Four Reasons Your Business Needs a Blog

Will a blog really help improve my business?

This may seem like a complicated question, but the simple answer is YES!  Adding a blog to your existing business site has a variety of benefits that are just waiting for you in cyberspace.

THERE IS A HUGE UNTAPPED AUDIENCE FOR YOUR WEBSITE 

With the advances in mobile technologies, the net has never been more accessible to us.  Staggering amounts of information are available at our fingertips; and never before have we spent quite this much time accessing that information.  According to Social Media Today, 6.7 million people are blogging in some shape or form, and a staggering 77% of internet users are blog readers.  This is because blogs are engaging – and are rapidly replacing reportage as a form of media consumption.

In the last few years, blogging has gone from just personal expression, to also become an important marketing strategy.

There are consumers out there right now looking for your product – but they make not have found you yet.  But they may find your blog… read below to see how a blog makes you more visible to the customers who are looking for you.

A BLOG MAKES YOU MORE VISIBLE TO POTENTIAL (AND EXISTING) CUSTOMERS

Blogs naturally attract more internet traffic than traditional websites for a variety of reasons.  Firstly, each new post creates a new page on your website, thus making your website bigger and easier to find. A search engine will see more possible search results on a website with more pages matching those search parameters.  Using blog tags and keywords effectively and you will even further improve your traffic.

If you update your blog regularly with fresh, relevant and well-written content, your existing and potential customers will keep returning. What will they post next?  What is new on that blog?  Customers can also subscribe to blog pages, receiving a notification when new posts are added.  This draws repeat visits to your site and ensures that your brand remains firmly in the minds of consumers.

A blog also gives you content you can share on social media – which we know is a powerful tool for attracting visitors to your website.   If your blog and its social media counterpart are interactive, asking questions to viewers and responding to their concerns and interests, you will create relationships that will draw visitors again and again to your product or service.  An emotional connection creates loyalty and awareness – things of value to businesses everywhere.

A BLOG INCREASES YOUR CREDIBILITY IN YOUR FIELD

A sustained blog that grapples with topics related to your product or service shows an awareness of, and engagement in, key aspects of your field.  It is an opportunity to demonstrate your expertise – and to show how much MORE knowledgeable you are than your competitors.  A breadth of knowledge and information increases buyer/user confidence.

There is also an increasing trend towards reading blog posts to find out about products.  We all know that advertising designed to portray a product or a service in its best light. While advertisements will draw people to your site, a blog gives them reasons to buy YOUR product, rather than your competitors’.  By giving the consumer additional information about the product and industry, buyers can make more informed decisions about their purchase.  Happy customers will also comment on blog posts and interact with your social media – and now you have a forum to share these recommendations. There is nothing as reassuring as positive word of mouth.

BLOGS ARE TRIED AND TESTED

This isn’t a theory – blogs are working for businesses like yours all over the world.  The numbers are out there and they are irrefutable.

Research tells us that small businesses generate 126% more leads with blogs.  How?  Because they have an average of 464% more content than other websites.  

When you start your company blog, and post at least 15 times per month, you can expect up to five times more traffic than your less internet savvy competitors.

Put simply, a blog makes your excellent product or service stand out even further.

This blog post was originally posted on www.mypersonalblogger.com.au