Blogging started in the late 1990's and gave rise to a new era of social interaction which is now firmly embedded as a social media platform enabling millions of individuals to flex their creative writing muscles and publish content that is informative, inspiring, educational & entertaining to appeal to a select audience. In return, readers engage with the content and the blog authors enabling insight into the minds and hearts of many readers and potential customers a business would not previously had such direct access to.
So, how can blogging benefit your creative, craft or handmade business?
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1. Blogs are the most popular online method of enabling you to raise awareness that your business exists and to provide a regular showcase of your work, talent, creativity and knowledge to build, inspire and educate an audience of appreciative readers and potential customers. They can also help your audience understand both yourself & your products and services better.
2. Using your blog you can communicate en masse your expertise, inspiration, knowledge, passion and skills through teaching, demonstrating, provoking thought & supporting your readers on their own creative journey.
3. A blog assists in establishing you as a voice, a leader, an expert or as the 'go to' resource in your industry which assists in enhancing your reputation, appeal and popularity in your chosen niche. Your personality will shine through to inspire others.
4. Authentic blog content which is clearly aligned with and resonates with your readers interests & purpose will help you to build interactive relationships which over time can assist in turning them from engaged readers to appreciative buyers.
5. Having a blog that is full of useful, informative & interesting information can help attract media opportunities such as guest posting,personal appearences, featured work, media coverage and contributing to your 'social proof' as others will be effectively endorsing your views to distribute to their audiences
6. Blogs help contribute to your search engine optimization (SEO) which is one measure of how much search engines and the internet view you as a useful resource. As your blog content should naturally be full of relevant keywords associated with your business and for which you wish to be recognised online for then your search engine ranking will improve and you will become more visible in searches performed by your readers. Regularly updating your blog is a necessity as it provides search engines with continual fresh content for them to take a look at and reference.
7. If your business objectives are to make sales, become profitable, build an audience, keep existing customers loyal then a blog can help you achieve these objectives by exposing your business to a worldwide audience of potential readers and customers that you would have found it harder to access. As an added bonus, as blogs are like small children who need to be nurtured, loved and developed, they are a great tool for showing you are reliable, committed and interested enough in your readers to show up regularly and ask for nothing in return.
8. Perhaps you are an aspiring writer, teacher or leader in your field? A blog offers you an outlet to showcase your work and ideas. Readers who continually see your work, enjoy it and gain value from it will learn both yourself and your advice and views are trustworthy and likeable without ever having to meet you. Blogs have the added bonus of enabling you to hone your writing and communication skills to ensure your points are accurately & succinctly communicated!
9. Blogs are often free to set up if you start off with Blogger or Wordpress and can provide a base for structuring your social media updates. If you regularly post new content to your blog then this same content can inform your social media messages.
10. Blogs are excellent interaction and research tools as they offer the opportunity for your customers to comment and start conversations with you as steps towards building relationships which are critical for business success.
11. Useful, adding value, informative & interesting blog content can set you apart from your competition and position you as an online industry friend with benefits!
Next week I'll be writing about the do's and don'ts for successful blogs but in the meantime, with all the above benefits in mind will you start blogging to boost your business success?
1. Blogs are the most popular online method of enabling you to raise awareness that your business exists and to provide a regular showcase of your work, talent, creativity and knowledge to build, inspire and educate an audience of appreciative readers and potential customers. They can also help your audience understand both yourself & your products and services better.
2. Using your blog you can communicate en masse your expertise, inspiration, knowledge, passion and skills through teaching, demonstrating, provoking thought & supporting your readers on their own creative journey.
3. A blog assists in establishing you as a voice, a leader, an expert or as the 'go to' resource in your industry which assists in enhancing your reputation, appeal and popularity in your chosen niche. Your personality will shine through to inspire others.
4. Authentic blog content which is clearly aligned with and resonates with your readers interests & purpose will help you to build interactive relationships which over time can assist in turning them from engaged readers to appreciative buyers.
5. Having a blog that is full of useful, informative & interesting information can help attract media opportunities such as guest posting,personal appearences, featured work, media coverage and contributing to your 'social proof' as others will be effectively endorsing your views to distribute to their audiences
6. Blogs help contribute to your search engine optimization (SEO) which is one measure of how much search engines and the internet view you as a useful resource. As your blog content should naturally be full of relevant keywords associated with your business and for which you wish to be recognised online for then your search engine ranking will improve and you will become more visible in searches performed by your readers. Regularly updating your blog is a necessity as it provides search engines with continual fresh content for them to take a look at and reference.
7. If your business objectives are to make sales, become profitable, build an audience, keep existing customers loyal then a blog can help you achieve these objectives by exposing your business to a worldwide audience of potential readers and customers that you would have found it harder to access. As an added bonus, as blogs are like small children who need to be nurtured, loved and developed, they are a great tool for showing you are reliable, committed and interested enough in your readers to show up regularly and ask for nothing in return.
8. Perhaps you are an aspiring writer, teacher or leader in your field? A blog offers you an outlet to showcase your work and ideas. Readers who continually see your work, enjoy it and gain value from it will learn both yourself and your advice and views are trustworthy and likeable without ever having to meet you. Blogs have the added bonus of enabling you to hone your writing and communication skills to ensure your points are accurately & succinctly communicated!
9. Blogs are often free to set up if you start off with Blogger or Wordpress and can provide a base for structuring your social media updates. If you regularly post new content to your blog then this same content can inform your social media messages.
10. Blogs are excellent interaction and research tools as they offer the opportunity for your customers to comment and start conversations with you as steps towards building relationships which are critical for business success.
11. Useful, adding value, informative & interesting blog content can set you apart from your competition and position you as an online industry friend with benefits!
Next week I'll be writing about the do's and don'ts for successful blogs but in the meantime, with all the above benefits in mind will you start blogging to boost your business success?
