Blog Away Business Blandness

It’s perfectly fine for your business not to have a blog. Many people feel this way. Of course, they are likely the same people who never raised their hand in class, wore a beige gown with ecru accents to prom, and never took on optional homework for extra credit. It’s possible that this need to blend in to the point of being invisible served these people well, but who knows. They disappeared after graduation and have not been heard from since.

My point is this: What’s good for the classroom chameleon is not good for your business. In today’s highly competitive digital world, a blog can be a very effective tool for a variety of reasons.

• A blog can establish your business as a trusted resource in your industry.
• A blog can give your business personality.
• A blog can help you compete with businesses with marketing budgets exponentially larger than yours.
• A blog can add your voice to trending, timely online conversations.
• A blog can be a continuous source of fresh keyword-rich content for your website.

Raise Your Hand.
By writing about your industry and providing useful information on trending topics in a timely manner, you can, over time, establish yourself as a valued resource that people trust. By focusing on being helpful and authoritative rather than selling, you can build a reputation as a reliable authority. And, because it’s your blog, you control the content, the timing of its release, and its tone. Even Tummy Sculpting Spanx don’t offer you this much control, so seize the opportunity.

Ditch the Beige.
Your blog can give your business personality. Although you may have a traditional product in a conservative industry, there’s nothing preventing you from injecting a little humor into your blog as long as the content is accurate and useful. Believe me; people will remember where they read a humorous take on asset management or supplemental health benefits. Keep in mind that you don’t always have to write about your services. You can brag about a successful client outcome you achieved, introduce your team, or rave about a client. Just be interesting!

Go for Extra Credit.
With more than 40,000 Google searches every second, there’s no denying that the internet has become our primary source for information. Therefore, ranking well in search results is crucial. When done properly, search engine optimization (SEO) can level the playing field between a small business with a modest marketing budget and a regional chain with a marketing budget that makes Madison Avenue salivate. Although search engines change the algorithms that affect their rankings almost daily and mostly in secret, keywords, incoming links, indexed pages, fresh content and social media “likes” and “shares” continue to impact search results. A blog provides you with all of the above.

Don’t miss your chance to make the honor roll with your customers and prospects. Start blogging today. Need help? Electrum Branding can assist you in creating blog content in addition to search engine optimization and social media.