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by Lauren Thomas
While social media has certainly cemented its spot in marketing, a website is still the lifeline of any business. Having a website increases online presence, serves as an online storefront, and allows business owners to automate or have a hands-off approach to business. Yet even with a website, many business owners miss out on the opportunity to connect with their audience through blogging.
Blogging has many different functions which benefit websites.
Whether you write your own blogs, or hire a writer, or use AI, consider adding a blog to your website. Internet users in the United States spend 3X more time on blogs than they do on email.
Think of blogs as an opt-in source of information. It’s not something someone has to read to use your service. With proper distribution and SEO, blogs can organically end up in front of a large range of eyes. Your job as a writer is to write them in a way that makes people want to read them, while still providing content that is a valuable read when they are done.
Five Simple Yet Beneficial Functions of a Good Blog
Share Valuable Information
The first function of any blog is content marketing through to sharing valuable information. Whether it’s a topic like this blog explaining why a product or service is essential, or a how-to write-up explaining how to use some of your products. Blogs are a great way to provide extensive, detailed information for your audience.
Instagram and Facebook are ideal for short-form content. Pinterest is ideal for infographics. The condensed content you post on social media should lead people back to your blog. Those short posts can be excerpts straight from your blog. Once you get your audience to visit your blog, you can share what you know and lead them to other pages within your site increasing click-throughs and engagement.
Blogs provide a chance to show that you’re an expert on a particular subject. Long-form content allows you to elaborate on not-so-simple concepts. The average consumer doesn't initially trust a brand. That trust is built over time. What better way to build trust than to demonstrate your knowledge through blogs and articles. You can likely talk about your business for hours on end. Turn that energy into a blog and increase your online presence.
Client Stories
Client stories and reviews are one of the best methods of content marketing because the source is someone who doesn’t have anything to gain from speaking highly of your business. Consumers don’t immediately trust brands, in fact it takes the average shopper seven interactions with a brand before deciding to make a purchase. Use you blog to highlight clients and customers. Find those unique stories from customers who had a specific need and no one could meet it but you.
If you’re unsure about how to go about getting these stories, asking clients for feedback (vs waiting for them to volunteer it) is a good first step. Build an exit survey into your workflow. Provide an incentive for clients who would like to be highlighted in your blog.
The average top blog gets 66.47% of its traffic from search, of which 99.77% is organic and only 0.23% is paid. growthbadger.com
Improves SEO
Search engine optimization is the process through which search engines like Google crawl through websites and categorize or index their pages based on the "information" on the website.
Keywords are one of the main pieces of information being indexed, as they are the main method utilized in searches. While it’s important to have your chosen keywords throughout your website, blogging creates an opportunity to increase the number of times those keywords appear within your website.
If you have images within your blog, the captions and tags for those images create even more opportunities. SEO is one of the biggest reasons to include a blog in your website. When done correctly, blogs are like SEO goldmines.
Tell Your Brand Story
As you build a business it’s also important to think about branding. Whether the brand is strictly connected to the business or you want to build your personal brand, a blog is an excellent way to do both.
Through blogging, you can tell a story. Maybe the first blog on your site is an introduction to your company. As you grow and reach new milestones, like new partnerships, products, upgraded equipment that can elevate your service... all of these are blog-worthy topics.
Making sales is based on emotional connections. A great way to get consumers to connect with you is by telling your story. Nobody wants to be the underdog or highlight their struggles, but how many times have you been watching sports and the half-time entertainment is a deep-dive story on a star player’s unfortunate past. Or even watching a team come back from a losing streak to win it all in the finals. People love a good story, and a blog is a great way to tell yours.
Great for Repurposing Content
Whether you create your own content or outsource and have someone create it for you, blogs are perfect content for repurposing. Tidbits can be pulled out for social media, tweets, infographics and so much more.
Social media moves fast, and it's tiring trying to always come up with new content to share. By blogging you create your own resource of info that you can use over and over again.
Start Your Blog Already...
You're missing out by not having a blog.
Every good website has the typical features - classy yet engaging design, catchy wording for all of the products and services. A great website compels people to believe in your business by providing information about the brand. Owner bios, product descriptions, and good website copy are all great at this, but one opportunity that is often overlooked is blogging.
Blogging doesn’t have to be hard. My advice to novice bloggers is to start small. The ideal length for best search engine results is 1,200 words or more. However, if your blogs are shorter than that, that's okay too. While SEO is a big benefit of blogs, the main thing to consider is the audience on the other end of the blog, reading your content.
Starting is Easy
Many times I get an idea for a blog and jot down the main ideas in a note on my phone. Over time I go back in and fill in the details until it’s ready to go from the draft phase to publishing.
It’s in the best interest of your website to blog, but you don’t have to do it alone. You don’t even have to do it yourself. As a content creator and writer, I got my start blog writing. If you’re interested in having blogs written for you, check out the Services Page, follow the prompts to schedule a discovery call, and let’s discuss the future of your blog.
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As always thanks for reading. Please like and share if you found this information useful. Comment with any questions or comments you have.
Connect with Limitless Marketing
Lauren Thomas
Advertising and Public Relations Specialist | Customer Service Expert | Innovative Marketer
With a degree in Advertising and Public Relations, Lauren is a dynamic marketing professional with a passion for creating engaging experiences that leave a lasting impact on audiences. A true maven of creativity, Lauren thrives on having fun with marketing, consistently introducing brands to fresh concepts that capture attention and inspire customers to click "buy." By combining strategic thinking with an innate understanding of consumer behavior, Lauren brings forth innovative campaigns that drive results.
Visit her personal blog at ltwrites.co.
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