One of the toughest parts about being a small business is deciding whether or not you should have a blog page added to your website. Many small business owners feel that only larger, more established businesses should have a blog. These feelings tend to stem from the idea that blogging is something that only an experienced and established business can do; mainly because they have more people and may have been in the industry for longer.
But, the truth is, that’s false!
There are many reasons why small businesses should have a blog, but to narrow it down, here are the top 5 reasons why YOUR small business should have one!
- Blogs provide an area to show your expertise in your industry.
People trust people/companies that show results! By having a blog on your website, you’re creating a space for your business to show its credibility. By having blogs that are related to your industry and your company’s process to fit into it, customers are going to feel secure in purchasing from you.
This is also a place to reference those that are still in the consideration phase. Customers that are in the consideration phase are those that have visited your website a few times, scrolled through your social media, and may have even added stuff to their cart. However, they’re also the customers that haven’t yet decided if you’re credible enough to buy form yet.
In these types of situations, having a blog page that addresses commonly asked questions, explains your company’s process, and shows your expertise is a great way to win those consideration phased customers over.
A key fact to know and keep in mind for this blog comes from DemandMetric, and states “80% of US internet users interact with both social media sites and blogs.” That’s a lot of people reading blogs, and why your small business blog will come in handy!
- Small business blogs create a space for more website traffic and to develop better SEO results.
SEO may seem confusing and not applicable for a thing such as a company blog. Don’t worry, I’m here to help and explain this concept more!
First, SEO is defined by google as: “the process of improving the quality and quantity of website traffic to a website or a web page from search engines. SEO targets unpaid traffic rather than direct traffic or paid traffic.” This means that the better your website is optimized for searching on the internet, the more likely your website is to obtain more organic traffic! This also proves helpful if your business has or is looking to participate in paid ads.
For example, if someone were to Google “why should my small business have a blog”, the goal is for my blog and my website to be the first search result. By adding in keywords to my blog title, page title and throughout my blog, that are related to common searches (such as I listed above); I’m optimizing this blog for organic search results. In return, people will click on the search result and be taken to your website, which increases website traffic and the chance that they will convert!
Overall, the key thing to remember is this: having a blog on your website that is relevant to your small business, will provide an area for more website traffic. Blog writing is a marketing tool within content marketing, and should be utilized in this way!
- Blogging gives potential customers an opportunity to get to know you and your business better.
Like I said above, having your blog be a place to show off your knowledge of the industry that your business is in, is a great way to show your credibility. But, there is also a great benefit that comes from addressing who YOU are as well. A fact from DemandMetric that solidifies this point says, “70% of people would rather learn about a company through articles than advert”, meaning that your blog is a great way to provide a unique source of information for potential customers to read!
Today’s consumers are influenced by things like your motivators, why you chose to start your business, and how it stands out from your competitors. Blogging provides a space for all of these topics to be shown and explained, and is likely to gain a lot of traction from readers.
DemandMetrics also states that “78% [of consumers] perceive a relationship between themselves and a company using custom content”. Having interesting and relatable content in your blogs and your social media creates a space where consumers feel they can form a relationship with your brand. This information also provides a great way to generate leads, which can directly relate to an increase in sales, and help your business grow.
- Blogs provide another outlet to connect your social media to your website.
The best part about this point is that not only can you share this content on your social media, other people can as well! This acts as free endorsement from customers, and can help others in the consideration phase be more inclined to purchase from you. By allowing your blogs to be posted to your social media, or relating the blog information to your social media, you are creating a direct relationship between the two digital platforms.
To put the significance of this into perspective, DemandMetric published an article where a few facts really stood out:
- Blogs are responsible for 434% more indexed pages and 97% more indexed links
- Social media sites and blogs account for 23% of time spent online
- 87% of B2B markets use special media to distribute content
All of these facts are helpful in showing the significance behind having a blog on your small businesses website, no matter if you’re a B2B or B2C company. Creating a connection between the two most sought after sources of information (websites and social media), you’re allowing your current and potential customers the chance to see consistency in your media usage.
- Blogs give your business’ website a more professional feeling and look.
This may seem silly, but it’s true. Almost all major and successful businesses have a blog page that they update on a regular basis (yes, even Google and Microsoft)!
For all of the reasons above, these major companies choose to have a blog. According to DemandMetrics, it’s actually been proven that “On average, companies with blogs produce +67% leads per month”. By having a spot like this on your website, it provides a great resource for those that are stuck in a consideration phase and adds in a level of professionalism. By creating a space to show your expertise in the industry, connect your business to you on a personal level, and show your confidence in your digital marketing tactics; you’re creating a more professional feel and look to your website.
Overall, there are many reasons why your small business should have a blog. Remember that blogging is a marketing tool, and that it should be used and treated such as one! If you’re considering adding a blog to your website, make sure to look towards your marketing team to make sure that they’re on board, and consider hiring a professional content marketer or writer to help you get started.
Looking for more examples of my work?
Check out my blog page at https://gaffnbailey510.wixsite.com/baileygblogging and make sure to visit the small business that I write for at https://conceptsinart.net/about/blog-news/ to check out more of their small business blog!
Sources cited and referenced:
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/the-benefits-of-business-blogging-ht
https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6167118?hl=en
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/business-blogging-in-2015
https://www.demandmetric.com/content/content-marketing-infographic