Starting a blog – and maintaining it – can seem dauting to many. But the fact is that to keep a blog will help you attract more of your ideal clients and reach your target audience.
Here are five good reasons to have a blog and different ways to fill the gap if you feel you don’t have the time or skills to go that route.
Positioning yourself or your org as an expert
Yes, that’s right. Blogging is an opportunity to showcase your expertise, to existing clients but also to potential ones. The sky is the limit when it comes to choosing a topic:
- An in-depth look at a service you offer
- A comment on a recent study that came out in your field
- A presentation of a case-study (e.g. a client) of yours
- A profile of one of your staff members
- And so many more!
Go back to the reasons why clients buy from you or support your organization. What problems are you solving? What resonates with them? Brainstorm different ideas and see what value you bring to the table.
Try to approach the topic from a different angle to make you stand out. Also, make sure to use the same words your clients would. Avoid technical language at all cost and if you absolutely need to, always provide explanations. The last thing you want is to confuse a potential customer into thinking that your blog is not answering his question.
Better ranking on search engines
Stagnant websites are the enemy of Google. If you never update your content, never show signs of activity and that no one is clicking on the link to your website, chances are search engines will penalize you for it.
The idea is that a search engine will see an “active” website as one that is current and potentially relevant to people browsing the web, while one that is never updated is probably archaic. Posting new blog entries at regular intervals tells search engines that you are serious and committed and that viewers have more chances of finding something of interest on your website.
Keeping existing customers and attracting new ones
We all know that in order for relationships to thrive, they need to be nurtured. This not only applies to friends and family but to professional contacts as well.
How do you get a client who apparently no longer requires your products or services to come back, or better, to have an ongoing relationship with you? By letting them know of your other services, by developing another offering or by showcasing the benefits of a long-term relationship. But to be able to achieve this, you need to educate them. And to build trust.
Keeping your blog up-to-date gives you a reason to solicit clients, to remind them of your existence, to educate them and to show that you are constantly learning and adapting to modern trends. Imagine how you would feel if you learned your doctor had prescribed medication that is no longer recommended for your condition because he didn’t stay abreast of what’s going on in the medical world? I bet you would be horrified. Doctors may not be able to give out advice on a blog for obvious legal reasons but there’s no reason why they cannot share things such as a recent conference they delivered at or news of what’s going on at their clinic.
Equally important is the fact that, if done right, blogging can help you expand your audience. Thanks to the right key words, favorable algorithms and a well-performing post, Google can become your friend. It may take a bit of time to achieve and involve that you develop certain writing skills but a post that ranks well receives more clicks and can therefore generate interesting results for your business.
Different types of blogs
Many people feel they are not fit to have a blog because they are not confident in their writing skills. The good news is that although traditional blogs mainly feature written articles, blogging can take other forms. Vlogging (“video logging”) comes to mind for those who are comfortable in front of the camera. Podcasts are good for those who like to talk. And photographers could certainly have a blog where pictures are the main feature, with just a little bit of text to contextualize their point.
However, remember that it’s not because you are not focusing on written content that the page shouldn’t contain some text to better perform on search engines.
Enlisting help
If launching a blog and maintaining it on a regular basis seems dauting, there are ways to go about that.
If it’s the idea of having to update your website that scares you, ask your web developer about maintenance packages. You could be surprised at how little that represents.
But to a lot of people, creating the content is the most difficult part.
If you have a good writer on your team, someone who has a good grasp of your vision and your expertise, why not delegate that task? You can always provide guidance on topics or discussion points and edit the final result.
Another option is to outsource the work to a copywriter.
At The Storyteller, we typically start by assessing if we have the right resource for the sector you represent. Once that question is out of the way, we sit down with you to get to know your organization and your line of work. We do research of our own and come up with a list of potential topics that you can approve before we officially get to work.
Would you like to learn more about our blogging and ghostwriting services? Contact us!
