Writing a business blog remains one of the best ways to increase organic traffic and gain new customers.
A blog dramatically improves your SEO and organic website traffic, and when done right, your blog will keep people coming back for more!
As a business owner, it might make sense to highlight what your brand can do for your clients and customers, but your blog needs to offer more than just a laundry list of what your brand does well.
So, if you aren’t going to write about your company, what do you write about?
Do I really need to blog?
Um. Yes. You KNOW you need to blog often, and yet sometimes, when you sit down to start, you find yourself staring down a blank page and a flashing cursor.
There are days when it can seem nearly impossible to come up with suitable content ideas.
It can be tempting to work your way out of this standstill by writing about your company culture and products, but the fact is, this isn’t necessarily your best move.
So what is?
Simple: In general terms, write about your clients/customers and address their needs. If you create content that they care about, you can bet that your traffic will continue to grow.
What precisely this content looks like depends on the relevant industry and the service or product that is being provided. Here are three things to keep in mind that will help you create the right content for your target audience.
Be A Problem Solver
It’s time to do a little research with your customer service department. What questions do they receive most frequently? Write a post for each of these questions. Blog content that answers frequently asked questions (FAQs) will help you in two ways:
- It creates an internal URL that your customer service rep can include in their response which will increase customer satisfaction, keep customers on your page, and establish you as a subject matter expert.
- It will improve your organic search engine results. When people want answers to their problems, or want to know how a product or service works, they often begin by conducting an internet search. If you write blog articles with the proper keywords and with the information that people need, it increases the likelihood that your page will appear in their search results. Getting new visitors and potential customers to your page is more than half the battle.
Solving customer problems won’t just help you generate new leads, but it will also help you to retain the ones you already have! There are many ways people will engage with what you do and the more information and educational pieces you can provide, the more likely they will be to turn to you, a trusted site, for information. If you are looking to increase your brand recognition and boost your sales, content creation and content marketing is definitely a good way to go about it.
Educate, Educate, Educate
Keep yourself up to date on the latest news in your industry and then blog about it! The internet is a wide-reaching space and not everything has to be done with the obvious goal of increasing sales.
There are lots of people out there, other professionals included, who are looking for information that will improve their knowledge base and expand their own abilities.
For example, if you are a tech company that offers enterprise solutions, write about the latest trends in the industry. What are the latest tech developments? How are companies using these developments in interesting and creative ways? Give your readers an insight into what is happening in their particular corner of the world.
If the information you are providing is accurate, thoughtful, and valuable, your readers will come to see you as the “go-to” for insider news and information. Engaging them in this way establishes you as a legitimate, reliable source and builds your domain authority. When your audience wants to know what is new, they will come back to you to get it.
This helps to keep your brand and your company in front of mind so when they, or a client, need a service or product that you provide, again, they will look to you to provide. Be careful, however, when writing insider posts. You want to appeal to people with expertise, but you also want to produce content that can be read by the general public.
If your content is too dense, those who are not well versed in the subject will abandon your page altogether. Don’t dumb it down, but show your expertise by explaining things in a way that the vast majority of people can understand.
Ask The Experts
A really fabulous way to break up your blogging effort and keep things interesting is to interview industry experts and influencers.
Reach out to the top players in your field and see if they will agree to an interview.
If you don’t know where to start, begin by looking at industry conferences and reach out to the keynote speakers.
By including interviews with experts and sharing their insights and advice, you will further solidify your credibility. Not only will this offer value to your current audience, but it will also help you generate new leads. People who follow the expert or influencer on social media will no doubt find and read the blog post. It’s a win-win. —
Creating a content calendar and a clear content marketing strategy can be difficult at the best of times but remembering these points can ease some of the frustrations associated with trying to publish fresh blog topics. Write content that speaks to your target audience and you will always be pointed in the right direction. If you don’t have the time to write and post as often as you need, consider hiring an okwriter to do the job for you. Our highly skilled team of content strategists and writers will work with you on creating a content strategy that will help you meet your unique and specific business goals.
