What is a blog?
A blog is a useful tool to help you boost your business, but what is a blog you may ask. A blog is a web page or website that is written in conversational style. It can be the whole website, meaning there is no other content contained on the website, or it can be a small part of a website. Blogs are an effective and economical form of content marketing.
Why blog?
Blogs communicate with others. For businesses, blogs express how your company can serve others and why people should choose you to meet their business needs. Blogs communicate authority in an industry. They strengthen your relationships with your current customers. Blogs set your brand apart from others. They gain exposure for your company. They help your website gain position in Google ranking.
How can a blog help your business?
Blogs show authority.
By using a blog, a company can show they are an authority in their industry. When a company blogs about industry specific subjects it shows that they are well informed and educated on how to help others in that industry. Showing that authority builds trust. People buy from people they trust.
Blogs build relationships.
Blogs build relationships with customers and potential customers. The content on your blog should be informative, yes, but it also should be conversational. Your posts should communicate your brand’s personality. By doing this, people feel at ease with you. People feel that they know you. People buy from people they know.
Blogs help your business stand out.
Blogs set your business apart from others in the industry. By providing content that educates customers and potential customers, you are doing something that most companies in most industries aren’t doing. You provide a reason for people to keep visiting your site. There is a desire to keep looking at your content because it enriches their lives. When you keep customers coming back to your site, you stay in the front of their minds so that when they are ready to buy, it’s you that they call.
Blogs help gain exposure for your company.
Blogs gain exposure for your company. If you post about a solution to a problem in your industry using content that captures the attention of people, that post is shared. Blogs not only inform people that you know you want to reach, when written well, they inform people you didn’t know you need to reach. Make sure your content is not all about selling to people, but solving problems or making others feel smarter and watch how much your exposure grows. More exposure usually means more business.
Blogs help your website rank.
Blogs help your website rank higher in Google searches. Let us rephrase that. Consistent and well written blog posts can make your site rank higher in Google searches. Your website needs to be updated frequently so that Google will deem you relevant to keyword searches. Chances are you don’t add a new product a month to your business so changes to your site can be tough to come by – unless you incorporate a blog. However, it’s not enough to post about your sales with your products and services. That content needs to helpful and be rich in SEO words and phrases so that the search engines take notice.
How often should you blog?
Here is a little information about how Google organizes information for searches. (Click here to be taken to a Google site.) Google is always searching for new and relevant content for their search engine. We recommend to stay relevant and rank higher, you should post no less than once a month, or have some sort of change to your site in that time frame. However, bi-weekly to weekly posts with useful information is the best practice.
Are there different types of blogs?
Yes, blog posts come in different shapes and sizes so to speak. There are posts for how to do something or checklists to eliminate problems. Posts can cover step by step instructions for product use or guides for product news. They can be lists. Blogs can talk about what is going on in your company. There are so many types of posts that can make a difference in your business.
How do you get started blogging?
Your website should have a page for blogs. Begin by making sure that your site creator has that set up and that you know how to access that section of your site. Start with a list of things that are specific to your industry. Include problems that customers may have in your line of business. The solutions to these problems are a great place to start as they will make you the expert in your field. Ideas will come. Keep a list of ideas and make sure that you are posting no less than once a month.
What to do if you don’t have time to blog or money to have a full-time blogger on staff?
Blogging is such an important part of content marketing and content marketing is so very important to your business. If you do not have time to write your own blogs or you don’t have money to have someone on staff do this for your business full time, it’s okay. Blogging is something that can be done from an outside source. Just make sure the company providing this service takes time to know you and your company. We at King Branding Company would love to work with you. Contact us today to get started making a difference for your business!