3 Key Ways Blogging Makes Your Business More Accessible
Accessibility is key to modern businesses that operate largely online, and most businesses operated largely online even before lockdown measures were implemented to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Being found when you have physical premises in a convenient location is relatively simple; being found in the massive online world is so much more complicated.
You can have the best products in your industry, superlative customer service, or prices so low that your rivals can’t compete — but if people can’t find your business or just can’t get into your brand, you won’t get very far. So how do you make your business more accessible?
Well, one of the more convenient ways is to use blogging — especially since it can be done from anywhere, vital in this time of remote working. In this post, we’re going to cover a few key ways in which blogging makes your business more accessible. Let’s get started.
It helps publicise your selling points
Every company needs to focus on its unique value propositions. What does your company bring to the table that other companies of the same type don’t?
You can talk about those things on your “About Us” page, but it won’t help you get through to anyone who isn’t already visiting your website with enough interest to read that page. Blogging about them gets them exposure.
You shouldn’t build your posts around those selling points, of course, because being overtly promotional isn’t generally a good idea. Instead, you should work them into posts about other things so people just looking for resources will happen upon them and subconsciously form a strong impression of your brand.
What do you offer that people might not know about just through hearing about your business? Maybe you have an exceptional loyalty program that makes repeat business very tempting; mention it as an aside when you have the chance. Perhaps you provide class-leading live chat support: find a case to use as an example when talking about a related topic. The more people learn about your company, the more inclined they’ll be to choose it from a search lineup.
It improves your search rankings
Speaking of search, ranking prominently for relevant keywords is essential for a modern business. When you want to find something (a product, a service, a consultancy), you’re very likely to start by searching in Google. If something doesn’t appear in the first two pages of results, you’re probably not going to learn that it exists.
Blogging gives you immense freedom to target opportune keywords and start getting noticed. Long-tail keywords in particular can be very valuable for smaller businesses: find the lengthy search terms that still get some traffic, and build posts around them. If you can produce content that’s better than anything else on the covered topic, there’s an excellent chance that Google will reward that quality with some decent rankings.
You might not be able to get vast amounts of traffic in the short-term, but if you focus on evergreen content (content that’s still going to be valuable six months from now) then you should build up search equity. In time, you’ll boast an array of high-quality posts that really set your company apart in the SERPs.
It shows your expertise and personality
In addition to the benefits we’ve looked at already, blogging is fantastic at demonstrating both expertise and personality — two things that can convince someone from your target audience to be interested in your brand.
Expertise is something you show through providing value in the form of insightful blog posts on topics that your desired readers are interested in. What are the burning topics in your industry? Take the time to address them and offer everything from analysis of the latest technologies and methods to tips for achieving common objectives. The more people believe in your expertise, the more willing they’ll be to trust you with their business.
Personality, on the other hand, is something that shines through in your tone. Your content should reflect who you are and what your business is intended to achieve. Are you playful? Dedicated? Sarcastic? Any trait can work if it resonates with the customers, but it can only resonate if you make it abundantly clear through your content.
Overall, there’s very little reason for any ambitious business not to invest in blogging. It doesn’t need to take up a lot of time or money: writing a couple of posts each week is hardly an impossible task, and the long-term results will provide excellent ROI.