6 Steps to writing a small business blog

In an age where many small businesses are operating online, it is important to make sure that yours will stand out from the crowd. One of the ways to reach consumers is blogging. Though blogging can be an extremely successful way to reach out, it is also one of the most common and most difficult. Here are six tips that will help you get on your way to writing an appealing blog for your small business!

1. Content: There are two important things to remember when writing the content for your blog. First, you must always keep in mind that you are writing for the customer.  Knowing your audience is essential when selecting the type of promotion you wish to run.  Second, realize the customer only has so much time to read so their attention span in general, may be short. When writing content write about the questions that the customers would want to know or be interested in, not just about how great your product or service is.  Remember, you are writing a blog to keep them interested and engaged not to push a product or service in their face.

2. Connection: As stated above, you are writing this blog for the customer. In many cases making a connection with the customer and letting them in on your life can be a big step in developing a long term relationship that will lead to consistent sales and recommendations. Every now and then write about what is going on in your life. Make it relevant to your industry, do not write about your gran having gall stones or your son eating glue. Instead, write about an event that has happened to you recently that is pertinent to your audience and their interests.

3. Credibility: Do not write a blog post on something that you have heard or think is correct. Unless your business is celebrity gossip you do not want to become the next “Tabloid”. Make sure you check your facts and once you are sure everything is accurate check them again! Nothing looks worse on a seller than writing something that is completely untrue. How can any buyer trust your product or service if they can’t even trust you?

4. Headlines: Anyone who has ever written a successful blog or been a part of a newspaper knows that headlines are extremely important. Headlines will be the first thing readers look at on your page and based on their interests they will either continue to read your blog or move on to another. It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to have creative, well placed headlines.

5. Consistency: In addition to the previous four steps, it is absolutely necessary to be consistent in this industry. If you are not writing a new blog post every day or every other day, potential clients & consumers will be going elsewhere for content and you may lose them forever. By simply putting up a blog post a day that follows the previous four steps, you will have an engaged and interested audience that will keep coming back which will undoubtedly lead to more customers and sales down the road.

6. Encourage Interaction: A good way to encourage customer interaction is to run regular competitions & provide “Give Aways” ie free services, guides, eBooks etc  This is a good way to engage clients and consumers online, establish trust, credibility and build on your relationship without being “cheesy”  Utilize all channels available to you, be that social media, or paid media

Following these 6 steps provides you with a good idea of some of the “Do’s & Don’ts” when it comes to blogging for business, so just be careful & avoid falling into the common pitfalls that could have a negative impact on your business instead of the other way round!.