10 Reasons Your Business Needs A Blog
1. Dynamic content increases your website's SEO juice.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. When a person is searching for something - and types a phrase into the search bar - Google bots go and fetch websites that match the search query.
Imagine Google is a tour bus. When a tourist wants to see a site, Google packs them on the double decker and drives them to a few locations that fit their description. Google pulls the bus over at lively locations so passengers can get off and walk around, sample the local cuisine and snap a few selfies. When Google thinks a site is boring or just doesn't care, the driver puts the pedal to the metal and keeps on truckin' those tourists to someplace more exciting.
Fresh content that is optimized with some simple SEO lets Google know that your website is a lively destination, ready to receive bus-loads of people.
It takes time and experimentation to rank on the first page of a Google search. Dynamic blog content is a great investment toward this goal.
2. Your blog will help you build trust with your dream clients.
I used to hate marketing and selling because it felt like I was trying to convince people to part with their money - which was stressful for me.
Now I think about things differently. I believe marketing is nothing more than making connections and sharing.
I may be shy but I LOVE connecting with people who share similar interests as me. And when I meet people I jive with, I adore going out of my way to be kind and share without strings attached.
That's what blogging is (if you want it to be). It's a form of being kind and sharing with people you care about. As you continue to share, naturally, trust will build over time. My clients purchase my services because they trust that I will take care of them. Consistent and thoughtful blogging helps us build that trust.
3. New business ideas will spring forth.
If you're like the rest of us, you have a whole ocean of ideas up in your brain. Blogging helps get them out into the light so you can see them.
As you craft your blog posts, you'll clarify your ideas. And as you clarify your ideas, new ideas will bloom. It always happens this way.
This blog series actually started out as a single post. But as I wrote, I realized there was so much I wanted to share (without completely overwhelming you) that I needed to break it down into bite sized nuggets. This creative process opened the door to about fifteen more blog and business ideas I'm excited about!
4. You'll become a better communicator.
I started my first blog about three years ago. I had no clue what I was doing. But I wrote. Come hell or high water, I published an article (even if it was only five sentences long) every Thursday.
My writing was wonky. Typos happened. I wrote loooooong fluffy paragraphs. For me, learning to write (which is essentially the craft of taking your rambling ideas and boiling them down to their essence) was the same as working out.
My goal was to become a better communicator. That meant I had to develop the discipline of building my writing muscles by trying over and over. Additionally I had to learn how to trim away the useless fat of flowery sentences that were expressive but lacked a concise point.
The practice of blogging has helped me grow more skilled at how I communicate in all areas of my business - whether it's a phone consultation with someone I've never met before or an uncomfy email to colleague.
5. Blogging is inexpensive marketing that is leveraged.
You can take a single blog post and share it on a wide range of social platforms to reach different audience circles. AND THEN, your audience can do some of the heavy lifting for you by sharing the post with their circles.
You never know how far one post will ripple out into the world. You'll be so surprised when you look at your metrics and see that you have readers who are oceans away.
Additionally, if you write a contributor blog post (meaning you write an article that is published on someone else's blog) you have the ability to connect and share with new people who may need what you offer.
6. Your blog can help you steer your business.
The feedback you receive from your posts lets you know exactly what your audience cares about so you can give them more of it. This insight can also help you refine your brand and offerings.
7. A blog gives you credibility.
Sharing your knowledge, insights, and personality over time conveys consistency. It gives your readers peace of mind that you are the real deal in your field and can be trusted.
8. Collaborative blogging is a great way to get traction fast.
I have a client who recently celebrated her one year blog anniversary. Now that she has built her blogging muscles, her strategy forward - to grow her readership - is to invite guest contributors.
This is a win-win for all involved. Her guest writers will bring their audiences to her blog; and her established audience will be introduced to the work of her contributors.
9. Past blog posts can be repurposed.
It's sad to think of past posts sitting in a graveyard entitled my old content. You worked so hard on it!
Get creative! Comb through your articles and repurpose the good stuff. You can clean up older info and turn it into a new class, offering, podcast, or E-book.
10. You can guide your readers to take specific action.
The technical term for this is call-to-action. Within your blog posts you can invite readers to do things like: join your email list, share the article, leave a comment, respond to a question, fill out a short questionnaire, send a tweet, or download a homework assignment.
Many clients come to me with the desire to increase engagement on their site. Adding CTA's to your blog content is a great way to keep interacting with your readers.
So there you go! Ten reasons your business needs a blog. Did anything on the list surprise you?