To put it simply, a blog is a website or webpage that is used to host written content. The content is typically focused on a specific topic, niche or industry area and is regularly updated. Blogs often take on a more conversational tone, as they intend to connect with their readers on a more personal level.
A blog can be a great marketing and eCommerce tool due to the many benefits of blogging for business.
Business blogging can:
Learn more about the benefits of blogging for small business.
Before you launch in, you’ll need to determine how your blog will be set up, managed and updated.
Below, we discuss some important factors to consider, when integrating business blogging into your overall marketing strategy.
Many small businesses opt to use a content management system, commonly referred to as a CMS.
A CMS is a software that helps business owners manage and update their business website. It’s a great option if you want the ability to make changes to your website over time. And publish new content.
When selecting which CMS is right for you, consider components such as:
A CMS can help set the foundation for a simplistic and more seamless blogging experience. With the right technology in place, you can focus on creating high-quality content that resonates with your customers.
You can also explore integrated website solutions where your website provider offers the ability for you to add a blog to your website without the need for you to choose a separate CMS.
Once you’re set up with the right technology to launch your blog, you’ll need to decide which blogging topics you’re going to focus on.
Content ideation is an incredibly important step when it comes to business blogging. You want to identify content opportunities that really resonate with your audience.
There are many different factors you should consider when generating ideas for blogging topics. These can include:
If you’re looking for useful blogging tips to help you get started, then consider mapping out a content calendar.
Also commonly referred to as an editorial calendar, a content calendar is a schedule that determines when and where you’ll publish your content.
A content calendar can help keep your blog on track. And empower you to strategically plan ahead of time. This way, your business blogging doesn’t have to be reactive or last minute.
When creating your content calendar, explore where blogging topics most logically fit. We breakdown some considerations for developing a content calendar below.
Perhaps there are holidays that present a good opportunity to launch certain blogging topics due to seasonal relevance.
For example, you might write a blog offering tips, tricks and insights for customers navigating the Christmas sales period.
Leveraging holidays and key calendar dates can help you publish timely content that’s relevant for your customers.
Maybe you have certain business events, product launches or promotional periods. Consider aligning your content calendar with your overall business goals and objectives.
Your content calendar and blogging topics can help support your promotional periods and other marketing campaigns.
It’s important to develop an understanding of your target audience’s behaviour. When are they active online or on social media? Consider when they’ll be most likely to engage with your content, and tailor your content calendar around this.
Learn more about how to plan an effective digital content strategy.
You’ll also need to decide how you’ll share and amplify your blog. By strategically sharing your blog content across different channels, you can help increase its impact.
You can integrate integrate blogging into your social media strategy. Sharing your blog on platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook can be a great way to increase your blog's reach. And help drive traffic to your business website.
Integrating your blog with your email marketing is another effective way to help increase exposure.
Featuring links to relevant blog articles in your newsletter and communications can help customers in your database access more in-depth content and valuable information. When doing this, you’re encouraging subscribers to engage further with your brand and explore your business website. This can help foster customer relationships and help build a sense of community.
When exploring how to start a blog for your small business, consider how you can integrate calls to action.
A call to action, commonly referred to as CTA, is a prompt that tells people what to do when they have an interaction with your business. For example, a button or a link with words like ‘Explore more’, ‘Buy now’ or ‘Sign up’.
By featuring CTAs on your blog pages, you can help generate leads and help increase conversions.
Learn more about conversion rate optimisation (CRO).
When starting a blog, it’s important to learn about search engine optimisation.
Search engine optimisation, also known as SEO, refers to the practise of optimising website content to improve visibility in a search engine results page.
By using high-performing keywords in your business blogging, you can improve the traffic quantity and quality to your business website.
Learn more about how to help improve SEO ranking for your business and the benefits of SEO for small business.
Integrating backlinks can be another wise move when launching a blog. Backlinks are links from one website or webpage to another, that can play an important role in SEO.
Internal backlinks are links on your own business website. They help Google find, index and understand all of the pages on your site, which can improve SEO. They can also help improve user experience. This is because readers can click these links to explore other relatable content that they’re interested in.
External backlinks are links on other websites that direct traffic to your site. They’re also important for SEO. This is because they can demonstrate that other websites find your content valuable and credible enough to reference.
When starting a blog for your small business consider developing a backlinks strategy. This could include asking other businesses to link to your blog content on their website.
There are so many aspects to consider when starting a blog. With the right technology and strategy in place, business blogging can help transform the way you connect with your audience. And with some careful planning, it can be a great next move to help you make a powerful impact.
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