When the World Wide Web was just emerging in the 90’s, blogging was merely a personal record shared online. Now, two decades later, blogging has become an essential way to keep any business relevant. If your business does not have a blog yet, then let these 6 reasons convince you to get out your pen and paper, and start posting. The time is good to be one of our Fort Collins content writers. More and more of our clients have seen this need for a blog. Here’s why:
1. Google Wants Content
One of the main tools to getting your site on the top of Google search results is to have content that is valuable to people. Blogging is a fantastic way of generating the kind of valuable content that Google values so highly, leading them to regard your content as an authority in your industry. And authority is one of the key signals in search ranking.
In Google’s 2010 SEO Starter Guide, they announced a list of tools for web developers to make sites optimized for search engines. Most notably Google stated that “interesting sites will increase their recognition on their own”. This means that while we web developers do provide the valuable services of designing and structuring these sites to be optimized, it is all for nothing if the site doesn’t provide any interesting content. Google drives the point home by adding that “creating compelling and useful content will likely influence your website more than any other factor”.
But even if you’re not convinced yet that a blog is essential, hopefully your customers will prove it to you.
2. Value to Customers
There is one thing that every business must do, no matter what industry you work in. You must provide value to your customers. When you start writing a blog the information and knowledge you are sharing about your business and industry provide customers with valuable insight. It is a space to give extra value to what they are already paying for, and who doesn’t like extra value. Not to mention how you will brush up on some of those forgotten bits of info.
3. Connect to Customers
The blog can be more than a way of driving customers to your site. It can also be a great way for you and your business to make real connections with those customers. No one likes to be treated like just a source of revenue. Blogging can be an outlet to strait talk to your audience and make lasting connections. You should be jumping on the opportunity to show off your products and display the culture of your business.
Displaying the culture of your business and really connecting to customers on a personal level takes practice and natural voice in your writing. This may be a challenge at first but a great way to develop that voice is to evaluate what you like to read most, and think about what tactics the author is using to draw you in.
Check out this blog post from Jeff Goins for additional tips on developing a writing voice.
4. Demonstrate Expertise
Blogging can be a platform to showcase the knowledge you have about your industry. Even if your readers are just there to absorb the information you are providing them, they are still making opinions about you and your company. This leaves you with a great opportunity to represent your best self online, and continue to establish yourself as a reputable member of the industry. Aside from demonstrating your expertise in your industry, the best way to learn is to teach! There are countless studies that prove teaching to be one of the most effective ways to learn and retain knowledge. Your blogging can be a way to shore up your own understanding of your subject matter while simultaneously helping others.
5. Find New Clients
If you do not have a solid presence online, then you are missing out on countless potential sales. The content generated from blogging brings more people to your site, creating an opportunity to generate leads. If your blog is good enough, and it offers new and relevant information, then some of those readers are bound to become new clients. Many business attribute a large portion of new business to their blogs or blog-related content. According to a recent HubSpot survey, 60% of businesses who blog acquire more customers specifically because of that activity.
6. Track Your Success
Looking back at past blog posts is an effective and satisfying way of getting a glimpse of where your business has been, and where you are headed now. Of course this kind of documentation will only be useful if you are staying consistent with your blog. So I encourage you to get on the blog train, and stay on. Make sure that you are blogging frequently so that your readers can rely on your consistency. Then, as your posts stack up use old posts as a tool to help you set goals for your business, improve your writing skills, and track your success.
The bottom line is that today blogging has grown out of its developmental stages. It is no longer a low form of writing. It has become a major factor in how businesses relate and add value to their customers. It boosts SEO results, client results, all while giving you the opportunity to market and refine your own skills for free.