Nothing stops a potential client quicker than suggesting they start a blog.
“What would I write about?” “I’m not a writer.” “Who has time for that??”
But before you dismiss the idea, let’s talk a bit about Google. Google is constantly banging the drum of CONTENT. In order to increase your rankings (and in turn, traffic) you need to have relevant useful content, and continually be serving that up to your clients. See where I’m going here?
Instead of a stale and static website that even you haven’t even looked at in weeks, you have a site that is constantly being updated, with new and relevant information a you are continually providing more pathways and more “searchable keywords” for your clients to find you.
What do I mean by this? Imagine you sell a product such as ski bindings. Obviously you will have a product page detailing the ski binding. If you have a blog, you might also write about a new feature on that binding. You might write a post reviewing and comparing your binding to other bindings. You might feature a client review or post a photo of someone using your ski binding. Instead of one page of content, you now have 4. That is four separate keyworded pages, all with a different angle to drive traffic to your site.
Not sold yet? Linkbacks. What better way to generate links than through blog posts? Talk about something relevant to your clients and other people will notice. People with active social media plans are continually looking for good content to recommend to their clients (I know I am). Be that good content!
Blogging goes hand in hand with social media. Rumour has it that google ranks sites higher that have been posted on social media sites such as twitter, Facebook and Google+. On average, a blog post that has been posted on Google+ will be indexed in 6 seconds. 6 SECONDS. That is lightening fast. Not only are you continuing your advertising, putting yourself at the forefront of people’s minds via social media, your site will be rewarded by search engines!
Still not convinced? Here’s two more.
Most people google and research before purchasing a product. Long before they click that “Buy Now” button, they will see you as the market leader and authority on that product.
You cannot overvalue the human element in sales. Blogging helps give your company a personality, allowing you as the expert to appear more approachable and in turn, more trustworthy.
If you are anything like myself or other small business owners, the one thing you never have enough of, is time. There is no clocking out for the small business owner. So I understand the resistance to adding another task to your never-ending list. But blogging and content marketing should be at the top of your marketing plan. It cannot be ignored. In practice, I have found that once a rhythm has been developed, blogging comes naturally. You are knowledgable about your field. You have a wealth of experience and information to share. Now let’s figure out the best way to share that info and make that info and knowledge work for you. Sidebar: Skillful content writers can also be hired!
I hope I’ve sold you on the importance of a blog as part of your small business marketing plan. Here is a few tips to get you started on what to write about.
Teach. Tutorials are a great way to share information and nothing does better to establish yourself as an authority in your field than teaching. Be careful not to become too preachy.
Answer questions you hear frequently. Again, you know your business. You know your clients. Keep hearing the same question or concern over and over? Blog about it!
Industry Information Information and changes relating to your industry are also a great topic for blog posts. Help keep your clients informated while continuing to establish yourself as an authority in your field.
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