A blog is a better business card for businesses in promoting their brand!

 

 

Blogging for business is not a new concept and for many small businesses, it can be an extremely effective tool to add to their social media footprint.  A blog will help establish and/or broaden their brand or position themselves in their area of expertise.

A strong social network can become an asset for any business. Social media offers every business the opportunity to strengthen relationships with their target audience, creating loyal customers and even brand advocates. 

Unfortunately, many companies are still not getting the best out of their social media accounts. Yet social media is big business: 74% of all internet users use social networking sites, and for younger adults, the percentage is even larger.

However, marketing on FREE social media platforms is not always FREE nor do you own them.  Anytime the creators of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media platform gurus decide to change the algorithm, privacy settings, advertisement guidelines or timeline promotion, there is nothing you can do except roll with the tide even if it means losing fans and followers.  

On the other hand, a blog created and hosted on WordPress, for example, is owned by you and you have total control as to what you want to promote and when you want to promote it.  This is your choice, not Mark  Zuckerberg.  The ultimate benefit of blogging is the opportunity to communicate expertise and establish the business as a reliable resource.

 

 

While “Content is King Platform is Queen.”

Creating a platform is about building a social media presence, a stage that can be seen above the crowd. Content is the message, but a platform provides visibility, amplification, and engagement with your targeted audience.

Social media is a great tool for driving traffic to a website, but a blog will do more to build a platform. While there is much debate about the return on investment (ROI) for time spent on social media, the results of blogging are easier to evaluate with Google Analytics.

 

Google Analytics charts your unique visitors, comments, interactions, time on site and other social media metrics which help businesses learn more about their customer interests and problems that need to be solved.  Any owner of a small business could benefit from creating a blog as part of their website or as a stand-alone platform.  

 

When first starting it is important to make friends or engage with bloggers in the same niche if you are looking for partners in promoting your products.  You might be interested in reading more about working with bloggers in this post.

 

There is proof that not only can your blog help promote your business, it can even become an additional source of revenue.  Blogs are one of the top online services to influence a purchase. When making overall purchase decisions, consumers rank blogs third behind retail and brand sites.

 

As a blogger and the content creator of DeDivahDeals.com, which received the 2017 Best Blog Award from NorthDELAWhere Happenings Magazine and in 2013 the Reader’s Choice Best Blog Award from Delaware Today magazine, I have conducted workshops and training programs for many years teaching others how to blog.  

 

 

In these workshops, I have provided training to over 500 small business owners, entrepreneurs, and solopreneurs, teaching them how to create a business blog, how to use social media to drive traffic as well as ways in which to monetize their blogs.  

As a matter of fact, I will be presenting to a small group of business owners at the YWCA in Wilmington on Thursday evening.  If you are interested in learning more and would like to engage my services, head over to ABlakeEnterprises.com to learn more.

 

 

ACCORDING TO THE CORPORATE-EYE.COM “The power of blogs in influencing consumer purchase decisions is stronger than you might realize. According to data from a research study conducted by Research Now, nearly nine in 10 consumers (84%) make purchases after reading about a product or service on a blog. Among consumers between the ages of 18-34, blogs ranked as the most important source of information to make buying decisions. Among consumers between the ages of 35-54, blogs ranked as the second most important source behind friends, family, and colleagues. Even older consumers (55 and older) value blogs when making purchase decisions ranking them third in terms of importance behind friends, family, and colleagues and editorial articles”

 

A Blog is a better business card that will broaden the brand and expand their exposure online.

 

Let’s Chat:  Do you enjoy reading business blogs?  If so, which one is your favorite?