These days it is imperative for your business to have a blog. It's no longer enough for you to put up a website with either a products page or work with me page. People want to know why they should buy your product or work with you rather than Susie Q. Your about page might tell them all of your skills and abilities, but honestly, there are many people with those same sets of skills. Your blog, written in your voice, is going to sound exceptional to those people who like and follow you.  And, since people purchase from their heart and emotions frequently, that liking holds great value to us who are small business owners.

Blogging Allows You To Connect With Your Audience Through Feedback  

When you write informative, interesting, and thought-provoking posts don't forget to ask a question or two of your reader. Not just any questions but those you genuinely would like to receive answers for. These answers while helping to forge that bond with your audience, will be information available for your use in a future post or project. Remember you want to build a relationship, so don't forget to thank your readers and respond back to their comments. These comments may be used as an  additional way for you to find or refine your niche if you haven't already done so.  

Blogging Helps To Build Your Email List  

A great blog post that resonates with your readers is a sure-fire way to get them to come back for more. You can remind your readers that if they have enjoyed this particular post that they should sign up to receive alerts for new posts. If this isn't something you offer, then ask them to sign up for your newsletter, or your email list. At the very least, you should have a sign-up form in your footer or sidebar to make it easy for them to subscribe.

Blogging Helps You To Become Known As An Expert In Your Niche  

Through your blog, your extremely informative blog, you are going to gain a reputation for being knowledgeable. So give that knowledge away. Make sure that your posts are helpful and actionable if you want to enhance your expert status. When people see you as an expert they are going to want to know what it is that makes you such expert. Share that information with them over time. Why over time? Because what you know today is only a portion of what you will have learned, and can then share next month or next year.  

Blogging Improves Your Site's SEO  

Now this is super awesome in my opinion. If you have done your work correctly on your blog post, that same delightful content that has caught your readers eye and engaged them has also improved your SEO. A catchy title with your keyword or keywords in it and sub-headings that further reinforce them are gold. You must be sure that the body of your post has the information as promised in your title. The failure to do this not only disappoints your reader but will drop your SEO ranking.  

Blogging Increases Your Traffic  

This is simple. Your blog gives people a reason to visit your site apart from what you sell, and to spend more time there if they like what they see. Maybe they might even tell their friends. If you  make it easy for them. So place like and share buttons on your blog post page. Also, you are going to promote your newest blog post on your various social media platforms, after all, you want plenty of eyes on it.   

Blogging Strengthens Your Brand  

Again, if you have done your work correctly, this same delightful content is going to tie in with your brand. This is oh so  important so as not to confuse your audience. Your blog posts need to sound as if they belong to your business. People should be able to readily see the connection between the products and/or services that your business offers and the written content of your posts.  

I want to leave you with two questions. Do you have a blog for your business? Have you seen the benefits of having that blog? While I am interested in the answers to these questions, I am also interested in any other comments you care to make.

  ~~Joyce