Does your business have a blog? If not, why not? And if so, are you using it to its fullest potential?
Blogging isn’t just a passing trend. It works.
In fact, a 2015 survey suggested that B2B marketers who use blogs generate up to 67% more leads than those who don’t! That’s huge! So what makes it so effective? And how can you blog to your best advantage?
Make your blog useful
You’re reading this blogpost now, aren’t you? Why? It’s probably because you’re hoping to learn something about blogging – something you can take away to make your own marketing better, and better still, something you can learn for free!
Ultimately, your blog shouldn’t just be a soapbox for you to shout about your new products or your thoughts on your industry (although these can be interesting reads once in a while). Instead, your blog needs to be useful to your readers.
It needs to add some sort of value – whether it’s giving out helpful pointers, explaining something readers don’t understand, or giving them an insight into your industry that they can apply to theirs.
And, as reading your blog doesn’t come with a price tag, it’s a great way for customers to feel like they’re getting a little something for free!
Some businesses feel uncomfortable about this. They think they might be giving away trade secrets and getting nothing in return. But that’s simply not the case. Not only do we all like that feeling of getting something for free, it makes us feel warmer about the company we learned it from. And who do you think that customer will think of next time they need your services?
Remember, sometimes you have to give a little to get a little.
Position yourself as an authority in your field
If you’re looking to build kudos within your industry – and consequently, with your customers – your blog is one of the best ways to do it, and all at very little cost to you. It’s where you can prove your knowledge of your field, simply by sharing top tips. You can showcase some of your work, using case studies to demonstrate the value of your services to others. It’s where you can comment on current developments in the industry.
Moreover, once your blog gains a following, it can help you emerge as a key player. The more hits you get on your blog? The higher rankings in Google you’ll enjoy. The more shares on social media? The more your name will be spread far and wide. And all of this? Well, it certainly doesn’t harm your chances in winning more customers.
Build a relationship with your customers
The more you blog, the more your customers come to understand your business and its ethos. They’ll gain a greater understanding of what you do. They’ll also come to trust you as an expert – increasing their likelihood of returning in the future when they need your products or services.
Your blog can also encourage dialogue with your customers. As readers are invited to comment, you’ll learn more about them, as well as the topics that prove the most popular. So too can you reply, answering your readers’ questions, demonstrating your willingness to engage, and furthering that relationship between you both.
We speak from experience…
Being of the opinion that you should always ‘practise what you preach’, we’ve spent a lot of time and energy in developing our Garda blog over the past couple of years.
We’re pleased to say that our efforts have paid off; not only do we see higher-than-average click-through rates to our blogposts each month, earlier this year we were honoured to win ‘Best Blog’ at the Essex Digital Awards. Judges said that our blogposts were a ‘must-read for business start ups’, thanks to their ‘imaginative variety of relatable content’.
We were thrilled to be recognised for our hard work, but we say all of this to demonstrate that if we can do this for our business, you can do it for yours!
All it takes is some careful thinking and planning, and a little bit of discipline to create regular content. If it could make the difference of 67% more leads for your business, why wouldn’t you give it a try?
If you need some help to get your blog off the ground, whether it’s developing engaging topics, an effective schedule, or relevant and shareable content, we’re ready and willing to help you. Just get in touch to get started.
