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Why Local Businesses Need a Blog

Joel Conner • Jul 21, 2019

Don't miss out on one of the best ways to bring value to your clients & gain more visibility on search engines!

Why Local Businesses Need a Blog
If you run a business, chances are good that you already understand all too well how tough it can be. A volatile local economy and business competition mean that you might struggle to break even in your first year of operation. So, what can be done about it and how can you ensure greater success?

The Big Change in Business Marketing
Once upon a time not so long ago, business marketing was all about radio, TV, and print. The gatekeepers in this area tended to keep their secrets to themselves. This has all changed dramatically now due to the internet.
The web has pretty much leveled the playing field when it comes to business and content marketing. There are hundreds of tools available to everyone, which can make a big difference when it comes to getting your message across to an audience. So, the question is, do I need a blog to get my business message out there?

What about Blogging?
When a blog platform is used alongside social media promotion, it can become a powerful marketing tool for any size of business. However, there are a few reasons why so many business owners don’t maintain a blog, including the following:
It's hard work
It takes too much time to build an audience
It requires technical knowledge
It takes time to set up properly
Coming up with relevant posts for content marketing is not easy

The fact is that most business owners simply don’t have the time or expertise to create a blog that will really create a stir and sell their brand. This is a pity, because when used properly, a good blog can really help a business find new audiences and potential customers.


The Benefits of Blogging for Your Business
If you’ve been wondering, “Do I need a blog?” here are some good reasons for investing the necessary time and making it work for you:
Get more clients and customers: Every business needs more customers and clients but securing them is not always easy. In most cases, business blogs are not about direct promotion of products and services at all. In many cases, posting relevant industry-related articles can create a new and interested audience.

For example, instead of talking about your new product or service, why not provide funny behind-the-scenes videos related to your products? You won’t be directly marketing your product, but you will be potentially engaging an audience with a video that could make them laugh. If they get enough out of it, they may just decide to follow your social media presence or check out your business and your products.  Also, don't shy away from emotional responses to  your brand, such a testimonials.  These can provide a great segue to introduce your value proposition. 

Increase traffic to your website: Most businesses these days have some kind of web presence. A central website where potential customers can check out the business’s services and products is essential, but it’s not always easy to get people to the website. One of the best ways to boost your website traffic is through the use of a business blog. Most of the time, the blog is a website separate from the main business site, and this can be a good thing. It means that the business owner can use the blog to focus on other things, such as behind-the-scenes videos and so on. It can be a less formal site and this can engage more people. 

Engagement
When people are engaged by the blog, they may then decide to check out the main business website too, thus boosting traffic and recognition. Additionally, a blog can create better local SEO for the purposes of driving more search engine traffic to your main site. Google, for example, ranks websites more highly and places them closer to the front page of searches when a related blog is building a network. When they see that local search terms are being used, they will rank your website higher.

Clarity
If you decide to blog, you have to planing and get into a routine.  For me, writing in the morning works best.  Before everyone else is awake.  No phone.  No email.  Just write.  But crazy thing happens if you can ever get to this point.  Clarity.  Writing about your business makes you think about the particulars.  This mental energy can have multiple benefits.   It is likely that you will begin to see and understand some of the aspects of your business that need attention. It is difficult to gain insight when you are overwhelmed with actually running your business.  The mental focus needed for creating content about your business could just improve your company.

Community support: One thing that the web has introduced to businesses is engagement with real customers. This means that people can make comments on social media which get right back to the business. This sort of direct and honest feedback can help the business modify upcoming products and build better community engagement. By hosting a blog, you can encourage discussion both on the blog itself and through related social media channels. Customers can tell you exactly what they think and what they’d like to see from your business. In this way, customer loyalty can also be generated.

You are an expert - Share Your Insight: This has been touched on before, but building a blog can set you up as an industry expert in your area. Talk about what you know. By providing helpful advice for free, you can generate goodwill with visitors to your blog while also becoming an expert in the eyes of other businesses.

Create a Real Sense of Engagement
The rules have changed when it comes to business marketing, and every business owner needs to be aware of these changes. Taking the time to build a blog can pay off in a big way. It can drive more traffic to a primary website, build brand recognition, and create excellent community connections.

If you’re looking for a way to boost your business, looking into blogging or hire a content writer could definitely be the key to your success. In the modern online world, it’s all about connecting with real people and fostering a truly engaged and interested community. It's not that complicated, just hard work, some insight, and planning.  Also, if you find that is just too cumbersome to take on blogging, why not hire content marketing pros to do it for you.  Click here to learn more about our auto-blog.

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