5 Reasons Your Business Needs a Blog
- Posted: May 10, 2010 by Stacey Abler
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Do you think your business website engages your customers enough on its own? Think you can get by without adding a business blog to your marketing mix?
Think again.
Blogging for your business is an extra way to connect to your customers. It not only gives you a way to put out immediate updates and news about your business, it also allows your customers to interact with you. A good blog that is updated on a regular basis can put you above the competition in the mind of your customer.
1. Search engines love blogs.
Did you hear that? Search engines will give your blog love before it gives it to your website. Why? For one, your blog content is more likely to be filled with relevant keywords about your products and services. Two, if you are doing it right, your blog is updated a lot more often than your website is. Three, it is more likely that you will gain backlinks from other sites to your blog than your website.
2. It allows customers to connect.
When you start a blog about your business, it allows your customers to see the people behind the brand. People like to interact with people, not a logo. Having the blog out there to talk about what is new, what is happening in the industry and what makes your business what it is can draw people in.
3. It can provide valuable feedback.
When you allow customers to comment on your blog posts, you can gain tremendous insight into what they believe as customers. Are they excited about the upcoming release? Do they wish a current product also had feature xyz? Are they giving high praise or complaining about your telephone support? It is a way to get the information straight from the customer in an unedited form. Studies have shown that customers who have a complaint solved by the company have a higher satisfaction rating than the customers who never had a complaint at all. Encourage feedback throughout your blog and make commenting simple.
4. It allows instant updates.
Your website may require your technical department or your web designer to make updates. Any updates that you wish to have made may need to be worked into their busy schedules. With the ease of blogging software, any one can post updates to the blog that can be published within minutes to the world. This can be invaluable in crisis communication situations as well. Let your customers know that up-to-date information is always available through your blog. Make it the news source for your business.
5. It is inexpensive.
Wordpress is free. All you need for a blog is a hosting account which will run less than $10 per month. Or you can even piggyback onto your current business hosting account making adding a blog completely free. While making updates to your website may result in hundreds, if not thousands, in charges from your web designer, making updates to a blog will only require time if it is done in-house. Even if you outsource it to a business writer, it is likely to be less expensive than web design updates.
Add a blog to your website and commit to keeping it updated with content that your customers will find useful. A few final tips:
- Insert some personality in your posts so that customers (and potential customers) can be introduced to the people behind the brand.
- Proof your posts before they are published.
- Make blogging a priority in your marketing business plan.
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Why Hire a Freelance Business Writer?
- Posted: April 19, 2010 by Stacey Abler
Professional freelance writers can assist you in boosting your business to the next level. Whether you need web content or press releases, a freelance writer can craft all of your written pieces for you in an effective manner that will draw potential clients into your business. A simple typo or content that does not grab your readers can easily turn into a missed opportunity. A professional copywriter will capitalize on those opportunities to help your business succeed.
1. Freelance writers know their craft.
Just as you wouldn’t trust the accounting function of your business to someone with no background in accounting, you shouldn’t trust the image of your business to someone who does not have experience in creating and managing that image. A freelance writer is well versed and experienced in delivering content for your business that will convert visitors into customers. Well written content, especially online, can increase visibility for your business within your chosen target markets.
2. Freelance writers can save you money.
When working with a professional freelance writer, there is no learning curve. You will receive copy for your business needs that is on target according to your request. There is no training of new employees, paid classes for employees to attend or hand holding needed. Hiring a professional to handle your business writing needs can save time, money and headaches.
3. Freelance writers create killer content.
Freelance writers, especially here at Simply Creative Writer, can create killer content for your business that engages the reader and leaves them wanting more. As part of an overall marketing and image campaign, content can be delivered in a way that improves your business in the eyes of your target market. It can create credibility and trust with your markets making you the business they turn to when they are in need of services and products. In fact, we can create customer needs and wants that they did not even realize they had.
However, that being said, not all freelance writers are created equal. Frankly, anyone can call themselves a writer. What you need to accomplish the goals of your business is a writer who possesses the experience, education and expertise to do it right the first time. There are cheap content providers all over the internet. But the old saying of ‘you get what you pay for’ holds true today.
Invest in your business by investing in a professional copywriter for it. The bottom line along with your site statistics will prove a smart business move was made.