Why you should be blogging for your business
I wrote this original post in 2017 and I was basically at the very beginning of my business. That was over 2 years ago now, and I have been blogging consistently for that whole two years. Consistently meaning at least once a week (minus a few slip ups and vacations here and there).
I laugh when I read this post because, honestly, I really didn’t know what I was doing, but I knew the experts were all telling me to “start a blog!”. And, guess what folks, they were right!
Ever since I started blogging back in 2017 my website visitors increased month by month, and now my Search Engine ranking is pretty darn high (for the things I want to rank for, of course).
Starting a Blog was by far the best marketing decision I ever made for my business.
So, almost 3 years later, pretty much everything in this post still rings true, and I still give people this same advice.
Though, I will say now, that you don’t just have to start a Blog. Free content is hotter than ever and you can make a huge splash by using video (YouTube, Facebook or Instagram) or Podcasting, which is totally the it thing right now. These are great platforms to produce free content on.
But I recommend if you do video or podcasting, you think about repurposing it into a Blog (I know I know, I’m Blog obsessed!)
Here’s why: Having a Blog is a huge YES for Google and other Search Engines. Google can read your content and easily place you in the rankings for that piece of content. It can’t do that with Podcasts or Videos, it can only do it with written content. So if you want to create videos or Podcasts, that’s awesome, but consider reposting them to your website and transcribing them in a Blog-like format, because if you don’t, you won’t be making the most of Google, and I can’t stress enough how beneficial having a good Google presence is for your biz!
So here ya go, my post from 2017 that has got my business where it is today:
I’ve done the research, and research says: if you want your small online business to be successful, you need to start blogging ASAP. My solid business plan: Content content content. Produce as-much-as-possible high quality content that you can, and post it everywhere. The easiest and best way to do that (for me) is to blog.
I know, I don’t like the idea of it either, and I’ll be honest, I put it off for a couple of months. It was like a huge to-do task that I just didn’t want to tackle. And it is hard to tackle. “What are you even supposed to write about?”, “How do you even start?”, “No one’s even going to read it!” - my thoughts about blogging, before I started blogging.
My advice is, just start. Your blog posts will most certainly suck for a while. But if you start making it a habit and a part of your regular week, I can guarantee that you’ll get into the swing of things and it’ll become much more natural.
If you've already been blogging consistently, and you haven't got any traction from it yet, keep it up because, well, it takes a pretty long time to see the results.
But it’s really important because... it works. My website traffic has gone up drastically since I started blogging, and has given me great insight to what my visitors want to read about (aka buy). So I have compiled a list of all the reasons (I have experienced first hand) that you need to start blogging to promote your business:
It builds trust and positions you as an expert
People won't buy from you if they don’t trust you, end of story.
If you’re blogging about a topic that is related to what you’re selling (you should be), then your readers are going to see that you know what you’re talking about.
They’ve probably come to your blog for advice, which means that you know more than them about this topic.
This positions you as the expert, and potentially means you are the right person for the job.
If you can answer their questions about a certain topic, they’re going to see you as an expert. Even further, if they implement your advice and strategies from your blog and it works in their favor, they are going to trust you. Trust = sales.
Good testimonials, referrals and an extensive portfolio also help with this, but if you’re a newbie and you don’t have these things, the best thing you can do is give away free and useful information.
Boosts SEO
Google loves when you consistently add content to your website, it loves websites with lots of pages and it loves pages that answer peoples questions in detail (are you pickin' up what I'm puttin' down here?). Blogging is the answer. More up to date information, more pages and more actually helpful words means a higher chance of Google matching the words on your website to whatever someone is Googling.
So, the more blog posts you have, the more likely someone is going to find the answer they're looking for on your website. And of course, if you’re answering a lot of searched questions, it will rank you higher and higher.
It’s pretty simple. Blogging increases your SEO, which increases your website traffic, which increases your sales.
My Google hits have gone up tenfold since I started blogging. I never thought I would even be featured on Google, but it looks like Google thinks I’m a good fit for some key questions and a good chunk of people are coming to my website through Google now. (woohoo!)
Related Post > 5 Easy SEO Tips for Squarespace
It keeps people coming back + loyalty
If you’re posting consistently, people know to come back to you for more (this is a good reason to blog consistently aka once a week). If they have read and enjoyed some of your content, and know you are posting every week, they are much more likely to come back to you rather than go find a new blog to read.
I’ve experienced this first hand. There are a handful of bloggers that I am dedicated to, subconsciously I think. So dedicated that I go check back for new posts, or instead of Googling a question I go search their website for it first. Choosing them over Google? Now that’s dedication! I go back for their great content, but also because I trust them and see them as experts in my eyes (see a trend here?). I almost feel like I know them.
If you’re consistent enough, you’ll get your own little band of followers. Though, it probably won't happen for a while. Blogging is a long game, but when it pays off, it really pays off!
The benefit of having these followers is that if they decide to look into buying, they’re going to think of you first, and buy from you. They’re also always the ones to share and promote your work. It’s always good to have loyal fans!
Gateway to selling your products
I’m really not a salesy sort of person. In fact, I hate it and I’m terrible at it. Self promotion is uncomfortable for me.
The great thing about blogging is that you can work your blog posts around selling something (a specific or general product) and it doesn’t feel salesy at all, because you’re offering free advice and great content.
For example, in all of my ‘Squarespace Tips’ blog posts, where I offer a bunch of valuable free content for Squarespace Designers and DIYers, somewhere in the article I also offer up my paid Squarespace services. How could I not? Maybe my readers are totally over trying to do it themselves, this is their last-ditch effort, and then they see that they can pay me to do it all for them? Simple.
If your topic relates to what you're selling, this is a no-brainer.
First think about the topic of your blogs, will they attract your ideal customers? Then think about the valuable content you will be offering them. Then, think about how you can lead that into a sale.
Gives you an idea of what your audience wants more of
You can check any analytics platform to see how your posts are performing. If you use Pinterest to share your posts, you can see which one has be repinned the most. Be vigilant of what posts are getting the most comments, likes and shares.
Studying these numbers will show you what your audience likes, wants and needs. If you know what your audience wants more of, produce more of that. Then, more of the same audience will come. And when you grow a large audience you can really tailor your products to suit them even more.
If you’re writing about a variety of topics, and only one is taking flight, write more of that topic. Fill the needs of your ideal client, and you’ll grow a larger audience faster.
Tip: Then keep an eye out for the questions people are asking. Are you getting similar questions over and over again on your posts? Write a blog answering their questions. Or even better, launch a paid product that answers their questions.
Helps build your email list
If you don’t have an email marketing system set up yet, you need to. It goes hand in hand with blogging. If you want your business to grow, you need to grow your email list.
Blogging is fantastic at building your email list, if you are strategic about where you place your opt-ins, and how you give away your content.
Free downloadable content is a great way to get people to sign up to your list, and most people promote these free downloads in their blog posts.
When you’re writing your blog post, think to yourself, what could I give away that is related to this blog post that people would happily exchange their email address for?
Along with having great freebies, strategically placing opt in forms on your blog pages is a must.
Free downloadable content isn’t going to be downloaded if people don’t see it. The best way for people to see it, and the best way to promote it is in your blog posts.
Even if in this blog post you don’t have something to give away (because let’s be honest, you can’t creating something new every time) then just make sure that you have an opt in about signing up for more tips or something enticing and exciting about your email list, to encourage your reader to sign up.
There’s a good chance that the majority of your traffic will be coming directly to your blog posts, so use this chance to get people on your email list.
Are you a designer? Here’s how to create the perfect opt-in freebie to build your email list.
I hope this post inspires you to start a blog, or repurpose your content into a Blog format!
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