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Growing a small business can definitely be a challenge, but one thing that makes it easier is a successful blog. You might view your business blog as a fun little addition to your company website, but it’s actually an essential part. There are many benefits of blogging for business, from sparking conversations between you and your audience to boosting site traffic and sales. To create a blog that can achieve all of this and more, here are five things that you should do.
Abandon The “Blog” Label
A blog is an effective tool for driving traffic to your company website, but it also gives visitors a reason to return. This makes it more likely that they will one day convert to customers. That being said, labeling your blog as a blog can spoil your efforts. When most people see a “Blog” tab on a small business website, they assume that it’s content is based on the company alone, which may not interest them. Calling the tab “Articles”, however, could capture their attention.
Create A Blogging Calendar
Blog readers, customers, and search engines are all big fans of predictability. If you post three or four articles in a week, but then nothing for the next few months, it makes it unlikely that readers will return. You’ll also rank lower on search results, making it difficult for customers to find you. A blogging calendar can help you to plan your posts in advance so that you always have content to share. You don’t need perfect blogging streak, but you should do your best to remain consistent.
Optimize Every Single Post
Unless readers and customers look up your website specifically, they will likely find you by searching for terms related to your business. This means that you need to rank within the first few results on search engines. To make this happen, you’ll have to invest time and money into improving your website SEO. It’s also crucial that you optimize each of your blog posts for search engines. You can do so by using keywords, adding images, and linking to other useful content.
Speak To Your Readers
Wherever you can, you should try to build a rapport between you and your readers. This can help to create a community for your blog, converting casual readers into loyal ones and then eventually customers. Replying to comments is a great place to start. If you’re low on responses to your posts, then end each one with a question or simply ask readers to share their opinions. Comments on your site also make you appear more legitimate, which can increase traffic too.
Work With Social Media
Just like you do with products, you need to promote the content that you create. If you’re not doing so already, this means sharing your blog posts on your social media pages. Many of your followers might not know that you have a blog; therefore, posting about it helps to keep them in the loop. It’s also crucial that you add social media sharing buttons to your site. This allows readers to share your content too, which will boost its visibility and likely increase traffic.
Blogging for business can be incredibly beneficial, so create a successful blog by following the advice above.
