Why All Businesses Should Blog
You might wonder why I’ve included a post on blogs in a series about customer loyalty. The answer’s simple when you consider that more people want to get to know you before they decide whether or not they want to buy from you. Blogging allows them to do just that. In fact, blogs are clicked on more often than web pages. Google reports web visitors click on the blog link 78% of the time before they click on any other link, and the same percentage believe companies who create content are interested in building good relationships. Over 80% of small businesses have reported that they consider blogging their most important marketing tool. All have reported increased ROI. Percentage rates vary with how often businesses post.
On the technical side, the more you blog, the more you increase your chances of being found in web searches. Your website alone won’t do it. I can’t explain the algorithms behind it, but if you’re like me, you don’t want to know the process. You just need to see the results. Simplistically, I’ll give you an analogy. A website is deemed static – it sits like a couch potato, and causes a little flurry only when he/she gets up to get a bag of chips or move something around. A blog, on the other hand is termed dynamic. It’s like a little alarm clock that pings each time you publish a post. Those pings let the search engines know that you’re awake and moving around. They respond by creating an entry for each ping, so you end up with more cached pages on the web. The end result is that have a much higher web profile. The more you blog, the more you increase your chances of keeping a higher position. Consistency is the key.
On the human side, you increase your value as well as your credibility. They add dimension. Yes a business blog can have a human face and still be professional. You can share your expertise, make a point, be useful, teach something they may be interested in, share a story about community, ask a question, answer a consumer question, and demonstrate that you can see things from their perspective. Invite comments – in fact the more the merrier. Encourage feedback. Positive or negative, be sure to respond with grace. It’s another way you can shine. Just remember, most of the time blogs should be industry-related, but presented in your own unique personal style.
Remember too that blogs are infinitely shareable and give your readers the opportunity to pass them on a wider audience. You can also incorporate your blogs into your monthly newsletter!
Next time, we’ll explore the top excuses why businesses say they DON’T blog, and provide some tips on how they can just get passed that and just ‘DO’ it.