When you think of a blog, what do you think? Do you think of the mommy bloggers and how they are chatting about cleaning house, tips and tricks of raising kids on a budget? Do you think of the heath nut who shares the right foods to eat and exercise? Do you see it as just a longer and bigger (much bigger) version of the social media status – this is what I did this weekend? Do you see it as a travel agent journal entry?
A blog is…
Well, a blog is all of these things! All of them are folks sharing their experience and expertise in whatever they love, like or do and just sharing it with the world. This is a great opportunity for business owners to do just that, share their experience in the industry. What better way to take apart your products and services and explain, in detail, each and every moving part, but in a manner that helps your consumers learn more about your business.
An Example – SEO Blog
Take search engine optimization (SEO) for example, a very complicated topic and a lot of folks just don’t understand it. Don’t get me going about how things constantly change, or about the algorithm and how that changes often. Essentially, the basics are the same – which is you need to provide valuable content that shows you are an authority in your industry to the consumer. This, in turn, it rated by search engines, along with background ninja seo tricks like link building, internal links, meta data like descriptions and title tags. However, folks may not understand it and not understand how I can help them – either by doing the work for them, or actually teaching them how to DIY.
Why I blog
So, I blog… trust me, it isn’t because I am a mommy blogger and love to do it (not saying they all do either) but because my industry is often misunderstood, but essential and I want small business owners to be able to compete. The internet is a wonderful thing – it gives small business owners the opportunity to take a piece of real estate and share their business, just like bigger business.
I don’t always have the opportunity to speak with people in that they don’t understand enough to reach out or don’t see the value. If you don’t see the value, then it’s likely you don’t understand. I want to be sure you understand at least bits and pieces and I want to provide you with the tools to improve your real estate on the internet. So, I provide blogs that take pieces of what I do to help lay down the law, per say and explain the pieces of SEO and how YOU, the business owner, can educate yourself about it.
This way you can learn how to optimize your website, make your website more readable, provide more value to your consumers all while giving your website a better opportunity to show up in search, increase in your search engine rankings and therefore reach more potential consumers.
Why YOU should blog
Blogging gives YOU the same opportunity to explain your products and services to your consumers. I love when MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) folks tell me that they have a template site. My response is, that is a choice, you can ALWAYS create your own website and blog about your products, then redirect to your template site when they are ready to buy.
Blogging sets you apart from your competition because you are taking the extra time to try to reach followers and provide THEM about your industry. Remember, it isn’t about us, it’s about them. We need to help them understand.
Blogging sets you apart and makes you an expert in your industry + it's great for SEO value! Click To TweetBlogging makes you the industry expert!
Blogging makes you human because your personality usually comes out, I know mine does, and people see that I am real and hopefully my passion for what I am doing comes out. I truly want to help consumers.
I hope this has been helpful, please let me know if you have any questions about blogging or search engine optimization. Contact me, I’d love to help.
So, why do YOU blog? If you aren’t blogging, what’s holding you back?
~Kristen
Appreciate the reminder about the connection between blogging and SEO value. I need to remember my blogging is valuable to develop my brand ONLINE and is a way to engage with others around the world – multiple benefits!!
Thanks LiZ, glad to help.. and yes, blogging provides so much more than just SEO value, but value to your customers!
All fabulous reasons to blog. I love to bring topics that are pertinent to my target market– usually florida or Tampa related. My goal in blogging is to be a “go to source” for things in the Bay!
You do a great job by providing value to your Tampa followers, for sure!
Excellent article, Kristen. Hopefully people will realize that there are things they can do to make their blogs better and if not, they will ask you for help! I like the way you explain things a bit at a time, just enough to understand and not feel overwhelmed.
Thanks Beth, I hope so too. I have gotten a few clients from sharing my experience via my blogs. I’m glad that I explain them in bite sized pieces for you and everyone else. Thanks!
Kristen, you have helped me so, so much with SEO! I can’t say enough to everyone reading this, ask for Kristen’s help. She will teach you how to DIY your SEO and how to optimize your website. I’m also learning that blogging regularly is of great benefit to my business. Great post, girl!
Thanks so much Carol. It was a pleasure working with you and glad that you learned a lot from our consult but from my blogs as well. I only hope it helps to improve your business! 😉
Great article! When I first started writing blogs I found it difficult to come up with topics and honestly my heart wasn’t into it. but as I continued, I realized how important it was in regards to connecting with clients and potential clients.
Sometimes it is hard Lisa and the funny thing, I find quite a few of my ideas from folks in our group and from the pains that you all have as well as my clients.. what they need and want to know more about. Thanks!
Love your bite -sized nuggets. Easy to follow and learn from. When we first started blogging I looked at what other jewelry designers were blogging about. Most used it just to display new pieces. With a visual product like jewelry & fashion it seemed that was all that everyone was doing. But because I seemed to get into groups with many social media folk talking about content, we dug into writing content that gives real info to our readers and relates to our product so we can tie it together. Some weeks are easier than others. We spend close to 10 hours to create a blog. Might switch to alternate weeks as they are so demanding. We want to produce quality over quantity, so that might be our adjustment.
Wow.. that IS a lot of time to create a blog, but hopefully it provides your consumers with more than “just a piece of jewelry” which is what I get from it… you put more into it and thank you for that… however, varying it up a bit can be helpful too. 🙂
After reading this post, I’m even happier that I’ve started to USE my blog!!!
And I am Happy that you started to blog too! 🙂
Blogging is an awesome way to engage with many people and Let them see who you are and what sets you apart from others. As long as you provide valuable content and blog often it should really make an impact on people. Blogging only now and then won’t keep potential customers interested and also will make them forget you.
You are so right Mike, as long as we continue to provide valuable content it WILL make an impact. I know you get that!
I blog because my business mentors have told me that is the cornerstone of my online business. I blog because sometimes I have points of view I want to share. But mostly, I blog because I want to be useful to my readers.
Yea, I hear you… that’s how I started, because I NEEDED to… and it HAS made an impact, provides value on social media and my newsletters, so win win!
Blogging is a way of life of a writer. It can empower the writer to influence other people to make life changes for the better and other issues pertaining to personal and business lives.
Thanks Lorii, this is true.
Really well framed, Kristen.
My blog might be the single most important action I’ve taken to position myself in digital marketing.
Let’s make that the one-two combo of a blog combined with email marketing to my database.
It definitley often takes me about 10 hours/week to write the one blog –but I get to repupose it in so many ways, I need to say the time is well spent.
It would be too hard to write 3 or 4 like so many experts recommend, so I rely on acquring content through places like Swayy. So, I can go play, too!
Thanks Sharon, I appreciate it. That’s great that you understand that about your blog.. it really is vital to your business…and mine takes a long time, but not that long! LOL
I started a blog because I knew it was a perfect way to support other women who may have struggled with stress and confidence issues. I also realised that sharing your blog on social media is a good way to get traffic to your website.
Writing has always been a challenge for me and by doing it I feel that I am walking the talk and pushing myself outside of my comfort zone. So for me writing a blog will also help me grow as a person and further develop my writing skills,
Yes, so true… and it helps all people.. but gives you the opportunity to pick out a piece of something and focus on it.
Get out of that comfort zone girl.. you’ve done great so far!
I happen to love blogging and completely embrace it as part of a marketing strategy . I think any business needs one so if there is no one who wants the responsibility to consistently create the content, hire someone.
Yes, I can tell that you do…and you do it well Beth! I agree, if all else fails.. outsource!
I agree blogging allows small business to compete with big business. Thank you for sharing.
Yes, thanks Vicky!