The first time I found myself depending on a blog was when I purchased my first flock on backyard chickens. There was so much to learn. I had so many questions and did not have a real life network who knew about this. So I relied on an online network.
Soon I was able to stop Googling my questions and just go straight to a source because I had found a blog that was so helpful (fyi: www.backyardchickens.com).
Now 10 years later, I still seek out information on this blog. They have established themselves as accurate, caring, open and trustworthy. I read their articles, the comments and I even post questions.
I remember when blogs first came out. I was turned off to them because they were described to me as online diaries. I could not imagine why someone would put their diary up for everyone to read.
However, as blogs became more popular and I was exposed to more of them, they became a critical part of my online life. Blogs became THE place to source information.
That can be you within your industry. A good blog will draw people to your company. You can become the go to place for information or help for your industry. Imagine the traffic that will be driven to your website. Imagine the social standing you will gain if you become the go to guy or gal. Imagine your brand growth.
Companies in general and sometimes specifically get a bad name for being takers rather than givers. And the information that comes out regarding younger generations, especially the millennials, tells us they prefer to shop with their values. This should be a directive to companies.
One way to get these younger consumers’ trust is to offer up information and helpful tips without asking for something in return. This does not have to cost anything.
The internet has given them so much for free for all of their lives; they have come to expect free information. A company with an interesting and helpful blog will garner good vibes from them leading to loyalty.
Reason # 2 to Blog
Besides helping you become recognized as a trusted brand and industry professional, a blog can also help your website appear higher up in search results.
Most search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo and others) have an algorithm which figures out which websites are relevant and up to date. Websites that consistently add content are recognized by the search engines as fresh and up to date and they therefore are pushed to the top of the search list.
However, it is unreasonable to think you can constantly change your website with enough relevant content. Ideally, your website design was strategically planned.
A blog is a great way to add a significant amount of content to your website.
Blogging Tips
Be interesting- write about topics your customers will care about. Give them tips and how tos. This will bring them to your site and build their trust in your brand. Make it easy to read. This is not the place to use your Nobel Prize for Literature language. Keep it easy to read. Use sub headings.
The title should have key words.
Use SEO. If you are spending the time writing a blog, be sure that you are using keywords that will help your blog and website show up in searches your potential customers will be searching for. With paying attention to SEO you could be wasting your time.
Share your blog articles on your social accounts.
600 words is the recommended length of a blog. That is a significant amount of words. If you are not a writer, that can be intimidating. For this many people turn to digital marketing firms that that content writers and researchers on staff.
Marketing is about making connections, proving to the customer base the company is what they say they are. We talk often about authenticity when we talk about marketing, blogs are one of the many online spaces companies can show their authentic selves.
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