A blog can be a powerful communication tool to market your business, products or services. With a small investment of time and planning, getting started is not that difficult.
For a blog to be valuable it needs to be current – so there needs to be a consistent flow of content regularly posted. This can be challenging for many business owners, so planning the content with an editorial calendar is important. Have a strategy around what general topics will be written on as well as how many posts to write weekly or monthly. This way there is some accountability to motivate and move you forward.
Another advantage of having an editorial plan is that it allows time to prepare the blog post and have keywords become part of the content. Keywords should be used from the title to the actual content. Although, it is obviously more important to have a well written blog post, keywords are important in that they may be useful for searching and SEO particularly if you have spent some time researching your industry’s popular keywords.
Here are three additional ideas on how to use your blog to promote your business:
1. Integrate with other social media channels
Every time you publish a blog post link it to all your social media platforms, by providing a link – particularly via the three key ones of Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. The good news is that you can automate this process to make it much more streamlined too.
2. Promote your product with a tutorial
Tutorials are a great way to market your product or service. Customers love this kind of information and having a range of text and interactive communication material caters for all customers. It also keeps your website fresh and interactive and allows you to confirm yourself as an authority.
3. Highlight a great customer
Do you have a loyal customer who has been with you for number of years? Ask their permission to share a story about them on your blog. Just as case studies can be valuable, so too are positive stories about your reliable customers. This creates a genuine human connection and link to your business.
Blogging is not just about writing – it is about providing information that your current or prospective customers will find useful. It provides the opportunity to create an authentic link to your customers by establishing and maintaining relationships, listening to what they are saying and responding to their feedback. With a little thought and some strategic planning, it can be a positive experience.
