Why Your Business Needs a Blog

Does Your Business Need A Blog?
Do you want to grow your business? Do you want an effective digital marketing strategy? Do you want to stay competitive in your industry? Do you want your business or organization to remain relevant? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you must incorporate a blog into your marketing strategy. Whether you are experienced with blogs but want fresh ideas for site content or you’re starting a brand new blog, Invite Them Home has the skills and expertise to make your website stand out from the competition.

The Statistics:

According to TechClient, having a business blog on your website increases your chances of ranking higher in search by a whopping 434%.
Hubspot claims business owners that publish 16 or more blog posts per month generate 4.5 times more leads than those that publish 4 posts or fewer.
Businesses with a blog get 97% more links to their websites.
Businesses increase their overall website visitors by 55% when their site features a blog.
Investing time and money into your blog increases your chance of profiting from your website by 13x.
59% of B2B marketing professionals say business blogs are the most useful way to bring traffic to a website.

^How can blogging help your businesses or organization? 5 Reasons to Blog
^How do I start a business blog? What do you need from me?
^What steps should you take to start a small business blog?
^What makes quality small business blog content?
^How long should a blog posts be?
^How can I find great topics for my Blog?
^FAQS
^The take away

How can blogging help your businesses or organization? 5 Reasons to Blog

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1. It invites them home!

As we saw earlier, blogs increase website traffic by an average of 55%. That makes blogs one of the easiest and most cost-effective business strategies for getting people to your site. As small business owners know, increased web traffic means increased leads and sales, resulting in increased revenue. Blog posts allow you to cover a narrow subject in depth, which search engines and visitors love. Invite your prospects home to your website by sharing success stories, how-to articles, and other content designed to answer questions.

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2. Improves Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Blogs increase the chance of your website ranking higher with search engines by 434%. Blogging provides an incredible boost to your SEO performance, positioning you in a way that answers potential customers’ inquiries more quickly and accurately. Through thoughtful utilization of on-page tactics, blog posts help drive traffic and ranking by making it easier for your target clientele to find you through search engines like Google.

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3. Builds credibility

Quality blog content can build credibility for your website and your brand. According to Forbes, having a blog post with valid statistics, expert sources, images and illustrations can increase customer confidence in your small business. Your blog also lets you portray your business, large or small, as a subject matter expert in your particular trade or industry by answering questions relevant to your market and offering customers practical advice.

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4. Keeps current and potential customers engaged

By creating blogs tailored to customer queries, businesses can engage with their customers on a deeper level. Through long-form content that provides relevant and helpful information, brands can show customers they value them by listening to what they have to say, which encourages sharing experiences. This is an invaluable form of feedback for marketers who want to build loyalty amongst current consumers whilst designing new products according to detailed insights from those individuals.

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5. Drives social media and email marketing campaigns

Blog posts give you accessible content to add to your social media marketing and email campaigns. Small business owners like you are often limited in time and resources. Invite Them Home will help you maximize your digital presence and increase sales opportunities by cross-posting content across platforms.

How do I start a business blog? What do you need from me?

According to Orbit Media, the average blog post length is 1,416 words, with the best small business blogs averaging 2,250 – 2,500 words a piece. This means a quality blog post can take about 4 hours to write! Add to it that small businesses that post 4 or more blog posts per week increase traffic 3.5x more than websites that post one or fewer weekly, and that may seem daunting for most small business owners. Thankfully, ITH is here to help! You know your own business more than anyone, and we know the ins and outs of business blogging. We will take care of the writing for you so you can focus on running your business while reaping the benefits of an effective small business blog.

The Interview

We can gather information about your business by conducting an interview with you or your staff. Invite Them Home begins all of our customer relationships with extensive conversations to understand your company, your target audience, and your goals for the future of your business. Typically, these interviews last about an hour. After these initial interviews, we start brainstorming for interesting blog topics once we have a solid sense of your small business and what you do. Of course, the most effective type of content depends on the industry and the topics covered during our conversation.

The Draft Optimization

Some of our customers have their own ideas and like to draft a blog post or two before we meet. You are most familiar with industry trends and your particular customer base, so you may be comfortable writing a rough draft or outline for a relevant blog post. Some clients have attempted to use AI resources like ChatGPT to develop a starting point for their blogs. This technology is still in its infancy, so many small business owners who have gone this route have found that what the AI produces needs to be edited quite extensively. Thankfully, we have the skills to take these raw sketches and polish them into beautiful business blog content.

The Ground Up

Some small businesses don’t have the time or resources to conduct an interview or develop a draft blog post. That’s okay! This is especially common for a new or local business that relies on traditional advertising. Our copywriters will work to create blog posts and articles that are not only interesting but showcase what your small business does best. We will research your industry and develop a content strategy that will result in blog traffic and, ultimately, lead generation.

What steps should you take to start a small business blog?

Start by identifying your ideal customer.

There are five primary considerations of a quality business blog. Your goal is to create content that will resonate with your target audience, and these steps will help.. Start by identifying your ideal customer. Who is your target market? This will influence your blog’s tone and the language we use when we write. For example, are your ideal customers experts in the industry or should we keep things simple? Conduct SEO research so you can provide quality information. This is our time to shine! Invite Them Home has cutting-edge research tools to ensure your blog posts have the best search engine optimization possible.

Create a draft with compelling content.

After you’ve done your research (or better yet, had Invite Them Home take care of the research for you!) and have a solid handle on the business trends in your industry. You will now have the inspiration for relevant blog content to draw in your target audience. Our copywriters are excellent at taking the seeds of a blog post and turning them into a flourishing product. Publish on your blog site and use optimization tools. Once you’ve written your long-form content that reflects the strengths of your small business, you’re ready to go live. We will help you with the publishing process and ensure your posts have competitive SEO to rank your website as high as possible on Google search.

Promote by integrating social media marketing and email marketing to draw in more readers.

Businesses that don’t publish and promote content miss out on a significant growth opportunity. The latest online purchasing statistics show that the best small business blogs are instrumental in business longevity. Not only can blogging help you generate leads, but it also enables you to strengthen relationships with prospects by providing useful educational material throughout their discovery journey of your product or service. As such, incorporating regular posting into your overall plan should be considered paramount for sustained success in the digital sphere.

What makes quality small business blog content?

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Evergreen content

If you want your business blog to remain successful over the long term, evergreen content is an important component of a comprehensive publishing strategy. Evergreen content will be relevant to current and future readers, no matter when they encounter your blog post. While it may be tempting to focus on posts that garner immediate attention – such as responding quickly to popular trends or breaking news in your industry – if these posts aren’t supported with solid foundational material like timeless articles and how-to guides, readers won’t continue visiting for the long haul.

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Quality headlines

For small business blogs, it’s essential to capture readers’ attention from the get-go with irresistible headlines. Your audience has a short attention span, so a headline can be more influential than what lies beneath. Don’t let a fantastic content piece go unseen due to bland headings! The headlines of your blog posts need to be eye-catching for maximum appeal. Readers are attracted to headings that offer useful tips, especially in a numbered listicle style.

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Effective and strategic keywords

If you want to drive significantly more traffic to your small business blog, SEO using effective keywords has to be a part of your strategy. Invite Them Home will take this off your hands! We will research small business trends in your industry using our professional SEO tools and utilize the right amount of keywords in the right ways to bring search traffic to your site. Think of keywords like spices; you need them to “flavor” your small business blog, but you don’t want to over-season and turn search engines away.

How long should a blog posts be?

The question of how long your blog posts should be can be answered with insights from Orbit Media. They state that the average blog post length is 1,416 words, with the best small business blogs averaging 2,250 – 2,500 words per post. These numbers may seem daunting, as it can take around 4 hours to write a quality blog post of this length. However, it’s important to note that small businesses that post 4 or more blog posts per week can increase their website traffic by 3.5 times compared to those who post one or fewer blogs monthly.

While these statistics offer valuable information, it’s crucial to consider a broader perspective on blog post length. There is no definitive answer to this question, and it varies depending on factors such as industry and audience preferences. Research from experts adds more insights to the discussion. For instance, Backlinko analyzed 11.8 million search results and found that the average first-page result on Google contained 1,447 words. This suggests that longer blog posts might have a higher chance of ranking well on search engines.

Additionally, digital marketing expert Neil Patel suggests that the average blog post should be between 1,100 and 2,700 words, depending on the industry. Hubspot’s analysis of their top 50 performing blogs also offers valuable findings. They recommend a word count between 2,100 and 2,400 words. However, it is worth noting that one-third of these successful posts were under 1,500 words.

Ultimately, focusing on producing valuable content that resonates with your audience is essential rather than solely fixating on word count. While the statistics provided by Orbit Media shed light on average blog post lengths, the broader insights from Their article suggest that quality and relevance are paramount.

At ITH, we understand the challenges of maintaining a consistent blog while running a small business. Let us take care of the writing for you, ensuring your blog posts are effective and aligned with your business goals.

How can I find great topics for my Blog?

Finding great blog topics involves understanding your audience, staying updated with industry trends, and leveraging various tools and strategies to generate ideas. One of the best ways to choose topics is to share success stories on how your company or organization has met your clients’ needs. Share your personal experience and talk about the problems, challenges, and ultimate resolution of an application of your product or service. Here are some practical ways to discover engaging topics:

✔ Know Your Audience: Understand your target audience’s interests, needs, and challenges. Use surveys, social media interactions, and comments on your blog to gather insights about what your readers want to know.

✔ Use Keyword Research Tools: Tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, and Ahrefs can help you find popular search queries related to your niche. This not only helps in generating topic ideas but also aids in SEO.

✔ Analyze Competitors: Look at what your competitors are writing about. Identify gaps in their content that you can fill or topics you can cover from a different angle.

✔ Follow Industry News and Trends: Stay updated with the latest developments in your field by following relevant news sites, industry blogs, and social media accounts. This can help you write timely and relevant content.

✔ Leverage Social Media: Platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Reddit can be great sources for trending topics. Look for questions people are asking or topics that are generating a lot of discussions.

✔ Use Content Idea Generators: Tools like HubSpot’s Blog Ideas Generator or Portent’s Content Idea Generator can provide creative prompts based on the keywords you input.

✔ Attend Webinars and Conferences:These can be excellent sources of inspiration, offering insights into current trends, challenges, and innovations in your industry.

✔ Read Books, Academic Journals, and online industry publications: They can provide depth to your understanding of various subjects, allowing you to explore topics that interest your audience in greater detail.

✔ Listen to Your Audience: Direct feedback from your readers through comments, emails, or social media can provide direct requests for topics they’re interested in.

✔ SEO Assistant and SERP Analysis: Utilize SEO tools and services that can provide insights into what people are searching for online, including questions they need answers to related to your niche.

✔ By combining these strategies, you can continuously generate fresh and relevant content ideas that engage your audience, improve your blog’s SEO, and establish your authority in your niche.

FAQs

How can blogging be used to inform, guide, or entertain visitors?

Blogging can be used to inform, guide, or entertain visitors by creating blog posts on specific topics related to your business. By addressing the interests and needs of your target audience, you can provide valuable information, guidance, or entertainment, keeping visitors engaged and interested in your brand.

How can blogging strike a balance between increasing the chance of a sale without being too promotional?

Blogging can strike a balance between increasing the chance of a sale without being too promotional by focusing on providing valuable content. While it is acceptable to include links to your sales pages, the bulk of your blog posts should be informative, guiding, or entertaining for your visitors. You can establish trust and authority by offering helpful information, increasing the likelihood of a sale without aggressively pushing for it.

How can blogging serve as an introductory point for customers?

Blogging can serve as an introductory point for customers by being a site visitor’s first interaction with your brand. It provides an opportunity to showcase your brand’s personality and tone of voice, letting visitors know what your business is all about. You can create a positive first impression and build a connection with your audience through engaging and informative blog posts.

How can blogging be used to work on SEO and target audience search queries?

Blogging can be used to work on SEO and target audience search queries by conducting basic keyword research to identify what your target audience is likely to be searching for. Creating blog posts addressing these specific keywords and topics can improve your website’s visibility in search engine results and attract potential customers.

How can blog content contribute to becoming the customer’s preferred brand of choice?

Blog content can contribute to becoming the customer’s preferred brand of choice by consistently providing relevant and valuable information. By addressing common problems and offering solutions, brands can position themselves as experts and problem-solvers in their industry. This positions the brand as a trusted resource for customers, building credibility and trust. Regularly updating content and engaging with customers through blog posts also helps to build a relationship and connection, making the brand more memorable and likely to be chosen as the customer’s preferred brand.

How can engaging with customers through blog content help in generating future content?

Engaging with customers through blog content provides the opportunity to generate future content. By featuring customer photos, feedback, and stories, brands can motivate others to get in touch and share their experiences. These interactions and insights from customers can serve as valuable sources of inspiration for creating future content. By actively encouraging engagement and participation, brands can continue to generate fresh and relevant content that resonates with their audience.

What types of blog content should be created to connect with the audience?

To connect with the audience, blog content should be tailored to address the common problems or challenges that they might be experiencing. Writing about these issues and offering solutions that the brand can provide shows that the brand understands the customer’s needs and can offer valuable assistance. Additionally, informative guides and demonstrations using the brand’s products can be created to add value to the customers’ experience. Featuring customer photos, feedback, and stories can also encourage engagement and motivate others to share their experiences, creating a sense of community and connection.

What is the negative impact of not updating blog content on the brand’s connection with its audience?

If a brand fails to update its blog content, it can have a negative impact on the brand’s connection with its audience. When visitors see that the content is stagnant and unlikely to change, they may perceive the brand as unengaged or uninterested. This lack of commitment to updating content diminishes the incentive for visitors to make a future connection, potentially leading them to seek information and engagement elsewhere.

How does regular communication with current customers help build trust and cement the existing relationship?

Regular communication with current customers helps build trust and strengthen the existing relationship by providing an opportunity to engage with them on a deeper level. By consistently communicating through blog content, brands can show their customers that they value their opinions and feedback. This act of listening and addressing customer queries and concerns helps establish trust and loyalty, ultimately cementing the relationship.

What is the significance of producing deeper and more detailed blog posts in terms of SEO?

In-depth and detailed blog posts contribute to your brand’s position as an authoritative thought leader. They help your prospects see that your organization is known for innovation and creativity within your industry. Use this blog post as an example; it dives deeper into the subject of effective blog posts than most posts you will see, which is why you are reading this one.

Why is it important for a company to be seen as an authority in the industry through blog content?

Blogging with a view to establishing the organization as an authority in its field enhances authenticity; customers can easily trust their brand as such, considering them knowledgeable sources or even industry leaders.

How can 'how-to' guides on technical services help in teaching clients?

Technical service “how-to” guides can break down complex information into simple language that helps consumers grasp it better, enabling them to use a related product or service. In addition, they can reduce support costs as your customers can learn how to apply your products or services to their situation. In fact, mine your support staff for questions or issues they commonly face, and blog about the issue and answers.

How can customer case studies be used to teach and explain products and services?

Customer case studies provide practical examples of how real-life customers have benefited from particular goods or services. Case studies let your readers see how clients with similar needs have used your products to solve real-world problems. If your case studies are well done, they can serve as virtual demos. Of course, if you are able to quote real customers, they will also build credibility for your organization and its products.

The Take Away

Your small business needs a blog. Period.

Blogging is a powerful way of reaching and engaging with your audience
Business blogging is one of the top marketing strategies in 2023
A quality blog post is one of the cheapest ways small businesses can up their digital marketing strategy
Long-form content (1500+ words) is the most successful and profitable type of blog post
Business blogs are key to attracting the right web traffic
Blogging is an essential part of lead generation and making more sales for small business owners

Let us show you how Invite Them Home produces some of the best small business blogs out there with minimal burden to our customers. Contact us today and see why small business owners trust us with their content marketing!

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