You\u2019ve got your website, your membership site, and your social media platforms all set up. You\u2019re good to go, right? Not so fast! Believe it or not, you\u2019re missing a critical element\u2014your company blog. \u201cReally?\u201d you ask. \u201cIs it really<\/i> all that important? Isn\u2019t what I\u2019ve already got enough?\u201d It\u2019s not, and we\u2019ll tell you why.<\/p>\n1. Blogs are personal<\/h4>\n
If there is one thing customers miss these days, it\u2019s being up close and personal with the people they do business with. Given the flood of technology and social media out there today, it\u2019s easy to feel disconnected from the people behind the screen, so to speak. Blogging is one place you can bridge the gap. It\u2019s where you can teach customers and prospective clients about your company, talk about why you\u2019re the expert on the product you\u2019re selling, and demonstrate that you\u2019re there to help them learn about it. It\u2019s a place where you can review the past, discuss the present, and show how you\u2019re going to improve the future (without airing any dirty laundry, of course!).<\/p>\n
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\u2019t like, which can be a good thing.<\/p>\n
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\u2019re human and that you make mistakes, and, if handled correctly, that you\u2019re willing to correct them and make things right for your customers. Additionally, you\u2019ll demonstrate flexibility and a willingness to learn\u2014important traits in our rapidly changing business environment. These open discussions show how your company sees change and is willing to adapt.<\/p>\n
In a recent post<\/a>, we shared information on how to make money blogging, so we won\u2019t 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\u2019s a snap, really. You\u2019re the expert on the subjects you\u2019re writing about, and so you won\u2019t 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\u2019re 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<\/a>? The good news is that you can create your blog on WordPress as well. Easy-peasy!<\/p>\n 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\u2019ve established yourself as a credible expert, your customers will look to you as a trustworthy source for advice on the products they are seeking.<\/p>\n Additionally, you may also find that you\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n When you blog, you\u2019re not just giving a rundown of what your company has to offer\u2014you\u2019re giving your customers real-life experiences about your product. Your posts shouldn\u2019t 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\u2019s attention.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re not convinced you should be blogging, let\u2019s discuss it! If you\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You\u2019ve got your website, your membership site, and your social media platforms all set up. You\u2019re good to go, right? Not so fast! Believe it or not, you\u2019re missing a critical element\u2014your company blog. \u201cReally?\u201d you ask. \u201cIs it really all that important? Isn\u2019t what I\u2019ve already got enough?\u201d It\u2019s not, and we\u2019ll tell you [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3121,"featured_media":15147,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_strive_editorial_status":"not-started","_strive_copy_of":0,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"content-sidebar","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","_strive_checklists":"\"\"","_strive_active_checklist":"62291e2bb2422","_strive_post_notes":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[69,144],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9652","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-advice","8":"category-business","9":"entry"},"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t4. Your blog is a place where you build credibility<\/h4>\n
5. Blogging forces you to be more creative<\/h4>\n