Ok, ok - yes, the word blog has four letters, but people often associate having to write a blog with some other four letter words that I won’t mention here. C’mon, I’ve thought it, you’ve probably thought it… why the “bleep” do I need to write a blog post; or, not another “bleeping” blog post.
A blog for your business should not be thought of in that way. You may be busy; you may feel like you’re not a good writer; or you may not even see the purpose of a blog – I mean, who reads those things anyway?
It’s time to start thinking about blogging in a new way
The truth is that blogs can be very helpful for your business - for people who visit your website, in getting more visitors to your website, and in your efforts to get your website found among the other websites in your industry who are competing for those same potential visitors (i.e. SEO).
Here’s Why Blogs Are Important
Blogs are a great way to post non-sales related, quality content to your website on a regular basis. From a search engine ranking perspective, you will be adding related quality content that can be optimized for your audience. In addition, blogs can provide useful information to your visitors. If you can be helpful to someone by way of your blog, they will be more likely to contact you if and when they need that product or service.
Developing Blog Posts for Your Website
Many people feel stuck when it comes to writing blog posts. What they should post about, how much or how often to post, finding time to post, etc. Start off slowly by trying to add a post once a
month and then work on increasing the number of posts from there. To maximize the content you’re creating, it’s helpful to plan ahead have an overall content plan and strategy that aligns with your business and supports your marketing goals. If your business is seasonally based, plan posts around that, or if you have a new product launch coming or just one that you want to promote, plan posts that support that. And, if you need help, consider partnering with someone to produce and promote content.
As for content, it may seem overwhelming to figure out what to write about. However, you can break this down by thinking about the content strategy mentioned above. To find a good twist on a subject, there are many free content idea generators out there than can be helpful. A few of these include:
- ContentIdeator – just enter a keyword and you’ll get pages of ideas.
- HubSpot’s Blog Topic Generator – enter a few terms to get some ideas.
- And, if you’re looking for something a little more edgy – try Content Row’s Link Bait Generator
A Blog Doesn’t Need to be Just Writing
A blog can be comprised of more than just writing. Videos, podcasts, infographics, and more can be made into a blog post. And, in fact, I would recommend that your blog be more than just writing to appeal to visitor’s multiple interests and to make it something that can be posted on all types of social media sites - YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.
Don’t Call It a Blog
So maybe, even after all the reasons above, you still don’t want to write a blog post or create other types of blog posts. Then, don’t call it a blog. Just create useful content for people who visit your website. Tell your visitors more about your products or services. Think about the questions that you get all the time from current or potential customers and answer them… on your website. Not only will you be adding useful, quality content to your website, but you may also reduce the amount of phone calls you get with people just asking questions and not yet ready to purchase – to help reduce your overall sales cycle.
Share, Share, Share
You’ve written some blog posts, or have posted content of another form, but it doesn’t seem like anyone is looking at it. Make sure you share any content you’ve created through social media – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and if it’s visual, through Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, etc. – to get more visibility. Reference your blog posts/new content in your email marketing and includes links to it on your website where applicable.
The writing/producing of blog posts will only enhance your website (assuming they are thoughtful, quality posts) and your optimization efforts. Don't let fear of the unknown or overwhelming prevent you from using this relatively simple method to bring more visitors to your website!
Find the author on social media:
+Elissa Mitchell
@ezmitchell
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