You’ve got your website, your membership site, and your social media platforms all set up. You’re good to go, right? Not so fast! Believe it or not, you’re missing a critical element—your company blog. “Really?” you ask. “Is it really all that important? Isn’t what I’ve already got enough?” It’s not, and we’ll tell you why.
1. Blogs are personal
If there is one thing customers miss these days, it’s being up close and personal with the people they do business with. Given the flood of technology and social media out there today, it’s easy to feel disconnected from the people behind the screen, so to speak. Blogging is one place you can bridge the gap. It’s where you can teach customers and prospective clients about your company, talk about why you’re the expert on the product you’re selling, and demonstrate that you’re there to help them learn about it. It’s a place where you can review the past, discuss the present, and show how you’re going to improve the future (without airing any dirty laundry, of course!).
2. It fosters engagement with your customers
When you allow customers to comment on your blog posts, you are encouraging them to engage with you. The comment forum is a place where customers can ask questions about your products or services. They can also ask for clarification on something in your post as it relates to those products or services. And they can tell you what they like about various posts (and/or products) and, yes, what they don’t like, which can be a good thing.
An open-comment forum allows customers to disagree with you. It also allows colleagues to point out where you might be lacking. How does that help your business? It shows that you’re human and that you make mistakes, and, if handled correctly, that you’re willing to correct them and make things right for your customers. Additionally, you’ll demonstrate flexibility and a willingness to learn—important traits in our rapidly changing business environment. These open discussions show how your company sees change and is willing to adapt.
3. It’s a fairly simple and easy-to-learn way to earn money and generate content
In a recent post, we shared information on how to make money blogging, so we won’t go into the details here, but just as a reminder, your blog is an easy way to help your business earn income. Generating great content is key, but it’s a snap, really. You’re the expert on the subjects you’re writing about, and so you won’t have to invest money up front for content generation. Sure, it may take a bit of your time to write posts, but writing on a subject you’re passionate and knowledgeable about is much easier than writing, say, a dissertation or research paper! If your blog is engaging, informative, and interactive, customers will be more likely to head to your website, and that can turn into leads and sales. And you know how you can build your membership site on WordPress? The good news is that you can create your blog on WordPress as well. Easy-peasy!
4. Your blog is a place where you build credibility
By sharing your knowledge, expertise, trial-and-error experience, and challenges, you are showing your customers how hard work and perseverance have landed you in your position as an expert in the field. It builds your voice of authority and helps you increase your ability to influence your customers. Once you’ve established yourself as a credible expert, your customers will look to you as a trustworthy source for advice on the products they are seeking.
Additionally, you may also find that you’ve gained a network of affiliate partners who are attracted to your company because of your blog, which could turn into profitable partnerships or other worthwhile opportunities. At the very least, when you establish your credibility, it can lead to building a rapport with others in your field and creating a network of like-minded business associates.
5. Blogging forces you to be more creative
When you blog, you’re not just giving a rundown of what your company has to offer—you’re giving your customers real-life experiences about your product. Your posts shouldn’t just be a list of why the product is awesome, they should talk about what it does for a person (either personally or in business) that makes it awesome. Write about what you think will resonate most with your audience. Also, if you have a really creative, funny, or unique blog, it may be the thing that sets you apart from the crowd and catches a prospective client’s attention.
If you’re not convinced you should be blogging, let’s discuss it! If you’re already blogging, what are your reasons for doing it? We'd love to hear about your blogging experiences. Let us know in the comments below.
I enjoyed reading your Blog. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Good contet. So thanks
Thank you! I’m glad you found it helpful!