Should Your Small Business Have a Blog?

There are many benefits to writing frequent blog posts — as long as the topics are relevant to your business. The simple answer to whether your small business should have a blog is “Yes, if you have a website.” Of course, every small business owner should have a website. Even if you’re not selling products online, a website can help people learn more about what you offer and give you a chance to collect their contact information.

Benefits of a Blog

Having a blog creates an opportunity for you to drive new traffic to your website. You can be active by posting links to your blog on social media and in newsletters. You can also sit back reap the benefits that new, relevant content can have on Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

In a recent Wyoming Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network webinar, nationally-recognized digital marketing expert Eric Spellmann stressed the importance of updated blogs. Spellmann says having original and recent content on your website will help you rank higher in search engine results.

How to Write a Blog

To get the most out of your blog, try to stick the following guidelines:

• Make it relevant. Your blog posts should contain information that you as a business owner are an expert in. It should also address topics that your target market wants to know.
• Make it original. Don’t copy the information from another website. The key here is to create unique content that your customers (and search engines) can’t find anywhere else online.
• Keep it recent. Each day that passes is a day that your content gets less prioritization in search engine results. However, don’t just re-post or slightly edit your old content. Search engines will know if similar content already exists and may ignore it.
• Be Yourself. You talk with people every day. During those conversations, you are always on topic, discussing something you haven’t already covered with them and speaking in easy-to-understand terms. These are the same qualities that make an effective blog post.

Your best resource for creating blog posts, websites and business strategies is your local Wyoming SBDC Network advisor. These experts can personally help you come up with a plan to raise awareness, capture customers and increase your sales. To get started with no-cost, confidential assistance anywhere in Wyoming, click here.

Bonus Tip

The important part is having new content. You don’t even have to call it a blog. For example, you could call it a Biz Tip (See, blogs do get people to your website. It got you here!).

 

About the Author: Prior to joining the Wyoming SBDC Network, Jake spent 12 years working in television news before crossing to the other side of media as Director of Public Relations for ISU’s health care programs — which make up one third of the university. In his current role, Jake oversees the marketing efforts for the entire Wyoming SBDC Network. When he’s not in the office, Jake enjoys road trips, going to the movies and tackling new home renovation projects with his wife.