The benefits of blogging for business are surprisingly extensive, and this article aims to cover the core benefits.
If particular care is taken to aim your articles at the right audience, through the careful use of keywords and some subtle SEO (search engine optimisation), you will extend the range of your website vastly past the information that's on the front page.
I wrote an article concerning keywords and it's well worth having a good read through to get the basics, as this is a vital part of ensuring that your blog entry gains the maximum possible exposure.
After all, if you want to blog, the idea is that someone else reads it - otherwise, you might as well of kept it in your head! Building your brand Well designed branding is a joyous thing to behold, but if no-one else knows about it you've wasted your money.
One of the key benefits of blogging is building awareness of your brand, by writing relevant content that targets your niche product or service.
As an example, as web designers, we blog about everything that covers web design, development and web marketing; it spreads the word about our knowledge base and expertise whilst at the same time generating...
...
Fresh content! Search engines love fresh content; without fresh content, there would be no internet.
In an arcane fashion, fresh content is part of the factoring algorithms of Google.
In the bad old days of the web, merely linking two websites together was considered the be all and end all of SEO - not anymore! In one sense, Google loves to see a website owner who's interested in growth.
Static websites are SO yesterday - blogging is by far the easiest method of making your site dynamic.
The landing page effect This is one of the benefits of blogging for business that can have a real A landing page is essentially a page on your website that targets a specific subsection of your potential clientele.
As an example - Eloquent Lunacy also handles SEO.
It's no good chucking everything on to the front page and praying for the best; the message gets lost, people get bored and wander off to clean their fingernails or pet the cat.
Therefore, we have a separate section on this website that targets SEO specifically.
In effect, a business blog has the same effect.
Using cleverly worded posts, it can emphasise a subsection of your core business.
But keep it informative; leave the hard sell to used car salesmen and estate agents.
Going viral with social media If you're lucky, and you've spent the time crafting an eminently readable blog post, thanks to the power of social media, it could go viral - this is where it's shared between Facebook and twitter users to the extent that it spreads like a virus.
Get ready for the surge of new visitors, and at the same time potential customers.
The low cost benefits of blogging The only real cost (assuming you sorted the actual blog site out yourself) is time.
If you're wordy and love writing, it's a very natural thing to do.
I often sit here and plan on spilling out two or three paragraphs and end up writing a thousand words.
There is no campaign expenditure; it's just you, your keyboard and a head full of ideas...
...
Which establishes you as an expert in your field Using your knowledge of your products and services can establish you as an expert in your field and build a community of followers.
If you really know what you're talking about, this can convert very easily to new customers.
Before long you'll have built a core audience of dedicated followers.
These are people that are far more likely to buy from you - after all, you're an expert! Summary The benefits of blogging for business are:
If particular care is taken to aim your articles at the right audience, through the careful use of keywords and some subtle SEO (search engine optimisation), you will extend the range of your website vastly past the information that's on the front page.
I wrote an article concerning keywords and it's well worth having a good read through to get the basics, as this is a vital part of ensuring that your blog entry gains the maximum possible exposure.
After all, if you want to blog, the idea is that someone else reads it - otherwise, you might as well of kept it in your head! Building your brand Well designed branding is a joyous thing to behold, but if no-one else knows about it you've wasted your money.
One of the key benefits of blogging is building awareness of your brand, by writing relevant content that targets your niche product or service.
As an example, as web designers, we blog about everything that covers web design, development and web marketing; it spreads the word about our knowledge base and expertise whilst at the same time generating...
...
Fresh content! Search engines love fresh content; without fresh content, there would be no internet.
In an arcane fashion, fresh content is part of the factoring algorithms of Google.
In the bad old days of the web, merely linking two websites together was considered the be all and end all of SEO - not anymore! In one sense, Google loves to see a website owner who's interested in growth.
Static websites are SO yesterday - blogging is by far the easiest method of making your site dynamic.
The landing page effect This is one of the benefits of blogging for business that can have a real A landing page is essentially a page on your website that targets a specific subsection of your potential clientele.
As an example - Eloquent Lunacy also handles SEO.
It's no good chucking everything on to the front page and praying for the best; the message gets lost, people get bored and wander off to clean their fingernails or pet the cat.
Therefore, we have a separate section on this website that targets SEO specifically.
In effect, a business blog has the same effect.
Using cleverly worded posts, it can emphasise a subsection of your core business.
But keep it informative; leave the hard sell to used car salesmen and estate agents.
Going viral with social media If you're lucky, and you've spent the time crafting an eminently readable blog post, thanks to the power of social media, it could go viral - this is where it's shared between Facebook and twitter users to the extent that it spreads like a virus.
Get ready for the surge of new visitors, and at the same time potential customers.
The low cost benefits of blogging The only real cost (assuming you sorted the actual blog site out yourself) is time.
If you're wordy and love writing, it's a very natural thing to do.
I often sit here and plan on spilling out two or three paragraphs and end up writing a thousand words.
There is no campaign expenditure; it's just you, your keyboard and a head full of ideas...
...
Which establishes you as an expert in your field Using your knowledge of your products and services can establish you as an expert in your field and build a community of followers.
If you really know what you're talking about, this can convert very easily to new customers.
Before long you'll have built a core audience of dedicated followers.
These are people that are far more likely to buy from you - after all, you're an expert! Summary The benefits of blogging for business are:
- Wider audience exposure
- Brand awareness
- Fresh content for your website
- The chance to emphasise core business aspects