Blogging can be ideal for building an audience and boosting brand awareness; however, creating regular, fresh content can take significant time and effort and feel overwhelming for a small business owner.
With this in mind, there is a lot of conflicting advice over how many blog posts you should produce and how long they should be; regardless, one thing is for sure– the more frequently you post valuable information, the more results you will see.
In addition, implementing a realistic plan will help you develop a blogging strategy that streamlines your efforts and achieves maximum benefit.
This post will discuss creating a realistic blogging strategy for your small business.
Determine the focus and purpose of your blog
Like anything else in business, you must have a goal for your blog.
What will its primary purpose be?
By and large, objectives commonly used by companies when publishing regular blog posts include:
- Driving foot traffic to a local store
- Attracting new customers
- Increasing sales
- Educating your audience
- Building brand awareness
Of course, it's possible to do all of these things over time, yet, it helps to understand your primary focus before starting.
What is the most important goal you aim to achieve within your small business blogging strategy?
Decide where to host it
After determining the goal of your content within your blog and posts, it's time to consider your two primary hosting options.
Purchase hosting from a service provider like Bluehost and host the blog directly on your website to drive organic traffic and increase sales
Or
Host and publish a standalone blog on a separate site with a unique web address.
It is crucial to realize that both options can benefit your small business, but hosting your blog directly on your website is typically better.
Carry out market research
When creating blog posts, it is necessary to determine the best content for your audience while conducting market research to determine how to reach your prospects and customers best.
What are their main pain points, and what content do they enjoy consuming?
After all, crafting a more effective blogging strategy becomes easier after understanding the needs of your target audience.
Create a list of blog topics
You should begin developing a list of blog post topics after determining where and what to post.
With this in mind, you can use keyword research tools like Semrush to get a good idea of your target audience's search queries.
You can also review the types of content posted by your competitors to help craft posts that solve problems your audience faces.
In addition, having an available list of blog topics can save you significant time in the long run.
Create some posts in advance
Creating blog posts in advance will save time and make your life easier.
Like social media posts, you can also queue and schedule blog posts for publication at later dates and times.
Notably, creating a batch of blog posts beforehand lets you focus on higher-priority tasks throughout the month.
Alternatively, consider outsourcing if you lack the time to write blog posts in advance.
In reality, many small businesses outsource their blog content, saving time and ensuring the posts published are high-quality.
Include a CTA as part of your blogging strategy
At the end of each blog post, you should have a specific Call to Action that is engaging but not overly promotional.
For example, asking questions and inviting your audience to answer in the comments would be a good CTA.
In conclusion
Creating a realistic blogging strategy for your small business is challenging, but if done right, it can be a great way to engage with your customers, build your brand, and grow your business.
Again, to accomplish this, you must identify the focus of your blog, decide on hosting, conduct market research, create blog posts and topics in advance, and include a CTA.
Given these points, if you want to achieve maximum results from your blog posts, you must market them by posting links to them on your social media channels and including links in any emails you send.
Yet, with this knowledge and the availability of the right tools and resources, your business can become a blogging success.
So, start planning, writing, and publishing, and watch your small business enjoy the rewards of having an engaged and informed customer base.
Now go out and make your business's blog the success you know it can be!
Talk Soon,
Erik
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