With all the articles, conferences, books and videos about the merits of content marketing, it’s amazing how many people still ask us, “Should we start a blog?” Understandably, content marketing is much more than just blogging, but creating and maintaining a blog is a good way to get started with content marketing. So why should small businesses blog? Here’s how blogging helps your customers and your business.
Content marketing, which blogging is considered a part of, is all about providing useful information to your customers and your potential customers. Gone are the days of pushing out information you want people to know about you, your company, your product or your service. Honestly, people really don’t care that much. What they DO care about is how your product or service is going to help them. You can help your customers by giving them information they’re looking for. You can answer their questions, provide insights on how your product or service will help solve a specific problem, or you can educate them on industry trends. Your blogs can be informative, educational, inspiring, or entertaining. The goal is to ensure you’re providing information people will like and want. Let’s say you’re a custom wine cellar builder. Here are a few examples of blog post titles that illustrate content that helps customers:
Helpful yes? Informative. Educational. You could even get more granular and answer very specific questions in your blog post. You know that FAQ page on your website? That likely was inspired by questions prospective customers were asking over and over again. Make a blog post out of each one and provide information that your customers will find helpful.
Blogging helps you showcase your business to customers and prospect, even potential vendors and business partners. Search Engine Journal said it very succinctly – blogging helps to:
It provides direct communication with you and the outside world, allowing you as a small business to share your expertise. It creates content that can be shared on social channels and in newsletters, further spreading your sphere of influence. Blogging illustrates to the outside world that you’re a thought leader, a subject matter expert. It’s a very creative way to show your company’s personality (funny, informative, even slightly sarcastic?). Sprout Content brought up an interesting point about blogging: it creates free PR. Business bloggers are often interviewed by journalists as industry experts. Blogging can also increase sales by increasing credibility, showcasing products and services, growing your email list and connecting with customers. Blogging is awesome!
If you’re a small business, blogging needs to be a part of your small business marketing strategy. Start blogging and get ready to see how blogging helps your customers, your SEO and your business.
Running a small business is not easy. New startups especially struggle when it comes to…
If you’re a small business owner, you want your website to be creative and interesting…
One of the easiest yet most overlooked sources of new business for small businesses is…
Marketers have a lot of different tactics to choose from when promoting a small business.…
Creating a marketing budget for your small business is essential for achieving your marketing goals.…
Link building is an important aspect of search engine optimization (SEO) and plays a significant…