Blogging 101: Understanding the Basics

If you’re looking for ways to promote your business online, you’ve probably come across several resources that recommend publishing blog content. These recommendations are backed by plenty of good reasons, but the process of starting a business blog can sometimes feel intimidating. Beyond coming up with ideas for topics and the time to write your blogs, you should also be doing keyword research and looking for ways to continually improve your blogging strategy.

While all of these steps can seem a bit daunting, once you understand the basics and start blogging, you can enjoy all of the benefits it has to offer your business.

Blogging Is Beneficial For Your Business

To develop an effective blog strategy, you first need to understand why blogging is good for your business. There are a variety of benefits to creating and maintaining a company blog, and your blog strategy can be built around your specific business objectives. Blog content is an effective way to:

• Connect with New Customers. Blog content can be used to draw in potential customers who are interested in your products or services, as well as educate them about what makes your company unique.
• Build Credibility. When customers see you as an authority in your industry, they are more likely to trust your expertise. By sharing your knowledge through blog content, you can build credibility and develop a network of loyal followers.
• Boost Your SEO. A great digital presence can only help your business if customers can find you online. Blog content is an important component of your business’s search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, helping improve your visibility in key search results.

Developing Your Strategy

Once you have had some time to think about what you hope to accomplish through your blog content, you can start building out your strategy. Your strategy will help you decide the type of content you want to share, what topics you’d like to write about, and how you will promote your content.

• What Type of Blog Content Should You Share? There are many different ways to format your blog content. If your goal is to inform potential customers about your products or services, you may want to share a list of features or benefits, or share tips for choosing a specific product or service. If your goal is to build credibility, you can showcase your team’s expertise through staff Q&As or share news of your company’s latest achievements.
• What Topics Should You Write About? As with the type of content you share, the topics you choose should be based on your company goals. Think about the target audience you are trying to reach through your blogs, and create content that answers their questions or addresses their concerns. Here are a few simple ways to brainstorm blog topic ideas:
  • Use Social Media. Are there common questions that customers are asking you on social media? If there are specific topics that your customers seem especially interested in, use your blog content to explore those topics in-depth.
  • Think About Search Habits. Your customers might be doing some online research before they come to you to make a purchase. Think about what your customers are searching for at the early stages of their decision-making process, so you can start building a relationship with them right away. For example, a blog titled “5 Signs It’s Time to Replace Your Roof” could help a contractor connect with customers who may be in need of their services.
  • Tap Into Your Expertise. It may seem counterintuitive to share your knowledge for free, but being willing to share some of your valuable insight is a great way to build trust with your audience. Simple how-tos and other informative content can be a great way to draw in readers and establish yourself as an industry leader.
• How Do You Promote Your Blogs? Even the most high-quality, strategic blog content won’t benefit your business if nobody is reading it. While it’s possible to cultivate an audience of loyal readers, the process takes time and has to start somewhere. So, how do you attract readers to your blogs?
  • Send Email Updates. Linking out to your blogs in your email newsletter is a great way to draw in readers who have already shown interest in your business through subscription. You can even segment your email lists based on factors such as what products they have purchased, and share tailored emails that link to blogs that promote similar products they may also be interested in.
  • Share On Social Media. To connect with an even broader audience, you should regularly share your blog content on social media. When your followers engage with your content, you’ll have the potential to be seen by their friends and family, as well.
  • Advertise Your Content. If you have content that you want to share with a specific audience, you may want to consider promoting your content through social media ads. With advertising, you have the ability to share your content with a specific audience and measure the outcome of your campaign.

No matter what strategy you choose for your business, remember that blogging is an ongoing process. When it comes to blog content, “published” is always better than “perfect.” Your content can always be tweaked and updated later, so don’t pressure yourself to get every detail just right before you publish your content. A blog that is sitting around waiting to be published won’t do anything to benefit your business. Be willing to adjust your content and techniques until you find what works best for your audience.

For more tips on creating a Content Marketing strategy that works for your business, check out our other blogs on this topic. If you’d like some help creating a stronger digital presence for your business, contact our team for a free Digital Marketing Plan.