If you run a small business, then the chances are that you’ll be wondering how you can promote it. Of course, you can invest in pay-per-click advertising and social media to make a splash, but there are other, cheaper, options you should consider. Blogging is one of them.
Producing high-quality, regular content can transform your business. Whether you choose to write down your thoughts and knowledge into easy-to-read guides and tutorials, you create YouTube videos and take a slice of the video hosting giant’s $70 billion revenue, or you start your own podcast or audiobook, it’s easy to grow an audience.
Still not convinced? Here are five reasons why you should start blogging for your business.
1. It positions your business as an authority figure
There are a wide range of benefits of content marketing, but one of the biggest is authority. If you post relevant, engaging content that stands out and offers value to your customers, then they’ll be more likely to recommend your services as they’ll see you as an authority figure who knows what they’re talking about. The key to this is research – make sure you’re always scouring the internet for new relevant sources and research that you can use.
2. It gives you content to share on social media
If you run a social media account for your business, then you may be tempted to share news and information from other sources. But doing that takes the focus and attention away from your brand, meaning you could be sending potential customers to the competition. By creating your own content, you’ll be able to share it and increase conversion rates.
3. It helps you grow
Having the responsibility of a blog can be daunting, but it can also help you grow and learn new things as a business owner. If you run a successful blog, you’ll no doubt have to interact with other bloggers and business owners, and spend time researching more into your industry. This is knowledge and research that you may not have bothered with if you didn’t have to write a blog post, and can set you apart from your competition.
4. It helps you to rank
Want to rank for competitive terms on search engines? Blogging regularly can allow you to do that, as you’ll be sending fresh content regularly to the search engine to index. If you can remember to add your chosen keywords (aka, keywords you’d like to rank for) to these blog posts and create content around this, you’ll be likely to rank ahead of your competition.
5. It captures information
Add a call to action at the bottom of your blog post, whether it’s to sign up for a newsletter or arrange a free consultation, and you’ll quickly be able to capture the email addresses and telephone numbers of potential customers. It’s a sure-fire way to grow your business.
There you have it – five of the biggest reasons why you should consider blogging for your small business. Whether you’re a content whizz-kid or a total beginner, good luck!
Max Greene is the Managing Director of Muffin Marketing, a marketing agency specialising in content marketing, social media marketing, and search engine optimisation.