A blog is one of the simplest and most useful ways to promote your business online. Consistent blogging can be worth far more than most comparable investments of your time to promote your business online. Here are five reasons you should be blogging, along with several ideas of what you can be blogging about.
1. Acquire new customers
Over time, blogging can be a great way to acquire new customers. It doesn’t happen fast. In fact, it takes many months for even the savviest and well-connected bloggers. When you first start blogging, it’s hard to imagine any prospect reading your blog and reaching out. However, it works. And the effectiveness increases the longer you stick with it.
2. Search engine optimization (SEO)
This is really an extension of acquiring new customers, although it deserves its own spot because of the importance of SEO. SEO is the organic (unpaid) Google results that Google provides when someone searches for a term, such as “promotional products,” a product name or perhaps your name. Try searching for “secrets for using promos at events.” Depending on your location, my blog from more than two years ago should be a top 3 result. Being a top result is very difficult to achieve, and takes tremendous effort, along with a little luck. However, many blogs of small businesses in (and out of) our industry do rank on the first page for select searches.
One very important note about SEO. When you do blog about a topic or product, be sure to create a link to the topic/product from your blog. For example, if I wrote a blog about tumblers, I would add a link to the item, such as “Check out our freedom tumbler,” or “We carry the best tumbler for your event.” Google identifies the linked words with searches, and the more people who click those links, the more valuable Google ranks your blog.
3. Provide service to existing clients (as well as prospects)
At least a few times a week, you receive a request from a client that will match closely a previous request. Many will be something along the following types of questions:
- What ideas do you have for our trade show giveaway?
- I need employee gifts under $5
- What are the different types of decorating?
- What ideas do you have for holiday promotions?
These and dozens, if not hundreds, of other questions are ideal blog topics. When a client asks the question, you can immediately send them a link to the blog via email, while offering to discuss further with them as soon as they have the time.
4. Encourage learning and creative thinking
When you blog, you force yourself to think more about the subject you are writing about. Forcing yourself to put the concept in writing helps you create clearer thoughts. In addition, as you blog you will often have recognition of where you might have a knowledge gap. In these cases, you will learn while also generating new ideas.
To get the most out of blogging, start with topics you are comfortable with. Later, attempt a topic you know your clients will be interested in, such as “drip marketing” or “cold calling,” where you have some insights but might need to do a little research to round out your thinking. These types of topics are great for strengthening yourself while also providing good ideas for your clients.
5. Credibility
Assuming you blog at least twice a week, you’ll have 100 articles on your blog within a year. As you encourage prospects to check out a specific blog post, they will see the many other articles you’ve written on your chosen topic (marketing or promotional products for most of you). You become an expert simply by publicly documenting the knowledge you already have.
Because so many of you will ask me where to start your blog: The simplest place to get started blogging is at LinkedIn by clicking “write an article” on your LinkedIn status update.
I’ll address other options as well as additional ways to promote your blog in future posts.
