Some estimates say that 80% of businesses are now blogging – a number that may rise even further. Blogs can be highly beneficial for businesses – generating traffic, reaching new people and even helping to convert visitors to customers. So is it right for your business, and what do you need to consider before starting a blog?

Why blog:

Share your expertise

A blog can be an excellent way to share the expertise in your business and demonstrate to potential customers that you know your stuff. It can also help add a personal element to your website and help reassure your visitors that you are a trustworthy business.

Create content for social media

If your business is already on social media then blogging can help you create interesting content to share across your social media channels – vital for creating an engaged following.

Increase traffic to your website

Blogging is excellent for increasing traffic to your website, as your website will have more frequently updated content to be indexed in search engines. Websites with a blog have 434% more pages indexed by Google than those without.

Reach and convert customers

Overall, blogging can help you reach more people, plus convert more visitors to your website into customers. A study found that 60% of people feel more positive about a company after reading their blog and 61% made a purchase after reading a blog post.

Before you start, consider:

Can you commit to regular posts?

Blogging can be extremely beneficial to businesses but it is important to consider if you have the resources available to commit to blogging. To get results from a business blog, it is important to be consistent. Make sure you have enough members of staff to maintain a blog on a regular basis. Aim to blog at least weekly for best results.

Also, make sure there is someone who can proofread and edit your blogs before they go live, as bad spelling and grammar can undo all the positive effects a blog could have on your business.

Do you have something to say that is interesting to your customers or prospects?

Before you start blogging, make sure you have something to say! Many businesses make the mistake of blogging about topics that are only interesting internally. Only start a blog if you are sure you can create content that will be of interest to your readers. Not sure what to blog about? The most commonly asked questions by your customers are a good place to start. Alternatively, ask a few friendly customers what content they would find useful. Some popular blog formats include “how to” articles or behind-the-scenes posts.

Finally, a good way to ensure a variety of topics is to make a plan of what you will blog about, always keeping your reader in mind.

Conclusion

Blogging can be highly beneficial to businesses, but before you get started, make sure you have a content plan in place and the resources needed to maintain a blog to a high standard. Aim to always produce content for your target audience, not for your company.