BLOGGING FOR YOUR BUSINESS

We’re all different, that’s what makes us all so wonderful, but we do all have one thing in common; we want more of the right kind of work!

Notice we said ‘the RIGHT’ kind of work?

Positioning yourself as an expert in your field can attract more of the right kind of client and ensure your business is front of mind when it comes to a buying decision.

Blogging is an excellent way to do just this.

Blogging kicked off in a big way back in the 90’s when it mainly used as a form of online journaling. It became a platform for people to share their thoughts and feelings and engage with others with a similar interest.

Fast forward 30 years and blogging has become a major player in the digital marketing arena.

Creating a blog is the perfect way for you to engage with your audience, add value to your brand, raise your online game, claim your title as an expert in your field and generate more revenue.

We put revenue last for a reason, if you approach any form of content marketing from the position of sell, sell, sell it won’t work!

Your target audience wants value, information, advice, support, guidance – and if you do all that, the revenue will follow.

ENGAGEMENT

You need to reach out and engage the right people in the right way, at the right time using the right language.

Waitrose use blogging to showcase customer recipes, genius! They don’t even have to write them or think of the ideas.

Use your existing and ideal clients to generate the content for your business blog and you’re on to a winner.

Think about what specific topics matter to them; what can you do to help them, add value to them, start a conversation with them.

Share some personal details, who doesn’t love a little ‘behind the scenes’ action and a cheeky peek into someone’s personal life. It delivers an all-round experience and the more people have in common with you, the more they’re likely to stick with you, rave about you and use your services.

BRAND BOOSTER

Branding is no longer just your company name, logo, business card and letterhead (when was the last time you even sent a letter) – no, now it’s all about how clients (existing and potential) emotionally and psychologically respond to your brand.

Your brand needs to be an experience – love them or hate them, there are few things less satisfying than opening a new product from Apple. Their brand goes from their style and language right through to their packaging and launch events.

Use the same language, colours, format and style in your blog and you solidify the brand you have already established on your website, social media and in person.

 RISE UP

Blogging is an ideal way to rise up the search engine rankings!

Companies who blog regularly – and the key is regularly – have been found to receive 67% more leads per month than companies that don’t!

Yes, they’re the perfect place to include your company’s chosen keywords and backlinks, but they also provide a space for you to provide real insight and actionable information for your clients.

Providing valuable content is a factor that can dramatically increase your search engine rankings, Google doesn’t want to deliver its searchers outdated information so sites that are regularly updated signal to them that it is alive and delivering regular, fresh content.

You’re probably not (and really shouldn’t) be updating your homepage to often so a blog is a more practical tool for adding new content on a regular basis.

TAKE YOUR SEAT AS RESIDENT EXPERT

Blogging is your secret weapon when it comes to positioning yourself as the authority figure in your market.

We’ll say It again, the key is showing the right message, to the right person, at the right time.

The right message is the one which positions you as the expert in your field and a prospective client needs to receive that message not just once, but several times in several ways. What better way to do that than to showcase your knowledge, your relevance and your passion in a blog.

When you market your business, above all things, the most important goal is to reinforce the idea of you as ‘the expert at what you do’, so that it feels like choosing anyone but you is too much of a risk.

CONTENT FOR YOUR SOCIAL CHANNELS

Don’t think it’s a simple case of starting a blog and leaving your content nestled away on your website, it’s not that jar of cumin seeds you bought back in 1998.

Once you have written your blog, take some key facts and turn them into posts on social media.

You can repurpose the content in an untold number of ways; from reducing the length and tweaking to make a Linked In article to creating some shiny artwork and hitting up Instagram.

Go back and revisit your blogs if they need it. For example, if you’re a solicitor and you’ve written a blog about a certain topic and there’s a change in the law relating to the area you have covered. Don’t be afraid to rework the wording and make it fresh and relevant.

Similarly, if you have written a blog and the subject matter hits the headlines; get promoting your blog even if it’s an old one. Just make sure the facts in there are still correct.

You can use your blog content as a starting point for Insta Live Q&A sessions, podcasts, content for your You Tube channel and more.

So, while writing a blog might take you a while just look at all the extra content it generates! 

MAKE MORE MONEY

The more frequently you blog, the more traffic you tend to get, as a rule of thumb.

You need to be looking at a minimum of around 11 blogs a month.

This sweet spot results in a noticeable increase in traffic for both B2B and B2C businesses.

The more traffic you receive, the more awareness there is of your business, the more people will engage with your content (likes, comments, shares, recommendations, links etc) and the more engagement you get – well the more sales you’ll make!

CALM DOWN

Right now, you’re probably freaking out at the thought of that much writing and content generation, right?

Well don’t.

Spend some of your planning time each week coming up with ideas, keep notes as you go. Use topical new stories that can relate your product or service as a jumping off point. Or even key holidays, trending topics from Twitter and content that is generated from your clients.

You’ll be surprised at how many articles you can come up with in a simple brainstorming session.

However, if you really are daunted and don’t know where to start, you can always seek the help of professional blog writing services to help you deliver regular, relevant and engaging content for your audience.

If you’d like to know more about blogging or how our content marketing team can help you get noticed, contact us now!