When considering a marketing strategy, most business owners and executives will think primarily of print or digital advertising campaigns that include mailings, e-mail blasts, or signage. While these can certainly be effective tactics, one commonly overlooked marketing tool is blogging. Whether it’s because blogging is misunderstood or seems outdated, some ad execs don’t take blogging seriously. However, especially for small businesses or businesses just getting started, blogging can be an extremely cost-effective way to get your company’s message in front of the public.
Find Your Audience
Blogging allows you to bring in an audience utilizing your writing. You’re reaching out to millions of internet users and you’re offering them a service with your blog. Customers will appreciate that you are not just pitching, you’re offering them something for free. If you’re concerned that you don’t possess the writing skills necessary or the time required to blog regularly, consider investing in a monthly blog writing service. Creating fresh content regularly is a great way to continue attracting clients.
Potential clients may find you by your blog and then be more receptive to cold calls or more traditional marketing. Think of blogging as a way to “warm up” a reader to the idea of becoming a customer. By the time someone has read a few blog posts, they may establish a feeling of familiarity that makes them more likely to be receptive to your pitch.
Tell Your Story
Blogging can be an effective way to get your story out to the public using your own words. Normally, marketing materials focus on using as few words as possible to get the point across. Blogging allows you to dive deep into your company’s history, your expertise in the industry, and why you do what you do. Consider blogs as a way to confirm to your audience why they should choose your product or service by emphasizing to them how well you know your stuff.
You may also utilize a blog to put a personal touch on your business’s image. Including pictures of the company’s founding family, workers and their families, and shots inside your facilities can help your audience feel connected to your business and perhaps more trusting of your business’s message. Blog posts don’t have to be long. You can utilize several shorter posts over a period of time to keep the blog fresh and stay current.
Create Opportunities
Your blog audience isn’t limited to your e-mail or mailing list. It’s not limited by your client database or to individuals in your industry. The blog is for anyone and everyone to consume and may therefore create opportunities otherwise missed by standard marketing campaigns. Perhaps an individual in an academic position reads your blog and asks you to speak as a subject-matter expert at a conference. That opportunity may connect you with experts in your field that you never would have normally reached. Maybe someone reads one of your posts and is so impressed by your facility pictures that they request a tour. They bring some of their colleagues and thereby you can grow your network without any out-of-pocket cost.
Whether or not you enjoy writing, blogging can be an effective marketing tool for your business. Blog posts can attract audiences of all types, tell your story in an effective, personal manner, and create opportunities to collaborate outside of your normal industry network. If the thought of creating the posts yourself is intimidating, check into a service that can provide monthly posts for you. Regardless of how you create it, a blog can be an effective tool to project your business’s mission and goals.
