Does My Business Need a Blog?

If you predominantly rely on the big wonderful world of web for business, the answer is probably yes. “Why?” I hear you ask incredulously. “Isn’t a blog just one of those self-indulgent life stories that details everything someone’s done since the day they realised they could cook or knit or get buff?”

Yes and no. To a person who wants to tell a story, whatever that story might be, a blog is awesome to get that story out there. For a business, though, creating and maintaining a blog could be the one thing that sets you apart from your competitors, and gets more traffic through your doors, not theirs.

Here are four reasons why we think it’s important for businesses to have their own blogs, and how you can make yours work for you.

1. A blog makes it easy for people to find you when they ask Google a question. Think about the kinds of things you search for when you go to Google. “Auckland dining.” “North Shore waxing.” “Why is the sun square?” Or whatever. Now, if I was an Auckland restaurant or a North Shore beauty therapist, I’d want to appear pretty high up on those “Auckland dining” or “North Shore waxing” Google search results. What would make my chances better? Having a blog. The more you write about stuff that is relevant to your business, the more people will find you in their own Google searches. Your blog posts need to have a purpose that’s relevant to your business. You also need to carefully choose the words you use; if your posts don’t include the words potential clients use to search for your business online, they’re not going to find you. The wonderful search machine called Google prioritises fresh, original, relevant content, so the more original, relevant and valuable your posts are, the higher they’ll rank and the more likely people will find them.
2. Create trust and respect. The more you post, the more it looks like you know what you’re talking about – and that you’re a human, not a robot. That being said, it’s important you do actually know what you’re talking about, and that it relates to your business. There’s no point offering wisdom on who to vote for in the upcoming election if you’re an accountant (besides it being a bit illegal). Those are your personal views, not your business views, and it’s essential you keep them separate. Instead, write a blog about the pros and cons of Xero versus MYOB, and you’ve got something that’s relevant to your business and useful for your clients.
3. Give your clients the chance to communicate with you. Having a kick-arse website is all well and good, but once it’s set up, you probably won’t change it for ages. Your blog is the perfect opportunity to keep reminding people who are you and why you exist. Posting a blog post gives your clients a chance to read about you, what you’re doing or something that you’re an expert in, then keeps you front of mind next time they need to go to someone for your particular service. The more you update, the more you look like a real person who is interested in your client base.
4. Create and develop your business tone and identity. You think you’re cool. Your office is cool. Cool people want to work for you. You’ve got a cool new product launching soon. But no one knows about your coolness … except you. A blog gives you the chance to tell people how awesome you are without having to contact them all one by one. If you’re in the process of reinventing your brand, use your blog to reintroduce your values and visions.
5. Be the solution to everyone’s problems. The fact that a potential client has to go to Google to find a solution to a problem means there’s some kind of disjoint between the knowledge in that person’s head and your business. Create valuable content, though, and your business can offer the solution. If you’re in marketing, write blogs about the services you offer and why they’re good for business. If you’re a wedding photographer, regularly update your portfolio then partner with someone who’s either organised a wedding before or is a wedding planner so you can also offer inspiration for almost-brides. The more useful your content is, the more useful your business will become.

If you were asking “Does my business need a blog?” and you’ve decided the answer is yes – but you’re not sure you can handle all that writing and regularity – contact the Lingo team. We’re ready and waiting to point you in the right direction.