone perfect for your blog! You are investing money in content that will drive traffic to your site, increase your brand recognition, and help potential customers to see why they should choose your business. This is valuable marketing.
5. Blog content can be repurposed for social media.
Just like having a blog, social media accounts are essential for a 21st-century small business. With so many big businesses out there to compete with you want to make sure that you are maximizing all the low-budget marketing tools out there! Creating new content for social media can feel taxing when you don’t have any new ideas for what to post. But you can take portions of the information covered in your blog and use it to create posts for social media! This ensures that more people are seeing your content and learning about your business, and you don’t have to spend all of your time trying to come up with new ideas to post.
Blogging might seem like it would be yet another chore for a small business owner, but it really is an excellent way to reach new potential customers. It’s a free or affordable way to market your business, drive traffic to your website, and help potential customers get to know how awesome your business is!
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.
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