Blogs: it seems like everyone has one. For a small business that has to be careful about where it invests its time and money, a blog might seem like a big investment that offers questionable returns.
If used correctly and aligned strategically, however, a blog can do a lot for your business. Read on to learn about six things a blog can do for you if it’s done right.
1. Boost Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Your website isn’t just a place where people can find your hours – if used correctly, it can help people looking for products or services learn what you offer and discover your business.
For these people to discover you, your page needs to come up near the top of search engine results. Having content on your site that mentions specific products and services by name is a foundational part of making this happen.
Placing keywords on your site will only work if the mentions occur in useful, well-written content. A basic website offers a few opportunities to work these words in – for instance, on the services page – but to really create a keyword-dense site, you need more places to put content. That’s exactly the opportunity that a blog affords.
2. Provide a Platform for Announcements
If your site doesn’t have a good place to post updates, announcements and company news, a blog will provide the space and interface you need. You’ll be able to add text, links and images while organizing and ordering content in a logical fashion.
3. Help With Customer Service
If customers often call with the same questions about your products or services, a blog is a great place to write out in-depth answers supported with images, diagrams, how-to information or external links. This could result in fewer calls where you have to repeat yourself, and will definitely result in better-informed customers.
Consider comparing different models of products you offer or different levels of service you provide – this sort of information is especially helpful to people conducting research prior to purchasing.
4. Support Branding Efforts
If you’re trying to establish a brand identity, either for customer OR employee acquisition or retention, a blog gives you a nice platform to show off your personality.
You’re probably different than your competitors in many ways, and one is who you are. Are you more helpful than the others? Is working with you more fun? Does your detail-oriented approach guarantee superior results?
Solidifying your brand’s personality and communicating it through the topics and style of the content you post is a smart way to bolster your brand identity for key audiences.
5. Establish Trust + Expertise
If someone says they’re an expert, do you take their word for it? Offering insights and advice about topics relevant to your field is a great way to convey your knowledge and let prospective customers know that they can trust you.
6. Acquire Customers
This is the last item because it requires the most expertise and effort.
The amount of web content being produced for marketing purposes is at an all-time high and is expected to continue to grow. This means that creating content that people can find, read and share also involves creating content that’s superior in some way to other content about the exact same thing.
Some people pay to promote their content and that’s certainly an option, but a well-executed content marketing strategy can drive content that achieves results all on its own.
To some extent, any efforts that you make in blog writing will help support the above areas of your business. The level of impact, however, will be determined by the strength of your strategy. Strategy will tell you what to write, when to write, what topics to cover, what words to use, what tone to establish and where to share what you write.
Blogging to achieve real results isn’t easy, but Compulse can help you create and execute a digital content marketing strategy that will support your business goals. Contact us to learn more.