Just about every successful business has a website these days. It is a valuable hub of information for your clients and your customers, and it is essential that you keep it updated and relevant. One of the best ways that you can do this is through making sure that you keep a business blog.
The business blog has been the subject of much debate as of late. Some feel that it is not really necessary if you have good articles posted on the website whereas others feel that it is important to keeping the content rating up and keeping your position in the Google ranks and on the page searches. The latter is particularly important, as is the fact that your customers are more likely to come back to visit your site if they know that you’re going to provide rich and relevant content for them. This, in turn, will increase customer and brand loyalty so that they are more likely to purchase your products in the future. Here are some guidelines for making sure that your business blog will make an impact on your readers.
Provide Relevant Information
Your blog needs to be targeted at your ideal audience. One of the best ways that you can do this is through offering targeted and relevant information to problems that they are facing. This is one way to almost guarantee that they are going to keep coming back. For instance, if your target audience is people who are getting ready to start their own businesses, then you might consider running a post entitled “How to Register a Company.” If you specialize in organic bath products, then you might consider running a post called, “Five Ways to Deal with Blisters Naturally.”
Don’t Make It An Advertisement
Your blog can and should include information on your various specials and opportunities. That’s one of the great things about having a blog. You can publicize your deals and promo codes, and you can even offer special ones to your regular readers. The important thing though is that you don’t let it be entirely about advertising. Otherwise, you’ll very quickly erode your base. Who wants to come and read all of your advertisements? That’s pretty much spam to most of your customers, and they’re going to delete that from their inbox, so there’s no way that they’re going to come looking it up on your website.
Now this doesn’t mean that you can’t recommend your products in your informational posts. You can. Betty Crocker and Hamburger Helper, for instance, have regular blogs that contribute to food sites like All Recipes and Food Network. They do provide recipes that use their products, but they also include information on substitutions. The recipes themselves are good, and their product only appears as a regular ingredient. There aren’t any other promotions or ad related material there. That is enough to keep it from being spam.
Be Regular
Your customers are likely to come back whenever they know that you’re providing good posts. The key though is to make sure you are providing relevant and beneficial content on a regular basis. If you aren’t regular, then they won’t know when to come back. That delay means that they might in fact forget all about you, and that is never a good thing.
