2 Big Reasons Not Blogging Could Be a Mistake for Small Businesses

Blogging is a low-cost internet marketing tool, yet many small businesses either don’t have a blog or let them go inactive. Is that your company? Here’s why that could be a big mistake.

Reason #1: Blogging offers bottom line benefits to a business, no matter how small.

Blogs are a direct, no-pressure way to become more ‘approachable’ to your current and potential customers—and is rich with opportunities to share deeper information about your products, services and company strengths.

Blogs have earned a solid track record for building trust with customers and influencing their purchasing decisions. Facts on the power of blogging are pouring out from many recent surveys:

Blogging is now a top content marketing priority for 53% of marketers and growing!
According to WordPress, over 409 million people view blog posts per month.
66% of marketers in 2017 reported using blogs in social media content to drive traffic and engage potential and current customers.
Websites with blogs tend to have 434% more indexed pages—an important way to get search engines to stand up and take notice of your business.

Reason #2: Blogging generates new leads.

B2B marketers that use blogs get 67% more leads than those who do not. Blogs direct traffic to websites. It’s this unique capability that makes blogs the 5^th most trusted source for people to get accurate information online.

So why aren’t more small businesses blogging?

There’s no sugar coating it—blogging takes time. It involves writing, finding visuals, publishing on your website and social media sites, and monitoring analytics. Start with at least one or two blogs a month. If possible, work your way up to one a week.

Here are a few tips on blog writing:

Choose good content—Think about how your business directly impacts your customers. What hurdles do you help them overcome? Address their pain points. Share useful information.

For example, EO. Johnson is a digital technology company. Sometimes our blogs are directly related to products and services—not ‘selling’ but rather keeping the focus on helpful, informative content. Here’s a recent example of a blog we wrote about relieving the pressure on tech frustrated employees.

Other times we’ve given a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to attend a cyberhacker conference or a heads-up on a recent cybersecurity scare.

Use sharp titles and opening paragraphs—Be accurate and make sure the readers have a clear expectation of what the blog is about. Watch over exaggeration. Here is a link with examples of good headlines and how to write them.
Make your blog searchable—Basic are the use of keywords in your title and headings. There are many other steps that will increase traffic to your blog. Here’s an easily digestible article with a free download on how-to make blogs searchable.
Consider outsourcing writing— Quality freelance business writers are like chameleons; they’re good at taking on the style and tone of their customers. Writers can also assist with creating topics.

Make blogging part of your small business marketing.

Blogging benefits your online exposure, establishes your business as a thought leader, instills trust, encourages brand loyalty, generates high-quality leads and gives more opportunities to give real-time information to your customers.

It took Thomas Edison 1,000 failed attempts to get the lightbulb to work. Starting a blog won’t be nearly that painful! Blogs are powered by digital technology capable of attracting countless people who need what your business offers. Unlike Edison, your first blog will be the start of success!