If you're running a business, someone should be blogging about it.
Blogging isn't the same thing as the dreaded high school essay. It's meant to be like an online diary rather than a master's thesis. Even people who proclaim that they "can't write" can provide information to freelance writers who can take the raw information and run with it, so to speak.
So what are you waiting for? Pick up a pen, or sit down with your laptop, and start free associating. Chances are, you'll come up with more than few topics for future blogs.
Blogging Supports Marketing Efforts
Business blogging is a form of marketing. Instead of being on a glossy sales sheet, it resides on a website or sometimes, simply on a site that hosts blogs only. If your business has a website, you already have a platform to work with.
Here's how blogging markets your business:
- It's a great way showcases products and explains how they work.
- Blogging establishes authority. Writing about what you know, and backing it up with facts and other supporting information, creates authority.
- It helps your business get more exposure to search engines like Google and Yelp, which will help raise its organic (unpaid) placement in searches. This in turn can mean sending more visitors to your website.
Unlike articles, blogs can have an informal tone and still maintain their authority. Really good blogs that appear regularly and provide useful information about the business' products or services can even gain a following.
How to Get Yourself Blogging
Many business owners say they don't have time to blog even though they understand why it would be so beneficial for their businesses. WebsiteSpot suggests that getting rid of distractions can help business owners set aside the time to actually blog.
- Get rid of distractions like social media. Separate blogging time from surfing time.
- Organize your office so that the clutter doesn't distract.
- Get on a schedule others will recognize and respect.
Tips to Boost Your Blog's Visibility
Blogs aren't going to do you much good if no one is reading them.
Make sure your blog title and content includes keywords customers use when they are looking for businesses like yours. This is called search engine optimization (SEO). Visit search engines and try out different phrases. Google Ads offers excellent tools that can help you find the right keywords and is free service. Be sure you don't overuse keywords.
Always include some kind of graphic or short video that's relevant to the blog. Video is also more likely to be shared on social media.You don't have to actually create your own. There are sites like Shutterstock that offer and sell short videos at surprisingly affordable costs.
Put links to your blog on social media. Include the video on your Tweet and it will almost certainly be retweeted, according to Twitter expert Dan Zarella, who says tweets with attached images are 94 percent more likely to be retweeted. Wishpond data shows that photo posts on Facebook get 53 percent more likes, 104 percent more comments and 120 percent more engagement.