Why should I blog? Who’s reading it anyway?
If you’re an independent biz owner with a million other to-dos on your list, writing a new blog entry might be lowest on the list. We get it! It’s not easy to shift gears from juggling 50 things, to then settle into something you may not like to do or find challenging to do. But here are a few compelling reasons to move blog posting to the top of your marketing to-do list.
Bots Love Blogs. Every company needs a blog on its website to increase visibility. Put simply, the more blog content you create, the more opportunities you’ll have to show up when people search for your type of service or business when using a search engine (e.g. Google).This drives organic traffic to your website (it’s the valuable kind!). Strengthen your SEO strategy by ‘speaking’ to the bots on-the-regular and commit to a blogging schedule. Bi-weekly is great; monthly, is a-must.
You Can Demonstrate Expertise. If you put it down on paper, then you must be an expert. Well, not exactly, but a blog is a GREAT opportunity to expound on your thoughts and demo expertise. Use social media posts and Tweets to promote it and exhibit your credibility. And once it’s out there in the web-iverse with your company name, you own it– it’s your professional perspective and insight. By writing a blog, you give people the opportunity to learn why you know so much! Especially, if you’re a ‘maker’ (a.k.a. artisan, owner and/or founder), a blog is the perfect avenue to share your ‘why’!
Click Throughs Increase! Hello!? People, you use social media to prompt clients to email you for a consultation, or to ‘add to cart’ on your website, right? Well, the type of Instagram and Facebook post that drives the most clicks to your website is about a blog post!
It Generates Content. You’ve taken the time to map-out a thoughtful entry, so now use the content as fodder for other things. We love using a blog post as a springboard for a marketing campaign. For example, a floral design studio wants to promote microweddings.
- First, the studio publishes a blog on its website regarding how they’re partnering with clients on reimagining their big days as microweddings. Then, they promote the new blog entry on IG and FB with a link to the piece on their website.
- Next, the studio posts a slide series to its story promoting its microwedding work along with a call-to-action (here’s that consultation clickthrough piece!). And of course, the studio continues to share posts of ‘real microweddings’ it’s produced on social– driving potential clients back to it’s website
Voice. We can’t say this enough: your blog gives your brand a voice (a.k.a. character). It’s a platform, a podium of sorts, from which you can speak with personality and authenticity. It’s your chance to be relatable and, most importantly, personable! Clients want to know WHO is behind the business. People relate to people, not entities. For example, they want to hear your thoughts about pivoting decor plans for a microwedding, and know that you appreciate the challenges they’re facing planning a wedding amidst a pandemic. What you can express in your blog is beyond what you could ever convey through any other medium.
A blog entry is your chance to say what you need to say without being limited by characters and algorithms. Take the time to let your brand’s personality and voice shine through your words, in long form, and then use the blog to create bite-sized pieces for your audience to read in other marketing channels, like IG and display ads. And remember, all this expression, all this content, leads to turning-up in more search engine results, and in endearing your business to more clients, as well as more click throughs to your website and, ultimately, more business!