A blog is an essential marketing tool for many, many reasons beyond brand building and SEO. (PS: if you are at a loss as to what to blog about or just hate writing, you can find other ways to deliver your valuable content: hire a writer, record a podcast, post photos, craft a Haiku…) Today, my writing partner in crime, Sarah Von Bargen, writer + business consultant and creator of YesandYes.org (a super successful daily lifestyle blog with hundreds of thousands of daily readers) shares her rockstar content marketing advice on why you definitely need to jump start your blog plans. Enjoy!
Everyone and their sister has told you that you need a blog/twitter/facebook/instagram/everything ever for your business. And while it is, in fact, possible to be a successful business or entrepreneur without those, it sure is nice to have thousands of potential customers and clients interacting with you online, enjoying your cat photos and clever status updates, no?
Need a bit more convincing? Here are five nearly un-ignorable reasons why you should blog for your business. A blog can be fun and lo, the benefits are huge: (Tweet & share!)
1) You can establish yourself as an expert
True story time: I once spent a summer writing for a leading women’s magazine. When we needed experts to weigh in on a topic? We’d literally Google “relationship expert [city name]” or “interior designers [city name].” And then we’d paw through their online lives and if they were active online and could string a few grammatically correct sentences together, we’d email them and request a pull quote on our topic. National press coverage = achieved. Wouldn’t you like to get some national press coverage?
2) Up Your SEO
Search Engine Optimization (how your site and business ranks in search engines) need not be be the stuff of headaches. When you write about your area of expertise (and when people link to your posts) you move up the search rankings. If you just have a static website for your graphic design business in New York, you’ll be buried deep on page 23. But if you’ve got 25 blog posts about the ins and outs of the graphic design world, you’re much more likely to be closer to the top of the pile. It makes sense, right? The more searchable content there is about you and your business, the more people are going to find you. And then buy your awesome jewelry/services/hand-knitted cat sweaters.
3) Make new connections
Is it painfully hippie dippie to say that blogging for your business shouldn’t just be about making money and finding new customers? You can also connect with professional peers, mentors and mentees, companies that can provide you with make-your-life-easier products, vendors and heaps of new friends. When you interview people for your blog, interact with people on twitter, link to other bloggers, and host guest posts you’re strengthening your professional network and, really, you’re just being nice. Which is sort of more important.
4) Create buzz for new products and services
Launching a new line of jewelry? Spend the month before you launch writing about the process, your inspiration, the resources you used, and posting teaser photos or videos. Send out promotional samples to bloggers you think would enjoy them. Easy peasy!
5) Connect with new clients and customers (Dur.)
Well, obviously. OBVIOUSLY. When people like your product or brand (or you) they want to know more about it. And someone who’s reading your blog is about a million times more likely to buy your new products, purchase something on sale, spread the word about your work, and become a repeat buyer. When you create great, google-able content (“How to wear layers under a dress” for a fashion label or “What to pack for Hawaii” for a travel agency) people who don’t know about you and your products will find you. And if you’re lucky, they’ll stay around for awhile browsing all your great content. And then buy something.
Does your business have a blog? What good things have happened to you because of your blog? Tweet me @redslice and let me know!
Graphic credit: YesandYes.org. Social media buttons by twenty three oh one
