Why Your Business Needs a Blog

I’ve done the research, and research says if you want your business to be successful, you need to start blogging ASAP. 

Here’s why: Having a blog is a massive plus to Google and other search engines. Google can read your content and easily rank it for search results. But Google can’t do that with podcasts or videos; it can only do it with written content. So if you already create videos or podcasts, that’s awesome, but consider reposting them to your website and transcribing them too.

For Sarah Catherine Creative and my clients, my solid business plan is content, content, content. Produce as-much-as-possible high-quality content, and post it everywhere. 

For me, the easiest and best way to do that is to write blogs. I know, I don’t like the idea of it either, and I’ll be honest, I put off writing them on here for a couple of months.

It was like a massive task that I didn’t want on my to-do list. And it can be hard to tackle. What are you even supposed to write about? How do you even start?

My best advice is just to start. Your blog posts probably won’t be perfect. But if you start making blogging a habit, and a regular part of your marketing schedule, you’ll get into the swing of things, and the posts will improve as you get more comfortable.

If you’ve already been blogging consistently, and you haven’t got any traction from it yet, keep it up because, well, it takes a pretty long time to see the results. But it’s crucial because it works. 

8 Reasons To Start A Blog For Your Business

1. Drives traffic to your site

Raise your hand if you want some more website traffic! I’m right there with you. Here are some of the ways people find your website:

• They could type your name directly into their browser, but that’s an audience you already have. They know who you are, so that isn’t new traffic.

• You could pay for traffic by placing paid ads, but that can get quite expensive quickly. And the second you run out of money, your traffic stops coming, too.

So, how can you drive traffic? Blogging. 

Your blog posts can answer questions. And every time you write a blog post, you’re also creating content that people can share on social networks (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest), which helps promote your business to a new audience that may not know you.

2. Builds trust and makes you an expert

People won’t purchase your product if they don’t trust you. It’s that simple.

So, if you’re blogging about a topic related to your business (which you should be), then your readers are going to see that you know what you’re talking about.

When you can answer your readers’ questions, or give them free insight into your industry, this positions you as the expert and means you are the right person for the job. And, if they use your advice and strategies and it works out their favor, they will trust you more. 

Client testimonials, referrals, and an extensive portfolio also help build trust, but if you don’t have them, the best thing you can do is give away free information and value.

3. Boosts SEO

Think about how many pages there are on your website. Probably not a ton, right? And think about how often you update those pages. Not that often, right? How many times can you change your About Us page, you know?

But Google loves when you consistently add to your website, and it loves pages that answer people’s questions in detail. Do you see where I’m going with this? 

Blogging is the answer.

Every time you write a blog post, it’s one more indexed page on your website, which means it’s one more opportunity for you to show up in search engines and drive traffic to your website in organic search.  

So, the more blog posts you have, the more likely someone is going to find the answer to their question on your website. And if you’re answering a lot of frequently searched questions, your posts will rank higher and higher.

The more up to date information, more pages, and more actually helpful words, the higher the chance of Google matching the words on your website to whatever someone is Googling.

4. Creates Loyalty

When you post consistently, your readers know to come back to you for more. A great reason to have a blog schedule! If they have read and enjoyed some of your content and know you’re posting weekly, they’re much more likely to come back to you for more information.

I’ve experienced this first hand. There are a handful of bloggers that I am so dedicated that I check back for new posts or search their website for answers before going to Google. Sometimes they answer questions I didn’t even think about asking. I go back for their great content, and because I trust them and see them as experts.

The benefit of having these loyal followers is that if they decide to look into buying, you’ll be top of mind, and they’ll buy from you.

5. Gives Insight Into Your Audience

You can check your analytics (Google, Squarespace, or any other platform) to see how your posts are performing. Be vigilant of what blog posts are getting the most traffic, social shares, and comments.

Studying these numbers will help you understand what topics your audience likes, wants, and needs to learn more about. And if you know what your audience wants more of, you can produce more of that, so more of the same audience will come. As you continue serving your audience with educational blogs and resources, you can also tailor your products and services to suit them even more.

So, if you’re writing about a variety of topics, and only one is taking off, focus more on that topic. 

Tip: Keep an eye out for what people are asking you. Are you getting a few of the same questions over and over again? Write a blog that answers their question! Or even better, launch a product that answers it.

6. Builds your email list

Having an email list goes hand in hand with blogging, so if you haven’t set one up, hop over to Mailchimp once you’re done reading this.

Blogging is amazing when you’re working on building your email list if you’re strategic with your opt-ins and how you give away content.

Free downloadable content is a great way to get people to sign up to your list, and most people promote these free downloads in their blog posts.

When you’re writing your blog post, think about what extra value you can provide. What can you give away that is relevant to this blog post that people would happily exchange their email address for?

For example, if you’re a wedding planner blogging about “How to Plan Your Wedding Day and Reception Timeline,” including a free blank timeline downloadable file would be a great offer to readers.

And yes, there are some blog posts where you don’t have something to give away. Because let’s be honest, you can’t create something new for every single post! 

When you don’t have something to give away, make sure that you have an opt-in about signing up for more tips or something enticing and exciting about your email list, to encourage your reader to sign up.

7. Drives long-term results

If you make a post on social media, depending on your audience, you could reach 10 or 10,000 people. But once that post is old, unless people are re-sharing it, it’s not popping up in anyone’s feed. So it’s time to make another post. 

But let’s say you sit down for an hour and write and publish a blog post today. That blog post could get you 100 views and ten leads. And then, tomorrow, you get another 50 views, and five leads as a few more people find it on social media. But after a couple of days, most of the fanfare from that post dies down, and you’ve only gotten 150 views and 15 leads.

The good news is, your post isn’t done there.

That blog will start ranking in search engines. Which means for days, weeks, months, and years to come, you can continue to get traffic and leads from that blog post. The effort you put in today can turn into hundreds of thousands of views and leads in the future.

8. Helps sell your products

I’m really not a sales sort of person. To be honest, I hate it, and I’m not super comfortable doing it.

The great thing about blogging is that you can work your blog posts around selling something (a specific or general product), and it doesn’t feel sales-y at all, because you’re offering free insight, value, and advice!

So when you think about blog topics, consider if it will attract your ideal customers. Then think about the valuable content or resource you will be offering them. And then, think about how you can lead that into a sale. When your topic relates to a product or service you offer, this is a no-brainer.

Blogging is not as hard as it may seem, and it offers so many benefits for your growing and marketing your business. If you are looking to stand out from the crowd and capture the attention of your target audience, your business needs a blog!