A blog can have the power to take your business to the next level, but only if it is used in the right way. It’s likely that you’ve encountered a blog before, even if you’re not familiar with the term. For instance, you may have stumbled upon a blog while searching for “nutritional recipes.” Interestingly enough, if you’re reading this, you’re currently on a blog. If your business doesn’t have a blog, it may be worth reconsidering. In fact, businesses that use blogs receive 67% more leads than those that do not, and blogs are considered the fifth most trustworthy source for accurate online information.
In this blog, we will delve into if you why should have a blog, and what to do to make sure it’s the most successful and productive it can be
To fill you in on the history we go back to 1994. Justin Hall, a Swarthmore College student created what is widely considered the first blog, Links.net. At this time this was just considered a personal homepage. Fast forward to 1997 and Robot Wisdom blogger Jorn Barger began to describe his process of ‘logging the web’ when he surfed the web as a ‘weblog’. Programmer Peter Merholz then shortened the term to ‘blog’ in 1999.
This mini-history lesson gives an insight into what a blog was in the very beginning. Generally, a personal web page which was used as a journal of sorts used to share their thoughts and opinions on whatever topic the writer chose. Each journal entry was placed above the last, so anyone visiting your page would see your entries in reverse chronological order.
Why blogs?
Thinking about what a blog is now, it is very similar, however, is generally used as an addition to a website, and is used for both personal and business purposes.
A blog can hold a lot of power and deliver a lot of bang for the buck, particularly in a business setting. A blog is a great way to achieve multiple objectives, but it’s important to get it right.
Search engines love blogs. More words throughout your website mean more words for search engines to grab when your target audience is searching for a product or service and therefore helps your site rank higher in results. This, in turn, translates to higher traffic to your site and then has the potential to turn that traffic into leads for the purchase of your product or service.
Getting higher traffic is great, but then the real task begins, the aim is to convert those new visitors into solid leads and this is where your potential blog can really shine.
The key here is to make sure you are abiding by the three C’s. Consistency, Commitment and Consequence.
Consistency
When you decide to add a blog to your website, it’s important to think realistically about consistency and frequency and stick to it. If you want the best impact, decide how often you’ll post an entry into your blog, and make sure you are consistent. Don’t start posting once a week if deep down you know you won’t be able to keep that frequency up. Statistically, a blog post once a month is the sweet spot. This keeps you relevant through the search engines, however, is realistic in terms of keeping what you write fresh, as well as giving you time to compose and edit a post each month.
Commitment
It is extremely important to commit wholeheartedly to your blog. What I mean by this is to make sure you think very deeply about what you are writing, make sure it is relevant to your target audience, is interesting and engaging. Most blogs will share wisdom in their chosen topic. This could be as simple as for example, a gardening blog talking about what vegetables are best to plant for that season. It’s important that you commit to the integrity of your blog. If a blog doesn’t share something for the reader to learn about or from, it will be less likely to get views, and may ultimately see your time wasted.
Consequence
It’s also important to consider the consequence, or the significance of your blog. Make sure you keep on brand. If you are a clothing brand, it makes no sense to blog about recipes to lose weight. You need to make sure that your blogs are interesting to your prospective leads. If you are wanting to sell your products through your blog, you’ll want to create posts that show how your products can be used to solve a problem that your target audience has. An example of this would be a restaurant blogging about local events that are on for that month, paired with special offers for visiting that restaurant as the meal before or after the event. This would be solving a date night dilemma or showing readers ‘what’s on’ in the area.
In summary, a blog can be a great way to get your business out there, get more traffic to your site, and build a living archive of resources and inspiration for your community to reference. It can build a great deal of integrity within your brand and set you apart from your competitors by sharing invaluable knowledge that your readers will search for and appreciate.
Creative Little Soul has a dedicated copy team that can help you with your blog. Whether you would like us to write you a blog as a once off, coach you in how to structure your blogs, or take the three C’s and write for you on a regular basis, we can tailor a blog package to help you get out there and into the blogging world. Contact Chrissy today at chrissy@creativelittlesoul.com.au to discuss your options.