Every since blogging started in the late 1990′s, their popularity has grown manifold. Today, blogs have become an integral part of a successful small business marketing strategy.
Blogging has become one of the most common ways to market and promote a small business and connect with consumers online. However, in spite of its benefits, many small businesses are still hesitant to invest in blogging and are not giving it the attention it deserves. This is one of the biggest mistakes your small business can make.
If you don’t invest in blogging, you risk losing out to your competition which can be difficult to recover from.
There are several reasons why a small business must invest in blogging. If you are still not convinced, here are eleven reasons why your small business must start a blog today.
1. Improved Search Engine Ranking
Google loves websites that are updated regularly. A blog offers the perfect medium for adding new content to your site. Having a blog on your website will not only result in more pages being ranked in the results but will also improve the overall ranking of your entire website.
2. More Traffic
The ability to drive traffic to your website is one of the most noticeable benefits of having a blog on your website. In addition to traffic as a result of improved search engine ranking, by having a blog, small business can also benefit from direct referral traffic from social media and other external websites.
And the traffic increases significantly as you blog more often. Studies show that businesses that post 20 times or more per month receive 5 times more traffic on average than businesses that publish 4 times per month.
3. More Leads for The Business
Generating leads for the business is a key objective for any small business. This is another area where a blog on your website can help. Use of effective call to action, well designed opt-in forms are just some ways in which a blog can help to generate leads. A study on blogging by HubSpot Marketing shows that 69% of businesses attribute their lead generation success to blogging.
Frequency Matters:
The frequency of posts also has an impact on lead generation via your blog. Posting regularly is key to getting the most out of your blog. See the results of the Hubspot’s study below that shows a direct relationship between publishing frequency and lead generation.
4. Trust and Credibility
Having a blog on your website affects how your business is perceived by customers. Customers tend to trust businesses that have a blog more. Having a blog on your website adds credibility to your business and instills trust and confidence amongst customers.
5. Build Email Database
Blogs offer an excellent potential for building an email database of prospective customers. I personally find this to be one of the biggest benefits of having a blog. Although email marketing is one of the most effective ways to promote a small business, many small businesses don’t know how to start building their email list. This is where a blog can be a great help.
6. Cost Effective
Blogs offer a cost effective way to market your small business. There are no start-up expenses in starting a blog. Most leading blog software including WordPress are completely free to use for commercial purposes. This makes blogging particularly lucrative for small businesses who typically have limited budgets to invest in marketing and promotion.
Blogging is relatively inexpensive compared to other methods to market a business online such as SEO or Pay per click advertising. Anyone can start a blog on a shoestring budget. Leads generated from blogging also costs less than other methods. Studies show that Inbound marketing, of which blogging is a crucial part, costs 62% less per lead than traditional outbound marketing.
7. Extra Exposure and Brand Visibility
Internet marketing is highly competitive and it requires significant investment to get your brand recognised. This is one of the biggest concerns for small businesses who typically have limited budgets at their disposal to promote brand visibility and recognition. Blogs can also help with this.
8. Improved Online Reputation and Authority
Online reputation is becoming increasingly important for small businesses. Blogs are a very effective way to build your reputation online. Publishing quality posts on a regular basis contributes towards your authority and helps to establish your expertise in your field, the benefits of which can be priceless for any small business.
9. Build a Loyal Community Around Your Business
According to Nielsen, US internet users spend 3 times more time on blogs and social networks than in email. This makes blogging one of the best ways to build a community around your business.
Having a good blog promotes a loyal user-base and keeps users coming back to your website for more. It is a great way to foster relationships with consumers. Blogging is equally beneficial for cultivating relationships with other experts in your niche. Each time you reference or quote another blogger or publisher in your articles or vice versa, they will take note and often reciprocate.
10. Increased Sales
We have already discussed that having a blog on your website builds trust and confidence in users, drives traffic to your company’s website and helps to generate leads. All these will eventually lead to increased sales for your business which is one of the key objectives for any small business. This is particularly important for small businesses who have limited marketing budgets.
HubSpot’s research also showed a direct relationship between blogging fcy and customer acquisition. See the results of the study by HubSpot below that shows a direct relationship between blogging and customer acquisition.
11. It’s Easy To Get Started
And last but not the least; blogs are very easy to set-up. You don’t need specialist skills or experience to start a blog. Hands-on experience is usually sufficient to run a successful blog. Blog platforms like WordPress are designed for anyone to use. On the other hand, other Internet marketing approaches such as SEO or content marketing require more experience and knowledge to conduct successfully.
Conclusion
Every small business must have a blog today in order to succeed online and stay ahead of competitors. Given above are just some of the reasons why you need a blog on your website. If you don’t already have a blog, you must start one today. This will be the best decision you will make.
What About You?
Do you use a blog to promote your small business? How often do you post? We would like to hear from you. Please add your responses by leaving a comment below.