Ever wish you had the perfect place to share industry topics with online audiences? Are you consistently asked the same questions from your clients? Do you ever wish you could share helpful knowledge and handy tips directly with customers?

If you’ve answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, you may consider adding a blog section to your company website or refreshing your existing one with some timely, relevant content.

It’s no secret that content is king and business blogging is on the rise. But did you know that 65% of marketers planned to increase their use of blogging in 2017?

That’s right— the race to the top of Google is rising and competition is getting fierce.

Need more reasons to start a blog? Here are four reasons your company should be blogging:

Be a thought leader.

Your clients have questions, and you have answers.

No one knows your audience like you do. Their likes, their dislikes, their problems and their interests—take advantage of having that knowledge and be a valuable resource to them.

Are you a realtor working with home sellers? Give them the ins and outs of the local market or write a post on five tips to make their listings more marketable.

A vet targeting pet owners? Use your clientele’s frequently asked questions to come up with helpful blog posts likes “Top 5 dog food brands” or aggregate and offer a list of local dog trainers you know and trust.

Bottom line— when you establish yourself as the subject matter expert in your industry, who do you think online visitors will turn to when they need the services you provide?

Boost your SEO.

No longer does obnoxious keyword stuffing rule the top pages of Google. The key to boosting your rankings in search engines comes down to one thing—authentic content.

Now, don’t be intimidated. Sure, there are a few techy, back-end tricks you can try that still might have a positive effect on your site’s SEO rankings. But nothing compares to some good, old-fashioned organic traffic from a fabulously maintained blog.

The more quality information you put out there on a regular basis, the higher chance you have of your audience finding you online. The more people who click on your posts and “share” them, the higher you’ll rank.

When you put in the work, your SEO will thank you.

Blog posts give you social media content.

So you’ve set up your company’s Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn page…now what?

Stop exclusively “sharing” blog posts and articles written by other industry experts and instead use your blog to your advantage!

The after effects of a good blog post don’t stop once you hit “publish”. In fact, you should be doing more than letting a good post sit dormant on your website.

Having a regularly updated blog gives you the perfect content to share on your company’s social media platforms.

Not only are you sharing helpful information to your current social media followers, but you’re building your online audience which, in turn, could translate into new customers/clients and higher sales.

It’s a cost-effective marketing investment. 

That’s right. When you publish a blog post, you’re not putting thousands of dollars into paid media methods that may or may not resonate with your audience.

Each post is a long-term tool at your disposal that promotes your expertise and builds brand awareness. Plus, depending on your content management system, you can even track your readers’ actions on your blog through blog analytics.

What’s holding you back from blogging success? Comment below.

Interested in refreshing your blog or brainstorming posts for a new one? Let’s talk.

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What makes good content?

My number one tip for writing good content? Keep it real.

That’s because at the core of every great brand, there is an existing authenticity that tells a story, portrays core values or reflects a certain culture or personality type. This authenticity is what the target audience relates to and is often what turns everyday consumers into empowered brand loyalists.

But just as genuineness and honesty are hard for many people, achieving authenticity is often difficult for brands. It’s risky. It’s courageous. Being real means opening oneself up to criticism and critique.

So, how can we define this? Whether found on social media, blogs or company websites, here are three distinct qualities of authentic content:

1. Relevant

Authentic content doesn’t stray from the brand’s original purpose and the target audience’s interests. Fitness Magazine wouldn’t blog about a new chocolate cake recipe just as Dunkin Donuts wouldn’t tweet about the importance of daily exercise. If they did, fans of these brands might be completely thrown off. Stick by your audience, and your analytics (and your sales) will thank you.

2. Helpful

Great brands know their target audience’s likes, dislikes, tastes and preferences. That’s why great brands creating authentic content are considered helpful in their attempts to educate, entertain or benefit target audiences in one way or another.

Check out Birchbox’s YouTube channel for great examples of helpful, authentic content. It’s obvious at every level that they know their audience and deliver free, high-quality tips to consumers using that marketing knowledge, in-turn boosting their sales.

3. Original

Being you means being original. Consumers see through generic, regurgitated information that fails to stand out from the clutter of marketing messages we see each day. Sometimes, being original means taking risks—and sometimes, that’s okay!

Looking for authentic content? Let’s talk.

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