If you’ve been pulling your hair out over whether your company needs a blog, no doubt, you’re also probably wondering how to start. Am I right? If you’re constantly seeing your competitors on social media, gaining engagement, gaining customers and building their reputation, of course, you’re going to want a slice of the action.
But… Why does your company need a blog? For many reasons. Firstly, becoming an expert in your field forms trust between you and your customers. Plus, it shows your competitors that you know exactly what you’re talking about.
Building a successful blog can take years or content writing, marketing and search engine optimisation (SEO), but it’s all worth it. Without realising it just yet, with a little research you’ll soon find a whole world of topic ideas in your niche.
Writing about your industry (hopefully) equals writing about something you love. Although, as a business owner, finding the time to write a blog is often at the bottom of the to-do list. This is where we usually come in. But we’ll tell you how we can help a little later. The important matter here is why you need a company blog.
Different types of content + their search queries
Firstly, let’s talk questions and answers. There are several types of searches done on a daily basis via Google and other search engines. These fall into the following categories:
- Navigational search queries
- Informational search queries
- Transactional search queries
As you may have already guessed, navigational search queries are usually entered with the intent of finding a specific website. For example, instead of going right to the URL bar in your browser, a user searches for “Facebook” instead. With the majority of us having Google or a similar search engine as our homepage, it makes for a quick search and easy find.
Also Read: How to write a business blog — and why you need one.
Information search queries, however, aren’t users searching for a company name for ease. They’re the users looking for knowledge. This is where high quality SEO content comes in, providing the user with helpful information that is relevant to their query. More often than not, this is where your company blog can blossom.
Users make transactional search queries with the intention of completing a transaction, such as a purchase. “Buy”, “purchase”, “order” and “sale” are frequently used alongside the user’s main search term. These are the searches we make even more of around events such as Black Friday.
How blogs help business
Valuable blog content can do wonders for your brand. Becoming the go-to source for information is an invaluable link to build with your audience. Why? If they’re already looking to your website for information on your particular niche, they know you’re trustworthy.
The more information and value you deliver, the more your customers will look to you for advice. Let’s look at this way. Let’s say you run a home renovation company, what might you blog about?
There’s only so much you can talk about your services. While the process is interesting, your customers might be looking for inspiration before taking the leap. Between blog content and testimonials, your customer isn’t making a small purchase here, so they want to see social proof. In this example, you could offer home decor ideas, X number of ways to utilise your home’s small spaces, DIY hacks and time-saving ideas.
You might think, how is that relevant? Well, you need to look beyond the service you’re trying to sell. The type of customer you’re appealing to is already considering a house renovation, so why not encourage this decision through your content?
After all, the more you show to know about your industry, the higher the chance they’ll trust you with their home renovation. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
How a blog can benefit your website
Having a company blog can benefit your website – and business – in a number of ways. Not only can it help customers to connect with your brand, but it can also help them get there in the first place.
By now, you’ll be well aware of your competition and how your website ranks in search engines. Your website content is crucial for attracting customers, whether it’s through web copy or blog content. Although the chances are, they’re going to feel inclined to read a value-packed article over a web page that is clearly trying to sell them something.
If you’re looking for a way to outrank your competitors, you’re going to need content marketing and an SEO strategy to do so. Take a look at trends in your industry to understand what customers are looking for, and how to answer their questions. Offer solutions, advice and insight into their queries.
Sure, you can add a conclusion at the end with a clear call to action, encouraging readers to take action. ‘Looking to get started on your next home improvement project?’ would be fitting for our previous industry example.
Blog content can also be repurposed, meaning you get more bang for your buck. Here you can share your latest blogs to your social media, take snippets for an Instagram carousel and even offer advice in an ebook. The opportunities are endless. And they can all send traffic back to your website.
Getting started with your company blog
Nobody knows your business better than you. Becoming a leader in your industry can be hard work, but it most certainly pays off.
Although, you’re going to need to be in it for the ride. Before you get started with your new blog (woohoo!), take a note of the following.
- A blog is not built overnight. Don’t churn out 400-500 word blog posts, spend time researching and doing keyword research to create posts that are 1,500 words plus.
- Create content pillars. Within your industry, there will be more topics to explore. Just because you own a gym, not everything has to be about lifting weights. Branch off into fitness, general health and diet.
- Traffic will not be instant. It takes time for search engines to pick up on your content, but in the meantime, work hard to get it shared as much as possible.
Conclusion
No matter your industry, a blog can be created. Before getting started, spend some time doing research in your field. Take a look at competitors, do keyword research and don’t forget to share, share, share your content online.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you probably won’t see traffic too quickly, but with enough hard work, you’ll soon start to reap the benefits.
However, creating blog content takes dedication, patience and expertise. If you’re looking for someone to take away the headache of creating content, get in touch and let’s get your blog underway.
