You’ve got a small business and you work 24/7 to make your business a success. It seems like every day, there’s something new you need to do for your business — post on social media, write emails, develop your systems, build sales funnels, and the list goes on.
And now, I’m telling you that your business needs a blog? I know. It feels like too much.
Before you panic, check out these 4 reasons your business needs a blog and how you can start one the easy way!
4 Reasons Your Business Needs a Blog
While there are lots of great reasons to blog for your business, I definitely have 4 favorites. And they can help almost any small business! ( I can’t think of a business that a blog wouldn’t help, but there might be one out there 😉).
Reason #1 — A blog establishes you as an authority
Let’s say someone in your city is looking for a plumber and they head to Google to find a local plumber. There might be 392 plumbers that pop up locally, and you’re 48th on the list. How can you stand out?
A blog where you share your plumbing experience will let people see that you know what you’re talking about. They’ll see that you’re knowledgeable. They’ll recognize the value in that knowledge, and they’ll want to hire you.
And that, my friend, is content marketing at its finest.
Reason #2 — A blog grows your online presence
For a basic business website, you might start out with four or five pages. You’ll build a Home page, an About page, a Services page, and a Contact page.
Quick, easy, and ready to go.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with this website, and it’ll be indexed by Google. The bots will crawl it and store the information. It’ll be on Google, and people might find you that way.
But, when you add content to your site with a blog, you are providing extra content for the bots (and potential customers!) to discover. Not only will your site be indexed for the business information, but it’ll be indexed for all of that other information, too.
Going back to my plumber example, your business would appear in a search for local plumbers, in a search for top tips from a plumber, in a search for when do you really need to hire a plumber, and in a search for what to do when your toilet won’t stop running. 🚽
Do you see how that can increase your online presence?
Reason #3 — A blog gives you content to share on social media
I know this one ties in with the previous reason, but it’s equally important! A business needs an active social media presence to connect with their potential customers.
The statistics on social media usage are staggering. According to Sprout Social, 68% of adults on Facebook and 3/4 of those use the platform daily. 45% of consumers are likely to engage with a business on social media and posts with links to more information are the top preferred content for users on social media.
And then there’s Pinterest! You can read all about Pinterest engagement in my post on getting your Pinterest account open for business.
If your business has a blog, you automatically have that content to share on any and all of your social media accounts. Plus, there’s the potential that other businesses within your niche and potential customers will share your content, as well!
Reason #4 — A blog works as a natural part of your sales funnel
If you’re not a digital marketer, you might not truly understand what a sales funnel is. It’s the path a person takes as they move from the introduction to your business to an engaged customer. The funnel starts big and then narrows down to customers who make money for your business.
ClickMinded explains that blog content is the top of the funnel. It introduces readers to your business. It reaches a broad audience and builds brand awareness.
After you get people to your blog, the goal is to move them along the path to becoming your customer. That’s why every blog post needs a Call to Action (CTA)!
A CTA is any action that you want the reader to take. Some potential CTAs are:
- Subscribing to an email list
- Downloading a freebie
- Answering a question in the comments
- Following your business on social media
- Checking out your services page on your website
Notice that these CTAs don’t focus on buying your product or hiring you. The purpose of these is to engage the target audience to move them along the sales path. As you develop a relationship with people through emails and engagement, it becomes easier to convert them into buying customers.
What to Do to Start a Blog
Now that you realize your business needs a blog, you’re wondering what to do about it. Don’t worry. I won’t leave you hanging. I’m sharing the easy way to get your blog going!
This isn’t a technical tutorial of the process you need to go through to add a blog to your website. People use different platforms, and I don’t have the time or know-how to share that technical info. No matter what your platform, their Help section most likely tells you exactly what you need to do to add a blog.
What I am sharing is how to find topics for your blog, types of content that you can create, and a strategy that will help you get your blog going without feeling overwhelmed.
Creating content for your blog
You are the expert for your business, and what you have to share has great value! The best way to get started is to focus on two or three topics that you can create multiple pieces of content on. Consider things that are directly related to your business, topics that connect to your area of expertise, and information that would help your potential customers.
Going back to the plumbing company I mentioned before, the niches might be:
- Finding a quality plumber
- Identifying plumbing issues
- Tips for DIYers
Types of content you can share
You might be thinking, “But, Joanna, I’m not a writer, I’m a ________.”
That’s the nice thing about blogging now. You don’t have to be an expert writer or even write at all!
Yes, you can write content like this, but you don’t have to. Maybe you want to be a vlogger and post videos on YouTube. Maybe you want to create infographics on your niche topics. Maybe you want to start a podcast to share what you know. Or maybe you want to hire someone to create content for your niche.
You’re still providing valuable content to potential customers that can move them into your sales funnel.
There are so many options for content you can create and share. You’re adding value to your website, increasing your presence, and strengthening your ability to reach potential customers.
To help you get started, I created this infographic for you of 8 types of content you can share on your blog. You can download it by right-clicking on it and saving it now. No email address required!
If you need even more ideas, Optin Monster shares 73 types of blog posts!
A publishing strategy that won’t overwhelm
Committing to creating a blog can seem like a lot, but we’re going for simple here. Commit to publishing as often as you can realistically and consistently publish. Since blogging is not the primary focus for your business, you don’t have to publish multiple times a week.
If you can consistently publish once a week, go for it. If you can only publish once a month, that’s ok, too.
Create a blogging schedule that allows you to create quality content for your potential customers and stick to it.
In doing that, you’ll build up content on the website, become better known within your niche, and get better at creating content that engages your readers.
Summing It Up
So that’s why your business needs a blog! No matter what field you’re in, a blog can help:
- establish you as an authority in your niche
- grow your online presence
- provide content to share on social media
- work as part of your sales funnel
Now it’s your turn — Are you ready to start your blog? Is there anything else that’s holding you back? What reasons did I miss? Drop your comments below!
Until next time,
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