Some things should be left behind in the last decade: dabbing, Gangnam style, JoJo bows and Google+.
And some things don’t go out of fashion, like blogging for your business!
Have a client who isn’t too keen on starting a blog?
It’s a new decade- is blogging still relevant? Or is it a crusty leftover from the SEO feast of yesteryear? Let’s take a look at some reasons why blogging is still a relevant and effective marketing activity.
Why your client should be blogging: summary
(Last updated August 2021.)
Short on time? Here’s a quick summary of why your client should be blogging for their business:
To improve SEO and increase organic website traffic
To build trust with their potential clients and customers
To sell without being pushy
To share their knowledge and skills
To build their brand
Read on for a detailed look at each of these reasons (and how to overcome your client’s objections to blogging).
Here’s a great summary of how blogging helps improve your website’s SEO:
Why your client needs a blog in 2021
There are some things that should be left behind in the last decade: dabbing, gangnam style, JoJo bows and Google+.
But some things don’t go out of fashion, like blogging.
Blogging originally started as a creative outlet for many aspiring writers- think food bloggers,lifestyle bloggers, travel bloggers and parenting bloggers. Now it’s a staple marketing tool used by businesses in all industries, as a way to communicate with their audience.
A 2019 survey conducted by Databox found that:
68% of marketers believe that blogging for your business is more effective now than it was 2 years ago.
Yet many entrepreneurs aren’t blogging for reasons such as:
Lack of confidence
Your client hasn’t written anything since being in University or high school. They’ve forgotten some of the basics of writing and lack the confidence to blog.
Not knowing what to write
Blog post ideas don’t always come easy, and we all know about writer’s block. If your client wants to blog regularly, they need many ideas.
Thinking that blogs aren’t suitable for every business.
Years ago, blogs only existed for writers. You wouldn’t have found a blog on a real estate company website.
“My audience doesn’t read”
We’ve become obsessed with visuals. Not all businesses have a website- some have a strong social media presence on Instagram and Facebook instead.
If your client has an online content strategy, they should have a blog as part of that strategy.
I’m going to give you some solid reasons why your client needs a blog. If your client still isn’t convinced, share a link to this post and get them to read through my ideas for how to overcome some blogging hesitations (and I share examples of great business blogs).
Don’t have the time to read? Check out the following audio of this blog post:
Reasons why your client needs a blog
Increase backlinks, keyword rankings, organic traffic and sales
Publishing well-written and useful content can help you improve your website’s SEO. Blogs give you a chance to rank for more keywords and get more organic traffic.
Well-written content attracts backlinks from other websites who want to link to content that helps their audience. Backlinks are a signal to Google that your website is worth showing to users, and will help strengthen your website’s authority. This leads to increase keyword rankings and traffic.
Optimise your blogs to increase your chances of ranking in Google. Need help with this? My keyword research services help you with optimisation.
Blogging can also help you collaborate with complementary businesses and bloggers through link building, which improves your authority and trust with Google. The more you improve your trust and authority, the more search engines will send organic traffic to your website.
Other websites may find your blogs and link to them or promote them via their social media profiles. This can increase your traffic and introduce you to a new audience.
Build trust with your audience
People choose to work with those they know, like and trust.
Trust can be built through communication, whether it’s talking to potential clients or sharing content with them via blog posts.
You could share helpful information that solves a potential client’s problem. You could write tips and ideas or interesting topics relating to your industry. The more you write, the more you become known and trusted.
Even if a potential client doesn’t need your services or products now, they’ll be more likely to contact you in future or recommend you to others.
Regular blogging also tells your client’s audience that they are reliable and dependent, which people value when buying a product or service.
Selling without using pushy tactics
What’s your perception of a business that doesn’t share much information about itself online? A business that doesn’t have a website, or has very little content? It doesn’t tell you much about them or why you should use them.
Most people don’t like cold calls and emails. Direct marketing laws make it tough to reach your intended audience.
By blogging, your client is communicating with their audience in a non-threatening way. Their potential clients can read the blog content at their own leisure. They can decide if they want to contact your client for further information or for a quote.
Sharing knowledge and skills
Is it important for your client to be perceived as an expert in their field?
Potential clients wouldn’t be familiar with your client’s knowledge and skills since they haven’t yet worked with them.
Writing blogs allows your client’s knowledge and skills to shine so that potential clients feel confident in using their services.
Building brand awareness
Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.
Blogging gives your client’s brand and business a voice and personality. It allows their audience to connect with them even if they’re writing about business topics.
The content created for your client’s website, social media and emails are part of their brand.
How to overcome blogging resistance
(otherwise known as, stop making excuses!).
Excuse: I don’t have time
Is your client too busy to market their business? They may not be blogging now, but I bet they’re marketing themselves on social media or in person. If so, blogging will actually save them time.
How?
Rather than wasting time thinking of new content to create for social media and email, your client can use their blog content instead.
Solution: Re-purposing blogs will save your clients time
You’ll need to set aside time for writing and editing your posts but blogs are great for re-purposing content. One blog post can create multiple opportunities for content for your social media platforms.
How does this save you time?
You’ll spend less time thinking up social media content when you know you can use your blog content.
Here are some re-purposing content ideas for you and your client:
Another solution is to outsource your blogging to a content writer- there are writers who specialise in blogs for businesses. If you’d like to be referred to someone, please contact me as I work with many copywriters and content writers.
Excuse: I can’t write
That boring report your client wrote back in University or college may have scarred them for life and put them off ever writing again. Your client might’ve had poor spelling and grammar back in school!
Solution: If you can talk, you can write
Tell your client to forget everything they were taught about writing back in high school. And don’t worry, we’re not writing a thesis either.
Blogging for your business is much like having a conversation with clients. If you can talk to clients, then you can write for them.
It’s acceptable to write in an informal way. In fact, it’s preferred by most people. If your client wants to engage their audience and have them reading their content, it’s better to use a conversational tone. Like I am in this post.
Can’t spell? Use the spell checker tool. Crap at grammar? Use the grammar checking tool or install Grammarly or Hemingway.
Excuse: “Blogging isn’t suitable for my business.”
In the past, blogs were mainly created for hobbies and fun topics but this has now changed. You’ll find blogs for many industries and business types including real estate companies, financial advisors, business coaches and those in a legal profession.
Solution: Look for blogs in your industry
Have a look at some of your competitors’ websites to see if they blog- I’m betting if you look around you’ll find at least one that does.
If you believe blogging isn’t “professional sounding”, you can use other words to describe it. You might call your blogs “articles” or even create an online magazine on your website.
To inspire you, here are some great blogs for businesses in different industries:
Examples of great business blogs
Photographer Julia from Julia Nance Portraits is a regular blogger covering topics such as: tips for corporate head shots, headshot clothing choices, her studio, the different types of portrait lighting as well as a look at some of her client work. I like that Julia freely shares her knowledge and skills to help readers while highlighting her beautiful work.
Tina from Catherine Trenton Jewellery has been blogging for just under a year. The business sells pre-loved jewellery from Tiffany & Co and other luxury brands, as well as Tina’s own jewellery line. The blog covers diverse topics such as how to authenticate second-hand jewellery and reasons to buy vintage or second-hand luxury jewellery, as well as interviewing customers (and the very useful guide to diamond sizes for engagement rings). Tina’s blog is an example of how you can highlight your business’ products in an interesting way, rather than just listing the product in an online shop.
Karen from Great Products Consulting uses her blog to educate her audience and explain a lot of the technical language and processes used in her industry. Great Products Consulting guides businesses as they build and grow their online platforms and mobile apps. Karen’s blog topics include how to validate your app ideas, how to choose the right developer and the different steps involved in building an online platform. What I like about the blog is how the content makes the technical aspects less intimidating for Karen’s clients.
One final word
I’ve shared some compelling reasons why your client needs a blog.
Blogging for your business is a great opportunity to build an audience and showcase your business’ products/services, knowledge and skills in a helpful and informative way.
The sky’s the limit when it comes to choosing topics for your blog posts. Once you start blogging, you will find it easier to write and your writing will improve. Taking the first step is the hardest- if you’d like some coaching or help with mapping out a blogging or content strategy, contact me.
Do you blog for your business? What have been the benefits of blogging? I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments.
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3 Comments
Great post, Nat. And spot on. Blogging can help elevate a business in so many ways yet its often discarded in the too hard/too expensive/not enough time basket. But done well, blogging can be a great source of leads and potential partnerships.
I also enjoyes the case studies. There are so many blog about blogging but so few non-blog oriented businesses blogging, it was great to see what they’re up to.
Great blog post! Wonderful tips and advice for all in business. I would add that if you find yourself using the ‘I can’t write’ excuse, look for a good quality writing course online! There are great copywriting communities with courses to match
Thanks Jenny and I agree- there are many great copywriting courses available, both free and paid. Or even just reading some articles on how to improve your writing- one or two tips can make a huge difference.