Small businesses must invest in a good blog that is regularly updated with latest informative pieces. In this article we shall discuss the things you must keep in mind to run your small business blog.
Small businesses have lesser resources in their hands which they must make the most use of. Digital marketing is undoubtedly a large milieu where businesses can converse through myriad paths to attract users and also aim for customer retention. Blogging is one of the simpler methods in digital marketing that ensures assured results. While there is no way to know what can attract and retain customers, over the years it has been seen that a website with a good blog always attracts more traffic.
Needless to say, a blog is an essential element in any business website today, big or small. It especially gives small businesses an advantage to get more organic traffic to their site with the help of quality content. Small businesses can use blogs to successfully utilize digital content marketing quite easily. Regular posts, powerful and informative content can drive a small business website towards better SEO far more easily than any other digital marketing tool. Since improved SEO is every business’ endgame, small businesses must use blogging to attract and retain users, and subsequently to improve conversions.
Blogging for small businesses must be done diligently and with a purpose. You must be writing about matter that are related to your industry so that in due course of time, you can become an authority on the subject. There are certain things that you must keep in mind to make your small business blog effective and successful. Let’s discuss.
Know Whom Are You Writing For
Yes, you are writing for your audience. But who are they? What are their demographic profiles? Is there any age group that you must target? If you want your small business blog to be successful, you must target the right people, the right audience. You cannot write for everyone in your industry and expect to find dedicated followers anytime soon. Studying the demographics of your targeted audiences, understating their likes and dislikes will give you followers who will come back for superior quality content every time you post. Writing for a large, indescribable audience means who are not targeting any group in particular. This way you could miss out on audiences who can really make a difference to your business.
It is important to understand that blogging is a great way to build and strengthen customer relationships, especially for small businesses who have minimum resources at their disposal. Well-written blogs can form the bridge that brings you closer to your audience and make them understand your worth.
Blogs can also be used as great platforms to start conversations with your audience. Today, customers like to show their loyalty to brands and businesses that listen to them and follow-up on their requests. Blogging can be used as a great platform to show that you are not just reading their comments but also answering their questions. This can be effectively done by posting on topics that audiences want you to write about.
Small businesses must always remember that the Internet is already cluttered with information. There is hardly any space for below-average content. Your blog mustn’t add to the noise but should instead be a voice of sanity that audiences identify with.
Content is King
This may sound as a cliché and a term used too often, but that doesn’t reduce its relevance even a bit. Your small business blog can only be successful when you have content that is informative, relevant and readable. Once you have identified your audience, you must keep them engaged by acing your content. The aim must always be to have relatable posts that brings your audiences close to you and piques their interest.
One of the cornerstones of content marketing is good content. This will not only engage your audience but subsequently also drive them towards action (conversions). Sharing your business’ story, writing about topics that are most relevant to your industry (and your audience) always works.
You will be able to achieve success with your blog only when you have identified your blog’s demography and goal. This will give your content voice and perspective. Blogs must always be simple and easy to understand. Audiences prefer blogs that aren’t too lengthy – those within 3000 words generate most traffic while blogs between 800 to 1500 words are considered ideal.
Including images and infographics in the blog adds to any post’s appeal and makes it more readable. Visuals also help illustrate your business goals and strategies easily, as well as make a post interesting and attractive. It is also a good practice to see how your competitors are using their blogs to improve their messaging and content management. You can get ideas by regularly tracking their blogs. Staying tune to present mass sentiments always works.
To add more voice to your content, you can also ask your team members to blog for you. This will make your posts interesting. Instead of having a single point of view, incorporating multiple voices can improve the quality of the content.
Small Business Blog For SEO
SEO is the most rewarding strategy for small businesses striving to gain a strong digital footprint and blogging is one of the easiest means to this endeavor. A good place to begin for effective SEO is keyword research.
Find out what your audience is searching on the Internet. Use those keywords in your blogs to catch their attention. Incorporating keywords in your blogs will also improve your SEO, get you better ranking on search engines and thus improve traffic.
SEO is a continuous process and if you want to use blogging for SEO, you must be consistent with the posts. Maintain and stick to a schedule. Ideate with your team well in advance and have blog posts ready beforehand. Blogging can be a time-consuming work but the dividends are incomparable.
However, posting new blog every week isn’t enough. You must promote them on social media and also using other digital marketing strategies. This will not only expand the reader base but also help you acquire new audience. Sharing and spreading the word will make you an industry leader – someone who is seen as being a forerunner always equipped with the latest information.
Content Marketing with Cyrusson Inc.
The importance of blogs for improving your website’s traffic and viewership cannot be discounted. However is no denying the fact that regularly posting informative, appealing blog content is tough. It requires persistent efforts which can be time consuming. Small businesses may not have so much time or expertise at their disposal.
This is where our content marketing team comes into the picture. At Cyrusson Inc. we have an established team of content marketers who can weave informative narratives effortlessly. From helping businesses write their own stories to writing blog posts for them, we are there in every step of your growth path. Get in touch with us today and let us forge a relationship that is mutually beneficial.