Why Should Blogging Be Important To You?
Blogging can easily be perceived as a number of things, as blogs tend to cover such a wide variety of topics. But what makes blogging important to you might be revealing.
Why Blog?
Blogs aren’t just a way to share common interests or find an outlet for writers anymore, and they haven’t been for many years. Blogging provides a variety of benefits you may not be considering. For example, each time you post a blog about a product or service you provide, you add quality keywords to your web site. Keywords are the common ingredient in search engine recipes. Another good form of search engine goodness are citation links, so a blog post about attending a local event and linking to the events web page for example tells the search engines more about your location and common interests with people near you.
In short, blogging drives traffic and helps people find you, and benefits your presence in the search engines. In addition, your blog posts become social media posts that can be used time and time again.
In short, blogging drives traffic and helps people find you, and benefits your presence in the search engines. In addition, your blog posts become social media posts that can be used time and time again.
Who’s The Expert In Your Business?
Hopefully you answered, I am!. Internet users that discover your products and services through your blog gain comfort when reading your posts, you become credible, knowledgeable and engaged in what you do in their eyes. Users researching your business or looking for answers to their questions find information that is to their benefit. Blog posts can cover everything from educating your customers on your production process to highlighting your best work. Frequently asked questions can be addressed. Even employee of the month shows your visitors and customers a little more about you and what you do.
What If I’m Not A Good Writer?
The great news is you don’t have to be. Consider this, a simple blog post announcing a new piece of equipment has been added to your shop. You’re excited to have added the new machine, it is going to provide your business with a way to create even more great work for your customers, and your business is showing it’s success. How hard can it be to post a short announcement and share the excitement?
Blogging Suggestions
First and foremost, your blog should represent your brand, you and your business. It should be tuned in to what you do and appeal to your target market. Consider it your own magazine. My dart shirts blog for example is there to promote darts apparel and accessories to dart players. With that in mind I blog about new products, design additions and draw attention to my web site. But I also blog about dart tournaments, share experiences of my own, host online contests to gain traffic and social media exposure, and offer dart players a variety of content that may interest them beyond their wardrobe.
In addition, your blog posts become social media posts that can be used time and time again.
I have a client that is in the barbecue catering business. Consider the simplicity of what a food blog involves. They can target dates on the calendar such as National Barbecue Month, create a celebratory post, share it on social media using the hashtag #NationalBarbecueMonth and get back to cooking.
Most blogging platforms include a feature that allows you to put your posts on timers, and that is something I use regularly. Finding the time to blog during a busy stretch can lead to neglecting the practice and allowing your blog to go static. However, a weekend afternoon or an evening creating blog posts while watching your favorite evening television shows can give you a relaxed atmosphere for creativity, and a way to schedule your posts in advance to run on auto pilot while you’re busy running your business.
On that note, don’t forget to refer to my Internet Marketing Calendar. You can tee up relevant marketing posts that are ready to launch on time well in advance, and rest assured that your marketing strategies are already underway.