Why You Should Be Blogging for Your Small Business
The term blog comes from the combination of "web" and "log" or "weblog," which initially started in the 1990s as an online diary where people would keep personal accounts of their lives. Eventually the term was shortened to "blog," but it still remained the same in terms of format. At that time, blogs were traditionally-built websites that were updated and uploaded manually, limiting the number of bloggers to only those who knew how to build and upload web pages. In the early 2000s WordPress, a self-hosted blogging tool, came along and made blogging a simple process for everyone. Today blogs are used by both individuals wishing to share their lives, as well as businesses who use it as a marketing tool to reach consumers and other businesses.
If you are an entrepreneur think about using business blogs to build an online audience that is engaged with your brand and to generate leads for your business. Here are just a few ways blogging can help you generate more business and promote customer loyalty:
1. Helps you figure out what customers really want and allows you to have an ongoing discussion with them. This is an inexpensive way of doing market research.
2. Let's you talk with other entrepreneurs and create a network that could lead to other business opportunities.
3. Provides a way to offer promotions and discounts to your customers.
4. If you need to let customers know about a lack of availability of a product or let them know about a new product they should watch out for, you can keep them informed on your blog.
5. Creates an online presence. Search engines rank (SEO) certain keywords found on websites. By producing high quality content that use target keywords in your blog posts, your site will be ranked higher in search engines, making your content more discoverable.
6. Humanizes your company and allows you to connect with your audience on a more personal level. Writing in an informal style is a way of getting people to relate to you and your company.
If you haven't started blogging for your business and don't know where to start, take a look at the following books:
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