7 Important Reasons Your Small Business Needs a Blog
This article will discuss various ways implementing a blog into your small business plan can help improve your day-to-day operations, increase website traffic, increase brand awareness to new customers and strengthen the relationship with current customers.
If you’re a small business owner, you are probably thinking: Why would I add more things to do to my never-ending workload?
Simple. Because the return on your investment, in this instance your TIME, will be well worth it. When I think about establishing a strong brand as a small business owner, I think about the intricate details that separate me from the competition.
That small differentiating factor always boils down to one thing: personality. Let’s face it. People are MORE willing to purchase from people they like, right? Carving out the time and resources to establish a blog in your business plan can be the reason you successfully win a sale.
While the monetary benefits will be the main driving factor that you invest the time into creating your blog, the TRUE value of this endeavor is the ability to make a genuine connection with your customer base.
Entrepreneurs set out with an idea to do something they love and to share it with the world. Allowing the creative juices to flow can be a great motivator to keep you going on the days running your small business doesn’t exactly feel like a dream.
Having a blog for your small business is a great way to expand your customer base and improve the relationship with your current patrons in a creative, unique way.
SO if I haven’t sold you on using a blog to grow your small business yet, then let me give you seven reasons you NEED a blog.
7 Important Reasons Your Small Business Needs a Blog:
You will establish yourself as a subject matter expert.
Use your blog to provide valuable information to your customer base. Your blog should be the number one resource for customers to get trustworthy, consistent information regarding the product/service in your industry. Use your blog to showcase all of the knowledge you’ve acquired over time and share it in an easily digestible way for current and potential customers.
It will drive more traffic to your small business website.
How are you currently moving customers to your website? If you’re interested in growing your customer base, consider using your blog as a tool to get you closer to that goal. Use your blog posts to provide solutions and address pain points that you commonly hear about from current customers. Landing on your website via a Google search will allow them to discover their new FAVORITE online boutique or Etsy shop owner. Ultimately, by adding a blog you are adding value to your brand.
You can create a passive income and monetize your expertise.
So now that you will be driving MORE traffic to your small business website, you can set up several channels to monetize your business’s blog. Considering you’ll be busy running your actual blog, you may only choose to run ads on your blog posts. However, there are several ways to create a passive income for your blog without adding to your current workload. If you’re interested in more information regarding this, make sure to check out this article that explains monetizing your blog in more detail.
It will help grow your email list and reach more potential customers.
With a blog, you have the potential to grow your email list by creating an incentive for people to subscribe. Rather than distributing emails containing ONLY promotions and sales pitches, you can add value by sharing useful, interesting content with them. Your customers will look forward to hearing from you, and that will only help further build their trust.
You'll give your brand a face!
Use your blog to help give your small business some flavor and help customers learn who YOU are. Not only can you share tips and tricks that are helpful but be sure to add bits and pieces about your personality and what your brand stands for. Because a blog is so informal in nature, you can tailor your writing style to reflect your quirkiness and add in the details that make you unique. It is a well-known fact that people are more likely to buy from people they know and like. More and more, customers are interested in companies they feel are genuine and share their values. People want a story, someone, and something to believe in. Let your blog be the place where you tell yours.
You can use your blog to stay in tune with your target audience’s needs and wants.
You would be SO surprised how much data you can collect from producing blog content. You can make informed business decisions based on which topics perform well and which posts drive the most traffic to your website. For example, if you own an online boutique, you may notice that a blog about fall fashion footwear brings in a lot of traffic. NOW you’ll know to include more boots and wedges on your website and begin to offer more sweater styles. Your blog will provide so much valuable insight into your business.
Your blog will make your business FUN.
As a small business owner, you’re likely crunching numbers and focused on the overall logistics of running a business. Your blog can be a creative outlet where you share your ideas, personality, and the true purpose and vision behind your brand. A blog can be the perfect balance to your day-to-day operations. Sounds great, huh?
SO NOW WHAT?
I highly recommend reading Everything You Need to Know Before Starting a Blog. This article will outline everything you’ll want to learn about blogging as a beginner by discussing ways to monetize to the exact steps you need to take before taking the plunge.
If you are sold on creating a blog, you NEED a plan to get started. I’m a huge believer in having a solid roadmap to get you to your goal, so I’ve created a step-by-step guide. It consolidates hours of research and trial and error into one simple, beginner-friendly handbook. It explains the EXACT process I used as a blogging beginner. You can check out the course here.
SO let's recap. Use your blog to:
- Establish yourself as the subject matter expert
- Drive more traffic to your small business website
- Create a passive income to monetize your current knowledge
- Grow your email list and reach more potential customers
- Give your brand a face
- Stay in tune with your target audience’s needs and wants
- Make it FUN!
Now that you know the amazing and unique ways creating a blog for your small business can be a valuable resource, I encourage you to make it happen! This could be the start of realigning with your passion and meeting new customers along the way. Share your thoughts below!