Are you getting the most out of your blog?

The thing is, blogging takes a lot of time, brainpower, and creativity. Those resources are in high demand as a small business owner, and frankly, I don’t want you to waste them! When you think about your blog, are you doing it just because you feel like you have to? Or do you have a clear strategy that guides you on what you need to do to make your blog work for you and boost your business?

As you read through this blog post, take an honest look at your blog. Ask yourself what you could be doing to leverage your blog to leverage your business. Not only will it help you get a better ROI, but it will help you serve your customers more effectively!

1. Attract new customers by using strong headlines & search friendly content

If you’re like most business owners, you decided to pursue blogging to get in front of more people. Your hope may be that by blogging regularly, more people will be attracted to your website. This is a fantastic goal, but unfortunately, many business owners aren’t doing the things necessary to see consistent results.

First of all, to help people find your blog content, you need to write strong headlines that contain the keywords they are using in their Google searches. Secondly, you need to break up your content with the standard headings (H1, H2, H3, etc.). By doing these two things, you are boosting your search engine optimization. This headline-analyzer is a handy tool when it comes to generating headlines that drive traffic, shares, and search results!

According to Hubspot, business to business marketers that utilize a blog receive 67% more leads that those that do not. “One of the biggest benefits of blogging is being able to attract high-quality leads- even when you’re not working. The more a lead has contact with you, the more likely you are to make a sale. If you’re putting out valuable content on a consistent basis, you’ll be surprised how much your leads will skyrocket.”

Here are a few extra ways to attract more customers to your blog:

Write strong meta descriptions
Create informative, high-quality, original content
Write in an honest, clear, and focused manner
Share your blog posts on multiple social media platforms
Use powerful call to actions
Link to other blog posts on your site

2. Build trust by sharing expertise & adding value

What better way to establish a quality relationship online with customers than with a blog? Being authentic and genuine with customers is key. The informal and relaxed nature of a blog allows your customers to easily engage and get to know you and your business better. This establishes a relationship and sense of trust that is essential as a business owner. Not to mention, you also get to know your customers a lot better by gaining insight into their wants and needs.

Topics to think about include customer or project highlights, industry insights or tutorials that showcase your expertise while adding value, and before and after features. Blog posts focused on these various topics will showcase your capabilities without losing focus of the needs of your customers. This allows for vulnerability, honesty, and a better understanding of your business, which inspires customer trust.

One of the best ways to build trust is to actually create an opportunity for your customers to engage in a conversation with you. I receive the highest engagement rate on Instagram, so I tend to focus on starting conversations on there! While the conversation starts on Instagram, I always link back to the relevant blog post.

How to add more value:

Engage in conversation by asking and answering questions
Always show proof of your expertise instead of just telling customers what you do
Review and respond to readers’ comments or feedback
Have a positive, light-hearted tone throughout content
Create an opportunity for sharing on social media

3. Establish yourself as a brand by solidifying your voice

Blogging allows you to show people a different side of your brand, a more personal side that prospective and current customers don’t get to see through other marketing methods. Sharing your values, goals, vision, and your unique personality helps make your business more relatable. By giving your brand its own personal voice, people are more inclined to feel comfortable contacting you or purchasing from you.

While traditional marketing methods have their place, blogging opens the door to a whole new level of establishing your business and bringing it to life.

When it comes to creating a recognizable brand, don't be afraid to be yourself! Find your voice and play with the tone of your content. Generally, this should be consistent from post to post. Maybe your customers respond well to clever and witty blog posts, or maybe you need to be on the more serious and heartfelt side. Whatever you choose, stick to it and dig into topics that define who you and your business truly are.

Easy ways to solidify your voice in your writing:

Pay attention to the way you talk, incorporate those phrases and words in your writing
Hire an editor to review your writing and verify that you have a consistent tone
Make a list of descriptive words that are relevant to you and your brand
Read your writing aloud when you edit and change anything that doesn’t sound authentic

4. Increase repeat website traffic by going the extra mile

Do you ever find yourself gawking at the same Instagram account each week or spending hours listening to a particular podcast every day? We want you to turn your website into a destination that people visit on a regular basis!

Hubspot reported that companies who blog receive 97% more links to their website. Blogging gives people a reason to visit your website monthly, weekly, or even daily. The more entertaining, personable, and informative you are, the more people you will have standing on your virtual doorstep day after day. And you know what that means… more clients!

Here are a few ways to go the extra mile:

Produce reliable, insightful industry news, tips, etc.
Include links to related blog posts in each new post
Offer free downloads and tools
Reshare content on social media
Repurpose content into infographics, videos, white papers, case studies, etc.
Make sure your blog posts, images, and website, in general, are mobile optimized

5. Become a master in the field by sharing new insight

I think it’s safe to say we all want to be amongst the best of the best in our field. I mean, why not shoot for the stars, right? Blogging is one way for business owners, like you and I, to become connoisseurs in our respective fields. No matter how big or small your business is, you can create thought leadership and become an industry expert by doing your research and sharing new insight with your audience.

Gaining credibility can take time, but by staying motivated and consistent, you have the ability to become a “go to,” reliable resource. The key is to avoid regurgitating information that is already public. Add something new to the conversation!

Make sure you understand your niche market and that you challenge yourself to think about hot topics from a different angle. Don’t be afraid to dig into tough topics. Not only will your target audience love it, but providing frequent and fresh content will improve your visibility on search engine results too.

Here are a few more ideas on how to share new insight:

Showcase specific success stories and breakthroughs you had with clients
Survey your customers and analyze results
Attend industry conferences, webinars, etc.
Feature guest bloggers and interview other experts

6. Inspire engagement by showing your passion

What’s the point of blogging if no one is engaging with your content? Not much. The secret behind any successful blog is an engaged audience. One of the best ways to strengthen your blog and in turn, strengthen your business, is to be passionate. Your audience can tell when you truly care and are excited about what you are writing about, so skip the topics that bore you. Because frankly, if you’re bored writing it, your audience is going to be bored reading it!

When infused with energy, a blog is a fantastic platform to show off your love for your industry and job in a controlled, influential, and relaxed setting.

Be upbeat and find fresh, informative guidance to share! If you care about what you are writing about, it will come across in your blog posts. If you are just writing blog posts to mark something off your to-do list, it won’t be long before your customers disengage. True passion will seep through your writing and pull your readers in. Your content will be more expressive and inspire more action.

A few ways to show your passion through blogging:

Don’t be afraid to take a stand and share your opinion
Make a list of blog topics you genuinely care about
Share mistakes and lessons learned
Write about success stories
Write about your experience as a business owner

There is no question. When blog posts are created with heart and a clear strategy, they can majorly boost your business. The key is to be intentional with your writing and the conversations you start. Go beyond just hitting “post” and make sure you are delivering value to your audience on a consistent basis.