If driving traffic to your website is your goal, then blogging needs to be part of your online marketing efforts. Blogging showcases your expertise and passion about a particular topic and is a way to send hundreds of visitors to your site.
Blogs are a great tool for telling your target market about your products and services. There are several ways blogs can help your business. Blogs:
1. Are easy to start
Creating a blog takes less than five minutes, and posts can be added almost instantaneously. All you have to do to start a blog is go to one of the blog sites like WordPress, Google Blogger, or Typepad and sign up. Populating a blog with relevant content takes some time, but if you write about something you know and are passionate about, you should be able to write between 300 and 500 words in less than half an hour.
2. Lead to updates
How often should you post? It depends on how much you have to say, how much time you can spend promoting your posts, and how much time your target market is willing to spend reading. Keep in mind, high posting frequency can attract new visitors and help you retain repeat visitors.
3. Provide a platform for building credibility and establishing yourself as an expert
Clients and customers feel more confident buying from someone who is perceived as an expert. Even if you’re a relative newbie in your field, a series of well-researched posts can go a long way toward setting you ahead of your competition.
4. Have a longer shelf life than an email blast or a newsletter
Depending upon your business, you might want to use your blog posts to show photos of your product line, instruct clients about processes and procedures, feature members of your staff, or provide health tips and other strategies. The beauty of a blog is that content is easy to record, and references will last for years to come.
5. Allow for commentary, questions, and feedback
Once you have a following, you can turn your blog into a focus group of sorts. By asking questions or making comments and requesting feedback, you can gain valuable insight about your products and services and make your customers feel like they are an important and valuable asset.
6. Help build a consumer-based community
Community building means developing authentic relationships among people who have a common interest. A group of people who read your blog and support your work and efforts can be a key factor in creating a viral buzz about your products and services. This can be a very good thing.
7. Create a permanent online record
Having an archive of what your company is thinking and the direction it is headed can be a very useful tool. It can enable you to see how far you’ve come, when the most innovative and creative processes took place, and what trends developed into worthwhile ventures.
8. Collect your thoughts and present them in a succinct manner
If you take the time to write an idea or thought down and then share it with others in a public forum, it’s more likely to become a reality than if you simply make a statement at a meeting or send an email around to co-workers.
9. Provide a constant source of fresh, relevant content that search engines love
Like articles, press release, web pages, eBooks, and other content, blogs give search engines what they’re looking for. As a result, rankings go up and more people find your site, ultimately increasing sales and your bottom line.
10. Are free or very affordable
Even in these difficult economic times, every business can afford a blog – one of the most effective tools available for growing your online presence.
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