Need a little help getting motivated to start a blog on your small business website? Here are some things to think about.
1. Blogs increase traffic to your website. Many small business owners create a website and then it just sits there, without any updates. But potential customers, and search engines, like websites that regularly update content. A blog, especially one where the most recent entries are displayed on your home page, gives you an “updated” look when people visit. And it is one of the quickest, least costly ways to get better search engine rankings, so you are more easily found by your potential customers.
2. Blogs help you educate your customers. It’s a great format for sharing short, informative stories about your business, your methods and why you use them, and your expertise. You don’t have to hit them over the head with the hammer of “marketing speak” – just informally tell your stories. Think of ways to talk about what you do without a direct sales pitch – for instance, tell stories about how you helped specific customers and what you learned or how you applied your expertise.
3. Blogs let you establish a more personal connection with your customers. You don’t have to write a novel or be witty – although humor helps! – to have a successful blog. Simply writing about what you do is interesting to people who don’t do it. Posting blog entries on a regular basis gives people a reason to visit your website and get the next installment. Plus, when these people need your product or service, they’ll be more likely to think of you and want to do business with you.
4. Blogs give you an opportunity to receive feedback about your business. Readers of your blog can leave comments (if you like) about your posts and your business practices. For business owners who don’t want to allow comments, you can emphasize your contact information and make it easy for customers to contact you with praise or to get a problem resolved.
5. Having a blog gives you a better connection to your website. It can be hard for a time-challenged business owner to spend time improving his website. A blog gives you a reason to work on your site on a regular basis. The dividends of caring about your site and keeping it in good shape really do pay off.