You’re a busy business owner with 101 things to do. Why would you add blogging to your to-do list? Do people even read blogs anymore? How can they possibly help your bottom line?
The statistics speak for themselves.
- Marketers who prioritize business blogging efforts are 13x more likely to see positive ROI (Hubspot)
- On average, companies with blogs produce 67% more leads per month than those without (DemandMetric)
- 82% of marketers who blog consistently see positive ROI from inbound links and increased rankings in search engines (State of Inbound)
But what’s the secret to creating a business blog that brings in the right customers and persuades them to buy from you? Read on to find out.
Use relevant keywords so your ideal customers find your website
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) might sound complicated, but it really isn’t. If you have pages on your website that contain the keywords your customers are searching for, they are more likely to find your website when they tap their search into Google.
One way to do this is by optimising the pages on your website such as your homepage and about us page.
Publishing one or two blog posts a month gives you more opportunities to add keywords to your site, and Google rewards websites that are refreshed regularly.
Your customers are more likely to find your website if it appears near the top of the results when they search for an answer to their problem.
In order to attract the right customers with your SEO, it’s essential you write about topics that are directly related to the products you sell.
This might sound obvious, but you’d be amazed how many business blog posts are about topics the writer found interesting rather than directly relating to products they sell.
Take this blog post, for example. Yes, we find blogging interesting and we know you’ll find this information valuable, but we also sell a blog post writing service. If we didn’t, we’d be writing about something else!
Provide the INFORMATION your client needs to make a buying decision
Customers are used to having a lot of information at their fingertips these days. And in order to feel good about making a purchase, they like to do “due diligence” before buying.
If they find a product or service they want to buy on your website, you need them to stay on your website to do their research before they buy.
If they don’t find the information they need to feel confident about buying on your website, chances are they’ll click away to find that reassurance from your competitor.
And once they’re on their site, they’re much more likely to buy from them rather than coming back to you.
Providing valuable information on your website for free not only makes you feel great about helping your potential customers, it also makes sound business sense. If your customers get something from you, they are much more likely to want to give you something in return – such as their money!
Use your blog to prove your EXPERTISE
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes for a moment.
When you’re checking out a website because you’re thinking of making a purchase, what makes you choose one business over another?
Generally, when a customer checks out a business website, they’re looking for proof that the business has the expertise to provide the solution they’re selling. They don’t want to waste their money on something that doesn’t work.
One way you can (and should) demonstrate your expertise, is by providing customer testimonials on your website. It’s much more powerful for your potential customers to hear from your existing customers about how fantastic your products or services are, rather than telling them yourself.
You can also use your blog to demonstrate your expertise. Help your customers by providing valuable “How to” posts, for example, that show you know what you’re talking about or write a case study about a client who has had success with your products or services.
Use your blog to connect with your customers
Customers buy from businesses that they know, like, and trust. There are a number of ways you can create this connection online – through social media, email marketing, and blog posts.
The beauty of a great blog post is it continues to work hard for you month after month, and even year after year, unlike social media posts that are gone as fast as your customer scrolls.
Suddenly an hour to write a blog post feels like time well spent, right?
Does my business web page really need a blog?
So, the answer is YES! Your business website really does need updating regularly with new content. And one of the easiest ways to do this, is by providing your customers with blog posts they find useful and valuable.
Google will love you for it and reward you by pushing your website up the ranking. But more importantly, your customers will find out more about your business and trust you to provide the solution they need.
If you need help regularly publishing blog posts for your business website, contact us.