If the question is “Should you be blogging every week for your business?” then the answer is a resounding “Yes!”
But ever notice how “should” can feel like a dirty word? ( I always think of Al Franken as Stuart Smalley on SNL saying, “Oh no. Now I’m shoulding all over myself.”)
So let’s flip the script. Instead of looking at why you HAVE to publish each week, let’s see why blogging every week is a huge benefit to your business.
Here are six reasons weekly blogging every week is an opportunity, not an obligation.
#1 Bring people back to your website & keep them there
Your website is your home base. It’s the place where you have your products and services listed for sale. Your website is also where you differentiate your brand through well-crafted copy and your compelling, unique story.
You want to bring people back to your website. It’s where they decide to buy from you or get on your email list (so they can buy from you later!).
Your blog is the perfect invitation to bring people back to your website. It gives them a specific reason to visit. Simply share a “teaser” of your new blog post on social media and in your emails to subscribers with a link to your blog post.
Once they’re on your site, a wealth of blog posts gives them content to read or browse so they get to know your voice and invest in your brand.
#2 Make your website look legit
OK, so you’re bringing people back to your website — awesome! Or is it?
Does your site look legit? Does it look like there’s someone home? A well-stocked blog makes it clear that there’s a real person behind the business.
Plus, when visitors see recent posts, they know your website — and your business — is current and responsive.
Each time someone visits your site, there should be new content to peruse.
Pro Tip: If something happened that prevented you from blogging regularly and there’s a several month gap between posts, consider turning off the date stamp for your blog posts. This way you won’t be advertising that your blog was collecting dust for a while there.
#3 Share great content with subscribers
You want people to subscribe to your email list so you can tell them about the fabulous products and services you offer. But they’ll quickly burnout if that’s ALL you do.
Each new blog post is a chance to send content (or a teaser of content with a link) to your subscribers. This way, you’re not just selling to them. You’re also giving them…
- Tips
- Solutions
- Quick wins
- Inspiration
- Entertainment
- Connection
This builds a relationship with your readers. They know that an email from you means great content, and they’re more likely to open those emails and follow the links you share.
#4 Quickly answer questions
You’re an expert in your field. Plus, you’re passionate about helping people. So of course you want to answer their questions!
Great! In a world jam-packed with marketing from every direction, business owners who take the time to answer a question in a thoughtful, thorough way are superheroes!
But that takes a fair amount of your time, right? So once you’ve answered the question once for someone who asks, a great time-saving trick is to turn that answer into a blog post!
If one person had that question, other people will as well. Now you’ve got the answer all ready to share with others — without investing all your time and energy answering it each time it comes up.
Next time someone asks, you can respond with something like this:
“What a great question! It’s actually one that I love thinking about so much I wrote a blog post about it. I think you’ll find the answer to your question here [share link], but if this post doesn’t answer your question — or if you end up with additional questions — please don’t hesitate to reach out so I can offer more answers.”
Now, instead of spending time answering the first-level question, you let your blog post do it. Then, you invite the person to share her next-level question, and you can answer in a personalized way. (And then turn that answer into another blog post!)
This system actually allows you to offer MORE individualized attention, not less. It’s just that you’re using that attention at a deeper level of content.
If the person’s question was answered by the blog post, she walks away thinking, “Wow! She knew my question before I even asked it! She really knows her stuff!”
If the person’s question wasn’t answered by the post, or if she has additional questions, you can answer the follow-up questions and deepen the relationship.
#5 Demonstrate your expertise
Your blog is your chance to geek out about your industry and your area of expertise. You can compare tools, offer solutions and how-tos, and take people through the who, what, where, when, why, and how of your business.
Try answering questions like these:
- What do customers need to know before they buy?
- What makes your business stand out from the crowd?
- Why do people need what you sell?
- How does someone know when it’s time to get help from you?
- Where can someone start if she’s overwhelmed?
- What are the big mistakes people often make, and how can they avoid them?
You’ll get to show off how much you know and begin building trust with your readers. You’ll become their go-to expert and they’ll bookmark your website to return to again and again to get the answers and help they need.
(And each time they return, there will be awesome new content!)
#6 Compete on Google
I’m not an SEO (search engine optimization) expert; I’m an expert in RO — reader optimization.
Even so, through my blogging adventures, I’ve educated myself about what Google’s little bots are doing behind the scenes. Basically, they’re crawling all over your website looking for words and phrases that tell them what your content is all about so that they know when to return it as a search result.
That means the more content you have on your site about your industry and your area of expertise, the more opportunities there are for Google to get a match between what’s on your site and what someone’s searching for. Now, it’s not as simple as that. There are algorithms — and maybe a bit of alchemy — involved.
(Google’s not just looking at which words you use, but also how and where you use them. Plus, there’s stiff competition for some search terms, and some websites pay to get “first dibs” on certain search terms. So, yeah, SEO is definitely its own specialty. )
The more high-quality content you have on your site, the more Google gets the message, “Oh, she’s an expert in __________________!”
But… there’s a catch. Google gets suspicious if you go from 0 published blog posts to 20 overnight.
From the point of view of being found by online searches and seen as legit by Google, you’re actually better off adding blogging content at an organic pace by posting something new each week! (I actually just learned this recently from a branding expert and thought it would be a helpful tidbit to pass along.)
That means publishing a new blog post each week is actually the foundation of your SEO strategy. If you’re new to blogging, you can totally stop there!
If you’ve been at this a while and you’re ready for Phase 2, consider adding an SEO tool to your website or learning some DIY tricks from an SEO expert.
Grab Your Opportunity
Your blog is one of the hardest working pages on your website! I don’t want you to pass up the opportunity to…
- Get more eyeballs on your website
- Make your website looks up-to-date so people feel confident doing business with you
- Share great content with your subscribers
- Answer the common questions people ask you so you look like the most helpful, kind, caring, knowledgeable person out there!
- Demonstrate your expertise
- Help you survive the crazy Hunger Games of Google searches
Blogging every week gives you all these benefits — and tons more! (They’ll need their own post.)
Do you have enough ideas to blog every week? Do you have so many ideas you’re kinda freaking out?
Either way, I’ve got your back. Learn more about how I can get you moving in the right direction and give you the ideas, planning, and momentum you need to blog like a pro!