TECH TALK WITH MIKE: How a business blog can increase profit
Maintaining a strong web presence has become a necessity for all businesses. It's not enough to just set up a web page and sit back. A staggering 409 million people view more than 20 billion websites every month. Making your business stand out is a necessity.
Blogging is one of the most cost-effective ways of marketing. It could be exactly what your website has been missing. When you blog, you increase your footprint online and those searching for terms you blog about can find your site. Below are five key benefits a blog can bring to your business while increasing profit.
INCREASE SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) refers to the process of using a selection of keywords to make your website more attractive to search engines. In simpler terms, it makes your site more likely to appear in the first page results of a search.
Blogging allows your business to target those long-chain keywords, making your website visible online. Since blogs are periodic, the content on your website will constantly be fresh and updated. The overall effect of SEO is increased organic traffic to your web pages. More visibility translates to potentially more business and ultimately this can increase profits.
STRENGTHEN BRAND
Branding is one of the most powerful tools when it comes to marketing. A business blog is an opportunity to enhance your brand. The overall architecture of the blog should be in agreement with your brand. This includes the typeface, themes, blog name, and color palette.
All these visual cues give visitors to your website a more immersive experience. By incorporating these visuals and the brand values into your blog, your visitors will leave the site with a better understanding of the vision, mission, and the standards of your business. All of these combine to make your brand more memorable. Better brand recognition gives your business an advantage over the competition.
CONNECT WITH CONSUMERS
Blogging develops a personal connection between businesses and customers, like no other marketing methods. It will make the business seem less like a soulless corporation and more personable.
Ensure that your consumers have an opportunity to provide feedback at the end of each post. It is through the comments and responses that a business can correct past mistakes and learn from them. The connections forged through business blogs help retain current customers and also win over new ones. Ultimately, the more customers you have, the higher your sales and profit will be.
SHOW EXPERTISE
The content on your business blog should not only be interesting, but it should be accurate. Use the blog to show your readers that you are well versed in your niche and the related subjects. Your customers might enjoy an exciting read, but above all else, they want solutions to their problems.
Getting your viewership to trust the information you publish is half the battle. Customers will choose you over your competition because they trust you. In addition to the customers, you can contribute to your business niche by sharing the latest trends, discoveries, and technology in communities. The links can help with future business deals and may open the door for collaborations.
PROVIDES INSIGHTS
Most blogging platforms come with analytic tools and plugins integrated within. Standard tools like Google Analytics provide the business with a breakdown of their numbers. Not all the visitors that come to your site will buy goods or services; however, they are potential customers.
A lot of valuable information can be gathered from the traffic of your blog. The relevant data include age group, geographic location, return visits conversions, and bounce rates. You can use these metrics to refine your business strategy to generate more leads. Additionally you can develop a marketing plan to retarget those visitors.
START YOUR BUSINESS BLOG
These are just some of the main benefits of setting up a business blog that is part of your main website. Nothing is stopping you from getting started right away. With a Wordpress site, blogging is easy to do and the add-on plugins like Yoast SEO can help you optimize each post.
The key is sticking to a publishing calendar such as 1-2 posts per week of 600+ words so that you can begin to reap the benefits. In addition to the new content, all previous posts will continue to generate leads years later. The potential benefits far outweigh the risks. Still unsure how to get started? Check out this article on business blogging basics.
Start your business blog today to start seeing your profit and brand reputation increase.
Mike Gingerich is president of Digital Hill Multimedia (www.DigitalHill.com), a Goshen web design, web software and social media marketing firm. He is also a consultant and author of the book, "Game Plan for Social Media Lead Generation". Find out more at www.MikeGingerich.com/book.
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