[bctt tweet=”If your business blog provides people with much-needed information you easily become an authority” via=”no”]
Is your business blogging?
We are living in a digital age. Anything analogue is left out of the dialogue. And, my good friend, dialogue is what drives every business. If people are not talking about your business:
- You lose out on free marketing
2. People can’t trust your brand
3. Your product is ignored
What does all this have to do with blogging? Everything.
A well-maintained blog solves all the above problems and more. Let me elaborate. Here are 10 reasons your business needs a blog (no matter the industry).
1. A great way to market your business
With the advent of the smartphone, traditional advertising is fast becoming redundant. This is because information about everything is right at our fingertips, thanks to Google.
The infographic below shows the increase in internet usage globally.
This is where blogging becomes a powerful marketing tool. A well written, SEO optimised and maintained blog will put you on Google’s front page. Simply put, a blog has the power to put your business in front of 3773 billion people.
2. Builds authority and influence
One ingredient that drives sales more than others is trust. People buy products they trust and trust is a by product of authority. That is what a blog does for a brand; it builds authority.
A brand that has authority is an influential brand. If you do a search for any online marketing tactic/tip in Google, you’re most likely to see a Hubspot article as one of the top results. Forbes
Now that’s authority! Through their strategic blogging, Hubspot has become a powerhouse in digital marketing. If your business blog provides people with much-needed information or resources, you easily become an authority in your niche. With authority comes the power to influence people’s buying decisions.
3. Key ingredient to branding
Modern consumers have indicated that they look at companies in a negative light if they cannot find them online. Chrysalis Communications
A brand is a business’ identity. Contrary to popular belief, this identity is not established by fancy packaging and logos alone. To establish your brand, you need to be ubiquitous. Everywhere people turn, they must see you.
This is one of Coca Cola’s strengths. They have a presence everywhere. Need I say more about their brand power? You may not be physically present everywhere but make an effort to be found where it matters; in cyberspace.
4. Gives customers a reason to remember you
A blog is a simple way of connecting with your customers. If your business blog is engaging enough, people will remember you. And next time they need a product your business deals in, you will be their first port of call.
This is why as a business, your blog must not just be informative. It should also be entertaining. Your blog should be an experience to be remembered.
5. An amazing traffic attractor
In today’s world, profit is spelt T.R.A.F.F.I.C. The higher the traffic, the louder the cash register rings.
Consider two shops selling the same product at the same price. Both in the same densely populated location. One shop plays popular chart topping music, the other, blue grass (pardon me fans of this genre). Which shop will rake in the profits? My point exactly.
A blog is an amazing traffic attractor. Run properly, it will draw people to your business while your competitors sing the blues
[bctt tweet=”Run properly, a blog will draw people to your business while your competitors sing the blues” via=”no”]
6. Easiest way to turn leads into customers
I talked about traffic in the previous point because it’s important for every business. But traffic for the sake of traffic won’t cut it.
That’s why businesses should invest in good copywriters for their web copy and blogs. Writers who possess the skill (dare I say magic) to subconsciously drive people into making “the right” decision. What better decision can a visitor to your website make other than becoming a customer?
A well written blog has the potency to turn leads into life-long customers. That, in business terms, means life-long profits.
7. Deepens relationship with customers
Relationships in the 21st century are fluid. When people find one that’s solid, they hold on to it for dear life. This is where your business should leverage the emotional deficit in your customers. Be there for them. Let them know you care.
I get an SMS from my bank every year on my birthday. I know it’s automated but somehow it still tugs at my heart. I feel “connected”. Your blog has the power to deepen relationships with your customers. Use it to answer their questions, solve their problems and even connect on an emotional level.
If you can succeed in relating with your customers through your blog, they become more than customers. They become an army that will fight for your success.
8. Makes public relations easier and cheaper
PR campaigns are a thorn in the flesh for most companies. Their Return On Investment (ROI) is usually disappointing. Is PR essential? Yes. Is it expensive? Painfully so.
The easiest and cheapest way to drive publicity (which is what PR is for) is by maintaining a good social media department. With a good content marketing strategy, you can do most, if not all, of your PR at a fraction of the cost.
Cheap, minimum effort and yet maximum impact. The “public” nowadays is found online. Relate with them there. Can it be easier and more cost effective than this?
9. Strengthens your email marketing campaigns
Talk about massive ROI! Email marketing is the obvious marketing approach for every serious business. But email marketing is weak without a blog. This is because:
- It’s easier to get people’s emails from your blog
2. The blog keeps them informed and entertained while email does the power selling
Email marketing can’t survive without a good blog. They need each other.
10. Gives your business a human touch
To drive engagement, businesses need simple, human-centric communication and collaboration built deep into business processes. Avaya.com
The essence of being human is the ability to communicate. To touch each other’s lives in a meaningful way. A business can succeed in doing this through blogging. One major inherent strength of a blog is that it’s interactive.
An excellent blog is actually a living community that gives a business that much needed human touch. This statement alone gives you two powerful reasons your company should start and maintain a blog:
- Community. People love to be part of a greater cause.
2. Human touch. People need human touch. It’s as important as breathing.
[bctt tweet=”An excellent blog is actually a living community that gives a business that much-needed human touch” via=”no”]
These ten reasons should be enough to convince you that every business needs to invest in a blog. A business without a blog will surely get stuck in the bog.
Now, you tell me. Blogging: business sense or business nonsense?