6 Ways to Make a Blog Work For Your Business
Wondering how a blog can really impact your business?
Trying to understand why you’re not seeing your desired results after blogging for a few months?
Mastering the art of blogging for your business can be a challenge – that is, unless you have the precise tools and knowledge you need to make your company blog more effective.
In this article, we will provide you with the foundational techniques required to achieve tangible results with a business blog…
1. OPTIMIZE IT FOR SEARCH RESULTS.
A blog post is one of the most important tools successful businesses use to enhance their search engine rankings.
A critical marketing strategy in recent years, search engine optimization (SEO) describes the process of optimizing your website to bring in the greatest amount (and highest quality) of internet traffic.
By modifying or adding meaningful, strategic content – like blog posts – on your website, you increase the likelihood that your business will reach the top of search results for your focus keywords and phrases.
So, what do you have to do to make your blogs SEO-friendly?
- Choose blog topics that respond to some of the most common questions and concerns of your target audience.
- Identify effective keywords, and infuse them throughout the text of the blog.
- Write around 750 words (or more) per blog.
- Incorporate meaningful internal and external links.
- Pay close attention to your meta title and description tags.
- Organize your body paragraphs logically with headlines and subheadings.
- Make sure your blog page code is well-structured and not overly complex.
- Incorporate engaging videos and images.
- Go back and update blog content that is NOT optimized for search engines.
READ MORE: How Does a Blog Boost SEO?
2. ESTABLISH YOUR INDUSTRY EXPERTISE.
In addition to SEO, another key purpose of your blog should be to build your company’s reputation as a subject matter expert (SME) in your specific industry.
If potential customers begin to see you as an authoritative source of information, they will be far more likely to purchase your product or service. But building a credible reputation is easier said than done.
There are numerous strategies you can employ to gain such a reputation. Here are a few to get you started:
- Do plenty of research to keep up-to-date on the latest trends and information in your industry.
- Choose blog topics that are current and relevant to your industry or customer-base.
- Provide original insight in your blogs that readers cannot find anywhere else.
- Write in a way that positions your company as an expert.
- If possible, include statistics and survey results collected and calculated by your own company.
- Include quotes and video interviews featuring the real experts on your team.
3. FEATURE KEY PRODUCTS & SERVICES.
Although blog posts that are TOO promotional and sales-y tend to turn people away, you can still use your blog in strategic ways to convert more readers into paying customers.
You can promote your products or services tastefully by picking blog topics that suggest a need for your service.
For example…
If you provide vehicle repair services, you could write a blog discussing the importance of routine service. Then, once you have explained the “why” behind regular service, you can describe the “how” – by relying on YOUR highly skilled repair technicians.
Or, perhaps, you could write a blog describing what people should expect from their repair service technician. After listing a number of reasonable expectations, you can proceed to explain how your team uniquely meets all of those standards.
4. USE IT TO DRIVE SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT.
Once you have written a blog full of valuable information and insights for potential and existing customers, how do people actually find it?
One way is through their online searches (see number 1).
One of the other main methods is via social media. Original company blog posts make FANTASTIC social media shares – whether you are boosting your posts to gain more followers or nurturing your existing followers.
Social media users are more likely to engage with posts that offer information they find meaningful. So, while they may just scroll past your advertisements, they will be more likely to pause and click on an actual blog article.
However, unless you are writing several blogs every week, you are probably going to want to supplement your social media blog shares with a variety of other social media posts in order to maintain the social media presence and engagement required to maximize your reach.
5. SHARE IT AS A RESOURCE TO CUSTOMERS.
Have you ever thought about using a company blog as a tool for prospecting for new customers or retaining existing customers?
This is one of the very best ways to use a blog!
When positioned correctly, blogs can be excellent resources that provide customers with the reliable information they need to gain a stronger understanding of…
- your business,
- their need for your specific products and services,
- and how to use your products and services most effectively.
If a prospective customer comes to you with a question, share with them a blog that addresses their specific concern.
If you notice a common recurring question or concern from your current clients, write a blog post addressing it and share the blog post on social media and in your next company newsletter.
Not only will this blogging technique help you continue developing that reputation of expertise discussed in number 2, but it will also allow you to build stronger, more trusting relationships with your customers.
6. BE CONSISTENT (& PATIENT).
Try to post a new blog (or re-post a blog updated for SEO) once every month. The more often you post, the more likely you are to be ranked highly by search engines like Google…and the more likely you are to build a brand known for credibility and trustworthiness.
While Google is always searching for new content on the internet, it sometimes takes a while for the search engine to locate and index your blog. And it takes even LONGER if you are not actively tailoring your content for SEO. In fact, a blog you write this month may not begin to rank high in search results for several years.
Although blogging SEO is not an exact science, we do know that it truly works when given time!
BLUETONE MEDIA | BLOG CONTENT CREATION
Blog creation is just one of BlueTone’s many content marketing services. Learn more about what we can do here.
Ready to get started with a blog but just don’t have the time? We can help! Let our marketing professionals help you formulate blog content that represents your company well and helps you achieve your business goals.
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