We’ll get to the benefits of having a blog, but first let’s talk about having your own small business; You’re living the dream!
Right?
No middle manager looming over you, watching your every move. You don’t have to clock in. There’s no mad commute during peak hour.
You can take a bubble bath during the day! And run your errands during the week, rather than having to squeeze everything in on the weekend. And, best of all, you get to call the shots, and write your own paycheck.
There are a few unexpected side effects, too:
- You’re still wearing the same sweatpants you were in 2 days ago.
- Those shadows under your eyes aren’t shadows as much as they’re vast black holes caused by stress.
- You’re just grateful meetings are conducted via Zoom, because, well, personal hygiene might have slipped just a little.
- The cleaner hasn’t been for 2 weeks. (And also, you’re the cleaner.)
The one thing nobody really tells you when you start your own business is just how hard you’re going to be working. And unless your last name is Bezos, Gates, or Musk, you’re keeping a watchful eye on your finances. Its important to account for every cent spent, particularly if you’ve self-funding your venture.
In order for your fledgling business to grow, you need to get in front of real, live paying customers. Not just your family and friends. There are several ways you can do this, including paid advertising – but when your budget is almost non-existent, a far better way to reach potential customers is through a blog.
5 benefits of having a blog and why it’s great for your small business:
1. A blog increases your credibility and can help establish you as an expert in your field
For blogging to attract people, you need to be genuinely helpful and provide content that is useful and meaningful. Content should:
- help to solve a problem your readers have
- answer their questions
- update them on changes or trends in your industry
- inform and educate potential customers and peers.
By doing so, you’re also establishing yourself as an expert in your field. And when you do this authentically, you build trust. Who do people buy from? From people they trust.
The key word here is authenticity. We’ve seen too many eager entrepreneurs trying to use their blogs to sell, sell, sell. Don’t do it!
Remember, you’re playing the long(er) game here. The purpose of attention-grabbing blogging is to build trust and establish a relationship with your prospects.
2. Having a blog can help you grow your email list
Pat Flynn, entrepreneur and host of the well-known ‘Smart Passive Income’ podcast, is also a professional blogger and Wall Street Journal best-selling author. If anyone knows about the benefits of having a blog, it’s Pat, and he often points out that one of his biggest regrets was not starting to build his email list right from the beginning.
‘Right from the beginning’, in this context, means from day one: when you only have 10 visitors (or less) to your site – and of those, 8 of them are your mom and her friends. It doesn’t matter how humble your business beginnings are, always ensure you have a signup field on your website where people can enter their email addresses to get your newsletter or updates.
Those newsletters can cover anything you want: an upcoming sale, a product or service promotion, invitations to events, or simply thought-provoking content that resonates with the unique interests of each client (or group of clients). You can also use your newsletter to invite feedback, conduct simple surveys, and figure out exactly what your customers want and need.
Here’s the great thing about growing an email list: it’s yours.
You’re never reliant on third parties for your customers’ contact details, and you’re retaining direct ownership of your customer lists. The great thing about this is that your email list with bring more readers to your blog, and your blog will encourage more potential customers to sign up for your email list.
3. Blogging benefits: A blog helps convert traffic into leads for your sales funnel
A massive benefit of having a blog is it can become your biggest lead generator. Use your blog to direct your site visitors – or rather, potential customers – to your contact form, or product pages. Give them the information they need in order to make an informed decision, and the motivation to buy your product or service.
Better yet, add a lead-generating CTA or Call To Action to every single blog post. In exchange for readers giving you their email address, you can offer something of value like a free eBook, how-to guide, fact sheet or infographic.
Then, once you have their contact details, you can add them to your sales funnel.
4. A blog can increase your visibility and boost your SEO
The benefits of having a blog and posting regular content is that its an outstanding way to increase your SEO score, relevance to search engines, and visibility to customers. Writing relevant blog posts with carefully researched keywords and attention to optimal keyword frequency can increase your rankings, make you more visible on query results pages and lead more qualified organic traffic to your website. You can also write different blog posts within different categories that will appeal to different audiences or different customer avatars.
When it comes to blogging, we’re often asked how frequently you should create new blog posts, and the answer may surprise you. More frequent posting yields better results – with experts agreeing that the sweet spot is between 2 and 6 blog posts per week.
Hubspot shared data showing that clients that have published more than 400 pieces of blog content received 2X the traffic, compared with those that have published between 301 and 400 blog posts.
And for B2B companies, those with more than 401 total blog posts generated 3x as many leads as those with blogs numbering between 0 and 200. The takeaway here? Get blogging!
5. The Benefits of Having a Blog – it will increase your social media presence
Your blog ensures fresh content for your social media account – Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. Share your blog content on social media. This exposes your business to new audiences and drives more visitors to your blog. The benefits of having a blog comes from sharing useful content: you retain the interest of your followers, and you remain relevant. Engagement is the key word here: if you share content that is interesting and practical, more people are likely to share it on your behalf, and you’ll start attracting new readers or viewers.
Let’s Help You Get Blogging
Building a blog is an incredibly powerful way to increase the visibility of your website, the consistency of your brand, and the loyalty of your customers. It’s also not a quick fix, because it requires regular input and content.
As an entrepreneur or established business owner, you’re constantly busy. And one of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs tend to make is trying to do absolutely everything themselves.
You have a business to build; rather have someone else build your blog for you. It’s surprisingly cost-effective, and it really helps to enlist the expertise of someone who can research, compile, and upload great content for you. And in doing so, you get to reap th benefits of having a blog.
The easiest way to do this is to outsource. An experienced virtual assistant can assist you with everything from topic research and blog content planning to the management of your mailing list and social media. In fact, it’s never been easier.
Sound good?
Book a Discovery Call with MYVA360 today and let’s make that happen for you!
