(This article was first published on Medium.com)
Blogging for business is one of the most essential, effective, and inexpensive marketing tactics to connect to your customers, like-minded individuals, professionals, and members of your community. Publishing blogs on your website can act as an additional marketing channel to expose your brand, increase visibility, and build your authority in the industry. If you are not into business blogging, you might lose many opportunities to reach out to your target audience.
A recent report by Hubspot indicated that marketers who prioritise blogging efforts are 13x more likely to see positive ROI. So, if you have not started, here are five top reasons why you should start now.
1. Bridging your brand to your customers
Developing relationships with your customers is an essential element of a marketing campaign. Blogging gives you the opportunity to share information about your business and knowledge about the industry. It is a great way to maintain a relationship with your followers and build new connections with potential customers. Today, purchase decisions are made mostly by the scrolling of the finger. Your readers will very much appreciate reading content off from their fingertips in the comfort of their own space. Be sure to post your blogs not only on your website but also across all your channels such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to widen your reach.
2. Position yourself as an industry thought leader
As a specialist in your industry, writing blogs can increase the customer’s trust in you as a thought leader. By posting topics that relate to your business, you are not only marketing your brand; you are also demonstrating your experiences and thoughts as a specialist in your industry. For example, if you run a branding consultancy in Singapore, you can share articles on why branding is important for businesses. Are you more of a B2C business? Share ideas on home furnishings or tips on healthy eating. This will help to draw your readers to understand not only the topic but also the business solutions you offer.
3. Drive traffic to your website
We are all aware that having a social media presence helps a business to thrive in this tech-driven era. On social media, we get to raise awareness and engage with our customers through comments and feedback. However, no matter how huge your followers are on these channels, creating a following to your website is an essential aspect of your blogging business. Why? Should the algorithms of social media change or face a possible shut down, your website becomes becomes the heart of all your business information and content. Writing and posting blogs on your website also makes it more permanent as compared to having them buried on social platforms.
4. Increase your SEO rankings on Google
Blogging and publishing them regularly help to rank your website higher on search engines. Blogs that use on-page SEO tactics increases the chances on being ranked higher, especially when your customers search for a topic of your business and they get directed to your blog. Use keywords that will increase your SEO ranking by utilizing tools such as Ubersuggest. Place your keywords strategically in your headings, subheadings, or your body text. Not sure how to maximise SEO for your website and blogs? Consider engaging an SEO company to help you identify keywords that your ideal customers are searching for on search engines and use them to your advantage.
5. Expand your blogs reach through sharing
What better way to get free marketing and publicity than having your blog pieces shared, retweeted, and republished on other channels. When people cross share your articles on their platforms, you get higher visibility and allows you to reach a broader target audience. If you are lucky, your articles might just get the attention of an editor or journalist be carried on their publications. Now, that’s an awesome way to get earned media and free publicity!
Blogging is easy and it can help you build credibility, reel in more customers, increase awareness, and drive traffic to your website. For business owners who do not have the expertise or manpower to write blogs regularly, reach out to a boutique PR agency as your extended team or a ghostwriter to help you.