A blog is a great way to regularly connect with website visitors, while also imparting essential information about your business and/or industry. However, blogging for business is much different than personal blogging. Personal blogs are often filled with anecdotes and opinions that give a glimpse into the life of an individual. Business blogging, however, introduces visitors to your company while also establishing trustworthiness and knowledge in your industry of choice. Choosing appropriate topics and connecting with your audience are key to the success of your business blog.
Topic choices depend on posting frequency. If you plan to post once a week, then your topics need to be relevant enough to carry readers from one week to the next. If you plan to post two to three times weekly, then you have some flexibility. You might post a blog on a specific product or service, another on an industry topic and then a third on a trending topic. Each different post will appeal to different segments of your larger audience and incentivize readers to return on the days you post to read more.
Connecting with your audience requires writing in a way that is appropriate for your industry. For example, readers of a legal blog may expect an informative, even formal voice. Conversely, visitors reading a pet grooming company’s blog would expect a more conversational tone filled with pet-related colloquialism. Your blog writing style should also match the tone of your website content, since this is how visitors now identify you from an online perspective.
One of the best ways to connect with your audience when blogging for business is to engage in every possible way. Ask questions throughout your post. Request comments. Share posts on social media and ask for feedback. Ask for reader submissions, perhaps a photo relating to a topic on which you’ve written recently and offer to post it. Run special promotions and contests through your blog and highlight visitors who’ve entered. The more you can engage visitors on your blog, the more faithful they will be in terms of readership. This makes it more likely that they will not only return, but also that they will share your blogs with other people. The result of this consistent readership and sharing is an increase in the number of unique visitors to your website, which increases conversion rates for sales and contact information.
Accuracy is also important when blogging for business, since part of the purpose of posting is to establish trust. Research even the most general facts and insist on accuracy for anyone else who may post on your site or under your business name.
Blogging for business allows you to have an ongoing conversation with customers – existing and potential. Make the most of the opportunity by taking the correct approach from the outset to ensure that you get maximum benefit from your efforts.
