4 Tips for Starting Your Business Blog
Businesses big and small see the advantages of blogging: it’s a low-cost marketing strategy with the power to connect a business with their current audience and simultaneously attract new leads.
A well-maintained blog can establish credibility in your industry, promote your brand, and best of all – you don’t have to be a professional writer or content marketer to contribute. Almost anyone – from a Fortune 50 company to a small business owner with limited time and resources – can create and manage a blog.
We’re excited to share our 4 Tips for Starting Your Business Blog. Let’s get to it!
1. Be an Expert
Your blog is the stage from which you can share your product or industry knowledge. Imagine if your potential customers are searching online for information about the products or services you’re selling, and your blog is consistently popping up in search engine results with quality content. This immediately establishes your brand as a trustworthy source of information. Make it easy for your new customers to reach your store by including a call-to-action and link back to your shop page.
If you’re unsure of how to establish yourself as an expert in your field, here’s a great tip to generate some potential blog topics: make a list of frequently asked questions you receive regarding your product or service. Answer these questions as if you were explaining your business to an outsider. This type of content preemptively answers questions your customers may have – which saves time and prevents hesitation from making a purchase.
In short, you will generate more traffic to your blog and website – and eventually, revenue for your business – if you establish yourself as a professional voice in your industry. What’s more, as your blog posts start to show up when people are searching, you will start to see an increase in the number of people linking to your website. As part of a holistic link building campaign, , this can tremendously improve your online credibility and visibility on Google.
2. Sharing is Caring!
Here’s another tip to generate fresh blog content: reach out to other professionals in your industry and ask them to share their knowledge. Talk about industry trends, challenges you both face in your industry and ways to improve – this type of information translates extremely well into an interview-type blog post that your readers will find very valuable and informative.
You’ll most likely find that your peers are more than willing to talk shop with you and share information. If you’re unable to find other industry professionals to interview, share content that other reputable sources are posting if it’s relevant to your industry. Always provide credit to the original authors and sites, and you’ll position yourself as a brand and voice that stays current with the hottest business topics.
Reach out and share information to inform your customers and build new business relationships. Before you know it, other blogs and businesses may be reaching out to YOU to share your industry knowledge!
Think about it this way – if another business page shares one of your blog posts, your business is being exposed to all their followers. That’s a fantastic way to enter a new market and acquire new customers!
3. Get Creative
Blogging is a great way for your business to let its hair down. Your blog posts don’t always have to center around industry trends – think of your blog as the “Casual Friday” section of your website. Your tone can be more conversational while still adhering to your brand’s voice and style.
Get creative with your blog to promote different types of content – post a photo of your office space, wish your readers a happy weekend when you sign off late on a Friday, or encourage readers to share their own photos related to your product – ideally with a unique hashtag to share on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. If you can create an avenue for customers to easily share photos or comments relating to your business, you greatly increase your chances of acquiring new website traffic.
A great blog is a mixture of professional and creative content. Pay attention to which types of content are performing well – are your readers leaving comments on certain types of posts more than others? Are photos being shared more than articles? Listen to the voice of your audience, and tailor your creativity towards their habits and needs. Get creative with the goal of raising awareness of your brand and driving traffic to your website through fun and shareable content.
4. Stay True to Your Brand
While your blog may be the section of your website where you can be more personal, it’s important to not stray too far away from your brand identity.
If you’re just getting started with your business blog, it always helps to create a plan before you begin. Be honest with yourself about the amount of time you can dedicate to your blog – even one post per week is beneficial.
Keep in mind that blogging isn’t just writing posts, especially if you’re just getting started. You’ll need to choose the best blogging platform that fits your style, brand, and budget. You don’t need to be a graphic designer to create a professional-looking blog. There are countless templates and designs already available for you to use.
You’ll also want to establish a name for your blog – one that is unique and related to your brand, easy to remember, and easy to spell. Purchasing a custom domain name for your blog will increase your legitimacy as a brand and rank higher in search engine results. If you are having difficulty choosing a domain name that will benefit your business, there are plenty of tools online which will search and suggest available domain names for your business blog.
Write On!
Blogging allows you to create and share unique, consistent, and relevant content related to your business. If you can promote your blog posts through social media and include links to your website or store, you are greatly increasing your chances of ranking higher in search engine results.
Establish yourself as an expert in your field to gain credibility. Before you know it, readers will be counting on you as a reliable source of information for their questions and needs. Be fun and personable – while still maintaining professionalism – and you may see your posts being shared across social media for new audiences. Don’t forget to include a call-to-action so new readers can easily reach your website or store.
Treat blogging as a chance to flex your creative muscles while still aiming to generate traffic to your business. Create an editorial calendar and stay on schedule – a regularly updated blog will drive long- term results and help to grow your business.
Happy blogging!
