Blogging has been around a long time – since 1994 when Justin Hill created his website Links.net and started adding short posts with a new link each day. Many organizations, large and small, saw the power of blogging to attract customers and supporters and have been maintaining robust blogs on their websites for years.
But new business owners sometimes wonder, is blogging still a thing? Do I need to blog?
The answer is a resounding Yes! If you are not taking advantage of the marketing benefits of regular blogging, you are missing out on an opportunity to generate leads and engage with customers.
In an article published in mid-2020, BlogTyrant pulled together statistics detailing the benefits of maintaining an active blog on your website:
- 77% of Internet users read blog articles.
- Blog posts are among the most shared content online.
- 60% of people purchase a product after reading a blog post about it.
- Blogging businesses experience 126% higher lead growth than non-blogging businesses.
(Highlighting theirs)
Yes, blogging continues to be a useful tool for reaching people who have a problem that you can solve.
Blog posts that answer questions your potential customers are asking help them find you and your website. Reading useful content helps them learn more about you. As they get their questions answered, and see what you can do for them, they grow to know, like, and trust you.
Those you’ve helped with the useful information on your blog are more likely to do business with you when they are ready to buy what you are offering.
Need to grow enrollment for your school? A blog that shows what makes you unique can help encourage prospective parents during their research and evaluation process.
Looking to grow an email list of potential customers for your small business? Regular blog posts, with an invitation to subscribe, are a surefire way to grow your email list.
Starting your blog
The first step to a successful blog is planning. This can be as simple as a basic spreadsheet set up to be both a calendar and a planning tool. If you already maintain a social media calendar, add your blog to that calendar as another channel of outreach. Decide how frequently you will post new content, then get it on the calendar.
Blogging is most effective when it is consistent. Publishing a new post at least once a month will help establish you as an expert resource and keep you ‘top of mind’ with subscribers.
Brainstorming blogging ideas
When deciding what to write on your blog, first ask yourself what would be helpful to your ideal customer. Are there questions you are regularly asked by customers or prospects? Do you have insights you regularly share when talking with prospective customers?
Once you have a list of those things you tell every customer, start brainstorming for other useful ideas that you can share. The goal is to make sure your blog regularly provides helpful information and helps readers get to know you and what you have to offer.
5 Tips for writing blog posts people want to read
- Answer questions or solve problems that people are actively searching for help with. Once you have an idea for a post, do a web search. This will show you what is being written on that topic. At the bottom of the first page of search results, you’ll see popular related topics. This list can trigger new ideas or refine the idea you started with. Make sure your topic is timely, useful, and relevant.
- Maintain a minimum word count of 500 words. Google and other search engines look for useful and authoritative content when gathering search results. Content with less than 500 words is often dismissed by the search engine as less authoritative. Less authoritative posts end up lower in the list of results. How many times have you gone beyond the first page when looking for information in a web search? You want your blog posts to be included on page one.
- Back up your statements with quotes and facts from experts. Links to authoritative web pages increase the value of your blog post and will increase the likelihood that it will appear higher in search results.
- Follow the basics of clear and concise writing – don’t use 10 words when 5 will do, run your draft through a service like Grammarly to check for proper punctuation and word usage, and break up long strings of text into shorter sentences and briefer paragraphs. And don’t forget to edit. Red Pen Day can help with the editing process.
- Use headings and images to add visual appeal to your post.
And a bonus tip for extending the reach of your blog and website: Spend a little time learning about search engine optimization (SEO), to help your blog rank higher in search results. For example, including your keywords in the file names for images used in your posts will increase the ranked value of your blog post.
Promote your blog
Once you’ve written and published your new blog post, be sure to promote it through your social media channels. Blog posts are among the most shared content online. So use your blog post as an opportunity to engage with your social media audience. A link to your post is a great way to let your followers know there is something new for them to see and draws attention to your website.
Enjoy the blogging process. It is a great way to continue the conversation with your prospects and customers.
If you need some help getting started, reach out – I am happy to answer questions.