Most business owners want to grow their business. They want to continue to advance and see how far they can go. This involves acquiring new customers and driving repeat business from existing customers.
The trick is, how do you spend the least amount of money possible while earning the highest possible return?
Some savvy entrepreneurs already know there are several approaches that can work, but one tactic that all businesses should be taking advantage of is keeping a blog. Blogging is an amazing low cost marketing tool that drives large returns.
A lot of people know what blogging is, and they know it’s good for their business, but they’re not sure how powerful of a tool it really is. Let’s look at 5 of the many reasons every business should have a blog.
#1 Major SEO Boost
When potential customers become aware that they need a product or service they typically turn to search engines like Google. They type in questions and words related to the solution that they need. For example, “lawn care services in Fresno, Ca”. The pages which Google deem to be most relevant to the search are listed from most to least relevant. The more pages you have which feature high quality content and the keywords being searched, the more likely you will be featured in search engine results.
Being that less than 10% of people click beyond the first page of search results, it’s important that your content is optimized in order to be a page 1 result.
A blog is typically the place on a website which has the most content. That’s all it is; page after page of content related to your business. The content should actually be built around the keywords and phrases which your audience most frequently search so that you are writing about what they really want to know.
Yes, this takes some research and strategy, but when done properly, it will pay off in page 1 rankings and highly targeted traffic which is likely to convert. According to TrafficGeneration Café, once you write 21-54 blog posts, blog traffic generation increases by up to 30%.
So, blog because it helps with SEO.
#2 Keeps Your Business Focused
Blogging is an integral piece of the larger puzzle that makes up your brand. In order to create a successful blog, you need to plan the purpose, and how you will achieve that purpose. This includes keyword research, topic planning, scheduling, hiring writers and more. It will take quite a bit of brainstorming and research to choose topics which will provide true value to your audience and keep them engaged. Furthermore, it will take time to find the right posting frequency for your blogs.
Due to the fact that running an effective blog requires planning and strategy, it helps to keep you focused on your business and its growth. It also provides insight into what most interests your audience, allowing you to fine tune your content to be even more effective.
#3 Free PR
Blogging brings exposure. As blogs are shared, more people read them. Sometimes the people that are reading them are members of the media. Guess what those members of the media do when they’re looking for certain stories. They contact people/businesses that can provide them with quotes or information for their stories.
They may find that information on your blog and quote the blog directly, without even contacting you. That press can lead to more sales.
Or, they may contact you after they see your blog to request an interview as they feel comfortable with your company and know what you have to offer since they read your blog(s).
This activity can relate directly to building your brand and generating more sales.
#4 Builds Brand Authority
Nowadays, digital marketing is highly competitive. As a business you need to stand out from your competition. You need to build meaningful relationships with your customers. You need to position yourself as an authority in your industry.
A blog can help you do this.
By writing posts about issues/problems/topics which are relevant to your Industry, and offering your own opinions and expert advice, you become a company that is looked to for answers. This is known as building brand authority and results in more traffic.
#5 Make More Sales
A survey completed by HubSpot found that 60% of businesses made more sales because of blogging. Furthermore, 61% of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog. (Source: BlogHer).
Blogs can be used to pull in new prospective customers as well as nurture existing leads through the buying cycle. As a result, more prospects are making it to the point of conversion.
Now if that reason isn’t straight forward enough, what is?
Blogs directly help your business make more money.
There you have it – 5 reasons that blogging will help your business. From improving SEO and keeping your brand focused, to getting more exposure, building brand authority, and helping you make more sales. Blogging is simply an activity your businesses needs to be actively doing in order to remain competitive and grow.
