Why your small business needs to be blogging
If there’s one business that isn’t exactly known for their sense of humour, it’s the Center for Disease Control or CDC.
In a blog post published in 2011, they opened up and showed their funny side. They also showed business owners how blogging can be done even when the topic may not necessarily be entertaining.
What they proved by publishing the post is…
Blogging for Business Doesn’t Have to be Boring!
As a broker, I deal with many business owners coming from a wide range of industries, and one thing that they often have in common is their belief that their business doesn’t need to have a blog.
They look at their own business and other businesses similar to theirs and wonder exactly what the point would be. Why would people even bother reading what they publish?
I’m going to tell you a secret, though. It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, whether you clean houses, build landscapes, work on cars, or bake cakes: Your blog can have massive benefits for you and your customers - if you approach the process in the right way.
Here are my 6 top tips about business blogging:
#1 - Don’t Over-Complicate
If you’re telling yourself that the process is too complicated, your competitors are probably telling themselves the same thing.
You can take advantage of the situation before your competitors realise what’s happening and secure your spot in the marketplace. Building a business blog has become easier than ever, with tutorial videos scattered all over YouTube.
With the right blogging platforms, like WordPress or Squarespace, you can start your blog in a few minutes and begin creating content in a wide range of formats --from text and images to audio and video, and more.
#2 - Audiences Love it
If you haven’t started blogging because you believe that a website and a blog are separate entities, you are missing out on a valuable marketing tool.
You want your site to stick in their minds and implementing visuals and interactive features in your content is a great way to make it “sticky”.
#3 - Access
Smartphones have taken over our lives. We have more time than ever to consume content online. On average, 65% of internet users will search for content on their smartphone.
This is the perfect opportunity for you to start tapping into the extra time that your target market is probably spending consuming content, and create the type they want to see.
#4 - Establish Relationships
Think of it like a business card, except more personal. You can express the unique personality of your brand while focusing on those issues that create a stronger bond between you and your customers.
It also makes it easier for your customers to give you feedback. They can even share your message with their friends, family, and network on social media. These benefits are possible without needing a staff of people to “man the phones”.
What’s more you can get new fresh ideas for services and products you can offer and find out if something needs to be fixed.
Did you know that Blog posts generate 9x more leads than short-form content, because of the connection those posts establish with readers?
#5 - Differentiate Yourself
The more you are able to do things differently to others in your industry, the more you’re going to give customers a reason to remember your brand.
Customers want to be able to support themselves and giving them the content needed to solve problems helps deepen that relationship.
This translates into increased brand loyalty, higher numbers of repeat customers, and a much stronger word of mouth marketing strategy for your business.
#6 - Increased Value
You may not be thinking about it right now, but someday you may want to sell your website. Having an engaging blog that draws traffic will surely increase the selling price of your business.
What Now?
There’s no denying that blogging works. If you’re questioning whether you should start blogging, the answer is always going to be yes.
My guest blogger this week was Australian Jock Purtle who is the founder of www.digitalexits.com. With valuation and brokerage in his DNA it's perhaps not surprising that Jock worked in his family's business at the tender age of just 9. He went on to acquire his first company just ten years later and has since bought three businesses and successfully sold two. Now resident in the USA, his current business worth valued in 7 figures.