Although most of us read blogs now, we are often asked what a blog actually is.
A weblog, or blog, is a personal journal on the web. Weblogs express as many different subjects and opinions as there are people writing them.
Some blogs are highly influential and have enormous readership while others are primarily intended for a close circle of family and friends.
When it comes to your business, a business blog is an incredible asset for your brand and company.
Having a blog means you can become a digital publisher who is in control of what you say and when you say it.
What are the business benefits of having a blog?
A business blog can help you:
- Share important news and updates about your products and services.
- Create new relationships with potential customers and clients.
- Build stronger relationships with your current customers and clients.
- Grow your email list, turning leads into customers.
- Build your online authority and presence.
- Increase your SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and rankings in the search engines.
- Establish and develop your business branding.
These are just a few of the many benefits of having a blog for your business.
How do you get started with blogging for your business?
If you don’t currently have a blog, we recommend the WordPress self-hosted option, which can be found at WordPress.org
Self-hosted WordPress means you own the platform you’re publishing on, as well as all the content. It also gives you many more options for installing plugins, customising the look of your site, and using your blog as a platform for selling your products (e-Commerce).
WordPress is a Content Management System (CMS) and is open source software, which means there are thousands of developers throughout the world who are constantly working to develop the platform and create plugins to enhance the functionality of your site.
Many websites are already using WordPress, but are not blogging. So if you’re not ready to start blogging right now, you can make your website using WordPress, and add the blogging functionality later on.
What do I blog about?
Once your blog is up and running, you can start generating ideas for your blog. I recommend you brainstorm content ideas either by yourself, or with a colleague or team.
Also start to collect ideas in a central place, so you can collate all your content ideas and go back to your ‘ideas library’ when you’re ready to start blogging.
Some interesting things to blog about include:
- Latest news, updates and product launches.
- Behind the scenes sharing about staff members and product creation.
- Infographics that attractively display data about your topic.
- Cutting-edge thinking and thought leadership views about your field.
- “How to” blog posts to teach your readers valuable skills.
- Interviews with industry leaders and key people of influence.
- Solving your customers most frequently asked questions.
When you create the habit of generating content ideas and stories for your blog, the process becomes easier and you’ll find you have enough content for many months to come.
A word on SEO
Aside from the multiple benefits mentioned above, one important reason to consider blogging is it can help your overall ranking in search engines.
Google and other search engines love fresh content. When you blog on a regular basis, the Google robots visit your site more frequently to index your fresh content. And for every new blog post you write, you have an additional page of content on your website, which contains the keywords your customers might be searching for.
Over time, Google will see your site as an ‘authority website’ that published valuable information on the topic of your niche. This creates a positive funnel where Google sends you more and more traffic over time as your site grows. And which business doesn’t want that?
It’s time to start blogging
If you’re considering blogging for your business, now is the time to get started. Blogging helps you build your platform from which you can raise your profile, grow your customer base and increase your sales.
Are you blogging for your business? If so, what results have you seen? Add your comments below.
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Sydney Public Relations Agency, CP Communications provides specialist media, traditional and online PR strategies that get amazing results. Contact us today. For more great tips visit our website www.cpcommunications.com.au.
