Marketers have learned so much about consumer behavior through the various social media platforms, including whether or not to do business with a company, monitoring peer reviews, and much more. Today, more than ever, marketers are turning to these channels to create brand personality and hold dialogue with the tech-savvy consumers.
Among the most valuable digital tools available to a company, the top 3 are: a blog, a website (especially mobile-optimized), an email service provider.
Nearly 40% of US companies use blogs for marketing purposes. Today, we are going to explore the 5 Reasons to Blog For Your Business.
1. You own the content!
The content you create and post to your blog is YOURS. If Facebook or Twitter or Instagram shut down today, you’d still own your blog and your content. Your business will always maintain control over your most important blog asset: the content! TIP: focus on newsworthy content created for your audience.
2. Drive traffic to your website
With the original content now created and living on your website, you have made things a bit easier when it comes to posting on your social media channels. It is so easy to post a link to your blog, accompanied by an interesting visual, and send fans/followers to your website to read the “rest of the story.” This also works just as well when publishing your e-news or announcements. Additionally, regularly publishing to your blog increases your SEO/SERP inherently by the use of keywords and relevant expressions. TIP: strategically use industry keywords, backlinks, and inbound links to support SEO.
3. Position your business as an Industry Leader
By blogging about what you know, and sharing this within your target market, you position yourself as the resource within your industry. For example, for the local independent MLM sales representative, it is so easy to create a blog post: snap a photo or two of some happy customers using your products, get a testimonial from those same happy customers, and post the story to your blog, remembering to use your keywords. Be sure to share your blogpost and get your followers to comment on the post. TIP: Focus on industry trends, best practices, and case studies.
Blogs provide another source to deepen the connection with your customer. Your customers like to know YOU, and this is a great way to strengthen your relationships. TIP: Allow comments on your blog posts, and personally respond to those comments. This has a wide-reaching effect, as other readers will see your interactions and have a positive image of your business.
5. It’s easy to use!
There are several options available when getting started blogging. One of the easiest tools to use is blogspot, a free platform from Google. While it’s generally not an integrated part of a business website, it is a free, easy way to get started. Once you get hang of it, think about using the blogging platform available on your website. TIP: As recommended to business owners getting started using social media marketing, take baby steps! Start small, get your feet wet, and then just go for it!