With all the social media posts out there explaining what a person did that day or promoting what a business is selling, what is the purpose of a blog post? For a creative individual, it allows them to express their thoughts by writing a blog about a particular point of interest. Maybe that individual writes to inform or maybe they write to be noticed by potential employers looking for a specific skilled set. But, why do businesses blog?
Believe it or not blogging is an important outlet that every company should use. A lot of the time companies can get caught up on all the terminology and forget about the basics and why it's a key element for growth. Let's refresh our brains and simplify the importance of blogging basics.
It's as simple as that, blogging will get people to your website and lead them into becoming loyal consumers. Social media for a company can do this too and is certainly effective but can be limiting in several ways. Blogging allows for a more information specific to what the reader is looking for rather than a quick blurb that can be overlooked on such a vast site.
Tip: Add links into your blog that will lead them to your site.
We've already discussed that blogging provides information for the consumer and if they like the information you provide they will visit your site. Let's focus on the "if" they like your information. Blogs add credibility to you as a company because they provide information on the subject that can actually help the consumer. This leads them to choose your services because clearly you know what your talking about which became apparent after reading all your blogs on the subject.
Tip: Stay true to your company's capabilities and pick an appropriate topic for your blogs.
Blogging adds a personal touch for the consumer. They get to know your company on a more personal level, allowing them to comfortably see what you have to offer. It can be intimidating walking into a place, not knowing what you want and being bombarded with unwanted information. Blogging allows them read what you have and pick and choose what they want to inform themselves.
Tip: Respond quickly to consumer comments. No response will make them feel like you don't appreciate their business and they'll move on to another company with similar information that actually seems to care.
In case you forgot, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and this is crucial to the success of your company. Yes this goes along with getting noticed but it's so important it gets its own paragraph. SEO is what will help you stand out from all the other companies that offer the same services. Specific keywords and phrases in your blog post will help your site come out on top for people who are searching for the service you provide but may not know you exist to provide it. Without certain keywords your site might be at the very bottom of the list when people use search engines. Ask Yourself, why would they go through hundreds of pages when they already found several different companies that can help them on the first page?
Tip: If your having problems with SEO, research effective keywords and keep updating yourself with new effective ways to use them because this is a fast growing topic and knowledge on the matter will keep you ahead of the pack.
There you have it. Now that you know the basics go out there and successfully start blogging.