You probably have heard from many people, and read several articles with experts saying that you should have a blog as a small business. But you still might not be sure why it is necessary, and it is understandable that you feel like this.
You aren’t in the content industry, and posts aren’t what you sell. It takes much time, and you are far from being a writer. So why should you care? Well, the fact is that the advice you got still is right for the seven reasons we will be presenting below.
Reason # 1 – It will increase your SEO results
The first and most obvious reason for a small business have a blog, it is SEO purposes. As you might know, you need to do a few things in order to see your website among the top results of Google Search and other search engines. And it seems to be true that websites with valuable and informative content – something that you can better achieve with a blog – have increased chances to rank well.
And it is because, most of the time, people search the internet looking for answers, and not for products. So the idea is to use your blog to offer this information instead. Of course, the topics should be related to your industry, so you won’t be seen as someone just trying to game the system.
Reason # 2 – You will be seen as an authority
As soon as you decide to start writing about your industry, you will notice that you will have to do some research to ensure that you are reporting the most up-to-date information. Depending on your knowledge – and how seriously you take the task, you will notice that your posts will improve to the point that you will be calling them articles.
As a consequence, your brand or your name will get the characteristics of authority: a reliable source of in-depth information. And it will have a highly positive effect on your business and the loyalty of your clients, as they will be happy to buy from someone that knows what they are talking about.
Reason # 3 – It will give you an excuse to keep in touch
You might need an excuse to keep in touch with your customers. You know, you want them to come back and buy more products or services from you, and to remember your brand for as long as possible. And the best way to achieve it is by talking to them from time to time.
And a blog can give you the excuse that you need to get back to them. If they like your content, they might subscribe to your newsletter so they can learn more about what they have taken home, for instance. And, among tips and hacks, you can deliver news about new products, services, or promotions.
Reason # 3 – It will increase your content sharing
Statistically, people don’t share ads. They share stories. So if you want people to talk about your products and share posts about it on social media, you will want to create a blog. It will give you the opportunity to create content that your customers will want to pass along to their friends and acquaintances.
Of course, you will need to consider carefully which type of content you will make available and how you will do it. You will need to add to your posts social media sharing tools, so to make easier to share your content individually, and not your entire website, for instance. You will also want to invest in your own presence online to give credibility to your posts.
Reason # 4 – It will create opportunities for market research
Your blog posts can become an incredible source for market research if used correctly. If you let your visitors comment on them, for instance, you will find out very quickly what people think about your brand and portfolio. And you can inventory all free improvement suggestions you will get and help your business that be even more competitive.
You can also use your blog to run quick surveys if you want a direct answer to a particular question. And don’t be afraid of trolls or another type of negative comments you might get: they can either be ignored, if they are too rude, or seen from a positive perspective if they have anything productive to add.
Reason # 5 – It will give you the chance to humanize your brand
People don’t connect with products. They connect with other people. And that is to say that your blog stories will give you the chance to humanize your brand. You will be able to tell them how you founded your company, how your team works hard to keep their needs satisfied, and why your brand is so much about a dream that came true.
But it can only happen if you take good care of your content. If you only write cold posts, very commercial, nobody will feel engaged with it – if you don’t know how to write inspiring content, you should contract a freelance writer or an online writing agency, such as Get Good Grade, to help you, instead of missing such precious opportunity.
Reason # 6 – It will create several networking opportunities
Business is also about networking. Sometimes, the perfect partnership is all that you need so to decrease your expenses or put your foot on the right share of the market. If you agree with it, you will be happy to know that your blog can help you on it.
The thing is that your posts will not stay on your blog. If you do it right, you will be promoting it so it can reach a larger audience. And, among this larger audience, it is very likely that your posts will find people that might become relevant to your business.
Reason # 7 – It will boost your sales and lead generation
Even though your sales and lead generation aren’t exactly the focus of your blog, they will enjoy increased results thanks to your blog. Through your posts, you will be able to promote your products and services without sounding commercial.
Better than that, you will be connecting your portfolio to quality content, presenting them as the best solution that your clients’ questions and issues. Needless to say that they will be more likely to buy from you and to give you their email for future correspondence.
The bottom line
As you can see, a blog has a lot to give to any small business. And the best thing about is that it costs much less than most of the other marketing strategies. Because a blog is a perfect way to promote your brand, increase your sales, and engage your clients without harming your budget.
So all that you have to do now is get a domain, a hosting service, and a content management platform – and if you choose WordPress, you can do it all together in one go. Then link it to Google Analytics and Google Search Console, and wait for the results. Soon you will notice that creating a blog is one of the best decision you have made for your small business in the past years.
