7 reasons your small business should start blogging

Getting more business online is not an option for small businesses these days – it’s a requirement. Whether you get a few leads, or have an e-shop that is doing a bustling business, online marketing is critical to your business success. And one of the ways you can ensure that your business gets more online leads is to be consistently blogging. Although the term ‘blog’ is well known, some business owners still aren’t sure what it is or why it’s of any value. The short version is that a blog is like an online newspaper for your small business.  You write posts (like articles) and they appear on your website, and you can share each individual post with the world and get more people to find and read your site. In a previous post, we’ve already mentioned some statistics about how blogging can bring you more leads. Here are seven reasons why you need to start blogging.

Reason One

Blogging is great for SEO.  One of the things that Google and the other search engines are constantly looking for is fresh, relevant, ethical content.  To test this, pick a random phrase and type it into Google.  No doubt the first five or six links are websites that have a recent blog post on this very topic. Blogging means that your site has fresh content, regularly – not just static pages that haven’t changed since you set up your website five years ago.

Reason Two

Blogging gives you something to share on social media.  Many businesses have accounts and profiles on Facebook and Twitter and Pinterest and Tumblr, but after the first few posts, perhaps you haven’t said anything for months. Or years. Trust me – when prospects look at your website, one of the first places they go is your social media links. And if those are old and outdated, and it’s obvious you’re not posting regularly, you may lose out to a competitor.  But when you are blogging regularly, you have an instant post to share on all your social media engines. (I would recommend HootSuite for managing all these.)

Reason Three

Blogging encourages more people to visit your website.  The goal of all online marketing is to drive people to your site. If you send out an email, keep the content short and sweet, with buttons to direct people to your site.  When you post a new blog, as we noted above, you share the link on social media, and prospects click on it and come to your site. Which brings us to our next point…

Reason Four

Blogging helps you address other online marketing ‘holes’.  Once you start blogging, and you start getting more traffic to your website, you might realise a few things are missing. Maybe website traffic is increasing, but you aren’t getting more business.  What does that say?  Well, to me it says your site needs a review or a revamp or even a complete overhaul.  You should have sign up forms, good imagery (custom if possible), relevant items of interest, free downloads, social media connections, and more.  When visitors come to your site, you want them to stay.

Reason Five

Blogging draws in the right kind of customers.  When you blog, you’re writing about things that you (and perhaps only you) know about.  A bakery could blog about new recipes, or a wedding photographer about great ideas for brides.  (Or a digital marketing agency like Parachute could get a guest blogger to write about the power of blogging!)  So, the people who read your blog are the ones who are interested in you, your business, and your products.  It helps weed out those who are not your type of customer.  Which leads us to…

Reason Six

Blogging helps you establish expertise. No matter what type of business you are, you’re most likely an expert in something.  And when you start sharing what you know, the world gets impressed.  Think about world-famous conference speakers.  They may not be known by everybody in the world, but they will definitely be known by their market.  The upcoming Infusionsoft conference in Arizona has Seth Godin, Simon Sinek, and Peter Shankman as guest speakers. If you’re doing anything in the online marketing world, you will have read the books these people have written, and will be seriously impressed.

Reason Seven

Blogging keeps you focused on marketing.  It is all too easy to get lost in a world of customers, sales, products, emails, phone calls, accounts and taxes, and all the detail of running your own business.  But if you set a goal of writing a short blog every week, you’ll begin to pay just a little bit more attention to your marketing, and the result will always be more business. Happy blogging!