Many of you have your favorite restaurant that you frequent because you like it, and in some cases, love it. And while
the restaurant may have some great advertisements, your frequent visits likely have nothing to do with the business’s marketing efforts, but everything to do with the food and the people.
A business blog is a marketing tool, but marketing is an ambiguous term, especially for a business that is just starting out. You may consider marketing and sales to be synonymous with each other. They’re not. In sales, you’re trying to get customers to buy your product. Marketing is how you position your product, and decide how you’re going to reach your customers.
Consequently, you shouldn’t have a blog to try and generate sales. It’s a place to reach your customers, give them information, and position your value to them.
Here are more reasons you should have a business blog.
You have to give before you take
As an entrepreneur you probably started a business because you wanted to be your own boss, or maybe because you thought you could do something better than someone else. How you’re doing it and why you’re doing it are as important as whether or not you’re any good at it. This is the information you give away for free! Blogs are great space to regularly share with your reader what you’re learning. Do this frequently enough and you’ll soon have a following of potential customers who know your story and are more likely to buy your products.
It’s all about the SEO
There is a world of information online, and in order for your blog to stand out in the noise there are certain strategies you want to employ. Search engines are smart. Once you’ve started your blog, a search engine will put your content through their algorithms. Use proper grammar and spelling to improve your grade in the eyes of the search engine. Use important keywords to receive a higher grade. This practice will position your site higher up on the page, and hopefully to the top of page one.
How often should you blog?
There is no set formula to follow when it comes to frequency of blog posts. Yet, while the quality of your content is unquestionably the most important factor for your blog, the frequency with which you blog is arguably the second most important. Ideally you want to blog more often than your competitors, and you want to be sure to link to other blog posts on your site. By doing this, search engines will be able to recognize the activity of your blog, compare it to your competitors, and then rank yours higher. Additionally, the more blog posts you have means the greater the chances your website will be discovered through search.
Think of it this way, the more articles you add to your blog is like your favorite restaurant having a new specialty item. You already know you love their food, now you have to go back for the new item. And, since blog articles don’t disappear, your old content can attract new customers.
For more social media tips, be sure to like us on Facebook.
