We are frequently asked about the value of creating and maintaining a business blog and whether it is worth taking the time to do.
The resounding answer is YES! YES! YES!
The power of your business blog is in its ability to accomplish multiple things at the same time. Of course, the overall purpose of your blog is to engage prospects and customers online and ultimately drive traffic to your website, but it does more than that.
In fact, a business blog has three major benefits:
- It creates awareness for your brand. Use can use “keyword”- rich posts to convey what your products are and how they are used. Much of this content can be re-purposed from your existing marketing materials.
- It helps your visitors to see your brand as more “human” and to establish you as a thought leader in your industry.
- It drives purchase behavior. The best way to move your website visitors to take the next step is to show them how you can solve their problems.
Here are 3 Essential Success Tips for Business Blogging
1. Post Frequently and Consistently
Without a doubt, consistency is essential in your business blogging efforts. Keeping your blog updated with fresh, timely, and engaging content will bring your readers back looking for more while ensuring that new visitors aren’t greeted by stale posts.
Find a schedule and pace that works for you. In the beginning, this might take a little time and experimentation. But, the payoff is that blog post frequency is highly correlated with traffic to your website. Tip: Your goal is to post a new article at least twice a week.
2. Ask your Customers to Share Their Stories
The best people to share how your products and services solve your customers’ problems are your customers themselves. Studies suggest that those who solicit customer stories get higher click-through than those that don’t. For example, you may not be interested in giving an objective critique of a cruise, but you may be excited about sharing the experience you had on a cruise.
Norwegian Cruise Lines has done a great job of rounding up different types of contributors with the “Stories” section on its site. This section encourages sharing and the stories capture authentic customer experiences, maximizing the number of people that share their experiences.
3. Create and Follow a Schedule
Blogging on a consistent basis is just like developing any new skill or habit. At first, you’ll need to be very deliberate about it. Over time, maintaining post frequency will become easier and more routine. Many marketers start with an “editorial calendar.” Here is a good blog post on editorial calendars if you need help.
Once you establish your blogging routine, stick with it! Remember, blogging is one of the best and least expensive ways to grow your business. When you feel like you just don’t have time to write a post that day, the momentum you’ve built into your schedule will help you power through.
Bottom Line
If you are looking for an effective and cost-efficient approach to growing your site’s web traffic, there are few legitimate contenders to blogging.
For more information on how to set up a blog, or to get help with other aspects of your inbound (internet) marketing, give us a call at (303) 357-5757 or email us at dbc@dbcdigital.com.
