Lure Creative is a full-service marketing company in Kansas City. We help small to medium-sized businesses Get Found Be Known. In our adventures, we’ve found that many small to medium sized-business owners have questions about marketing, marketing budgets, and just what it takes to grow their business in this digital/online world. We have answers! So we decided to try to answer some of those questions in an ongoing series of blog posts. Part 12 of our Small Business Marketing Questions Answered series focuses on a common question:
What Are the Benefits of Blogging for Small Businesses?
As a small business owner, your time and your money are stretched to capacity. So when you hear advice like, “You should really be blogging on a monthly basis”, you may wonder why marketing companies recommend it. What does it really do for your company and your future success? We’re glad you asked.
What Is a Blog?
A blog is an article that lives on your website. It can answer a question, solve a problem, provide information, etc. There aren’t a lot of rules for blogs other than the fact that they should be of some value to your prospective customers. Google sees a blog as another web page. Since Google likes fresh content, a blog is a quick and simple way to add another page to your site without having to worry about design or layout.
How Are Blogs Helpful to Small Businesses?
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- Increased Traffic
- Build Brand Visibility
- Build Brand Trust
- Become an Industry Thought Leader
We’ll break each of these benefits down to give you a little more appreciation for their value when it comes to growing your business:
Search Engine Optimization
We recommend a monthly blog for any of our clients in the medical field to HVAC plumbing for several reasons, the most critical of which is SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Having a blog with content optimized for search engines is an extremely powerful way to get qualified traffic. When prospective customers Google something, they are actively looking for content related to your products/services. When they find your blog, they learn about your business and how you can solve their problem. Plus, when you constantly update your blog and post new content, Google’s algorithm recognizes that and sends searchers your way. Blogging is the easiest way to generate fresh content on your site that is relevant to your products and services.
Increase Traffic
Businesses who blog receive 55% more website traffic on average than those who don’t. If someone finds your blog via a Google search, there’s one more potential customer that you wouldn’t have had otherwise. Increased traffic could lead to increased sales. Your blog also acts as a 24/7 customer support and salesperson providing valuable information about your products and industry
Build Brand Visibility
Brand visibility is another important benefit of blogging. People searching for your product or service will find your blog which will put your company on their radar. It’s basically like having an ad promoting your company’s products and/or services. But you’re not paying the price an ad would demand.
Build Brand Trust
Blogging also builds trust in your brand. By blogging about issues that are important to your customers, it shows them that you truly care about their problems. When you care about their problems, they will trust you more. And what do people do with brands that they trust? They shop with them and become a part of their lifelong community.
Become and Industry Thought Leader
Blogs also help you become a thought leader by showing that you know your industry. Learning of this expertise builds confidence in prospective customers and convinces them that your industry expertise is enough to solve their problems.
Long-Term Value
A blog retains its value on the internet. Once a blog is indexed in search engines it stays there gaining traffic and generating views and leads weeks, months and even years after it was posted. You get your money’s worth out of each blog post.
And there you have it. Blogging is an inexpensive way to boost your online presence, get your website to rank higher, and increase traffic to your site. It provides both SEO and people power and it’s easy to execute.
