The Blogosphere is here and it is not going anywhere. It’s not just for people talking about what they’re eating for lunch or their next celebrity crush. Blogging is big business for entrepreneurs and business owners. CEO Blog Nation recently launched a blogging community and we regularly blog for entrepreneurs and business owners and there are numerous reasons to blog. Rescue a CEO asked some businesses how they use blogging to help their business.
#1- Inbound Marketing
I use my blog, J’adore Detroit, as an inbound marketing tool to drive traffic to my outdoor advertising agency, Brooklyn Outdoor. The lifestyle blog has a large presence in Detroit and on Instagram. Blog bios and site information direct readers to our main business, outdoor advertising and event planning. On top of being a great tool to generate site traffic, blogging is fun! I enjoy being tuned into the community and sharing with my followers.
Thanks to Candice Simons, Brooklyn Outdoor!
#2- Publish content
Business owners have to maintain two separate blogs: a corporate one and a personal one. The success of an organization depends on both branding activities maintained simultaneously. I publish a fair amount of content on Quora which gets combined and repurposed on my blog, LinkedIn, Medium, and as guest posts in various outlets. This had broaden the reach of my content and connected me with partners, prospects, and potential employees for our business.
Thanks to Mario Peshev, DevriX!
#3- Demonstrate my expertise
I use my blog to demonstrate my expertise on Growth Hacking, Grow Mechanics, and Quantitative Measurement. By sharing my experiences, I not only added to the collective knowledge and position myself as an expert- but I add anecdotes not found in my resume for future collaborators to read. I use my blog to catalog the kinds of problems I've solved so that future clients of my firm can connect with the problems and challenges I've described. Effectively, my blog is a really robust resume and business card that aligns me with the people who need what I can provide. 🙂 For instance, here is today's post on an A/B Testing implementation that was going wrong, and how through patience and sticking to my guns on the pillars of my discipline (growth mechanics) I was able to help this business succeed.
Thanks to Mischaela Advani, BLOOM!
Sample blog post : http://mischaela.com/data-driven-decision-making-is-more-than-a-b/
#4- Connect
I started my company, Rejenuve, Inc., more than 30 years ago when I realized that, even at a young age, my left eyelid was drooping and I was developing a “jowl.” That’s when I created the Facial Magic facial exercise program, based on a 100-year old French method. Facial Magic is an easy, all natural facial exercise program that you do just with your own two hands. Our blog is an essential component of our business. We use our blog to connect on a personal level with our customers and potential customers, savvy individuals who thirst for knowledge about the latest, greatest ways to maintain their youthful looks. While our main website is informative, it is dedicated to information and sales of our anti-aging products. Our blog allows us to branch out and cover the topics our readers want to read about, including the latest beauty and anti-aging news and discoveries.
Thanks to Cynthia Rowland, Rejenuve, Inc.!
Sample Blog Post: https://www.cynthiarowland.com/blog/beauty/meghan-markle-does-facial-exercise
#5- Inform and update
We use the Funnel blog to create practical, easy to understand, evergreen content that people working with marketing and analytics find useful. We aim to make our blog a great resource for marketers by covering in detail the most important things they need to know. We also have a product updates section that enables us to share updates with Funnel users, alerting them to new features in the app as well as anything important happening within the company. While we hope to develop it further in 2018, the blog is a great way to inform, educate and connect with everyone working with marketing, analytics, and data.
Thanks to Juuso Lyytikkä, Funnel.io!
Sample Blog Post: https://blog.funnel.io/how-to-easily-create-structured-advertising-campaign-names
#6- A number of ways
Having a blog is essential for any company looking to build authority and get found on the web. If you think about blogging in its simplest form—with all other factors being equal—the more quality pages your website has, the more traffic and leads it generates. Adding a blog and updating it regularly can easily add hundreds—and even thousands—of visits to your website. Every single consumer today has the world wide web right there at their fingertips, and they like to do their own research. The days of sales reps educating consumers before a purchase are long gone, and now web visitors expect to be able to educate themselves through the content on your website—specifically your blog. If they can’t, they’ll hit the “back” button and move on.
Thanks to Ben Landers, Blue Corona!
Blog: https://www.bluecorona.com/blog/
#7- Build credibility and ranking
We have a strict blogging schedule where we post a minimum of 2 blogs per week surrounding keywords we’d like to rank high for. Our blog showcases our talent, recent events, and tips on event staffing and planning for our readers. When we receive calls from new/potential clients, more often than not, they mention a blog post they’ve read that led them to call our business. Our blog builds our credibility, organic Google ranking and incoming business.
Thanks to Serena Holmes, Tigris Events Inc!
Sample Blog post: https://www.tigriseventsinc.com/best-experiential-marketing-campaigns-2017/
#8- Three things
At Record Nations we use our blog to spread information on the importance of proper records management. We discuss services we provide, but we also cover topics in our related industry. The overall goal is to create awareness, provide information, and help solve problems on topics related to office organization and records management.
Thanks to Lauren Hilinski, Record Nations!
Sample Blog post: https://www.recordnations.com/2017/11/document-storage-workflow/
#9- Build long-term relationships and position our brand as the industry expert
Blogging is an effective tool that can be leveraged by brands across all industries to engage with their audience beyond what social media news feeds allow. Use your blog to showcase valuable content and educational information that positions you as the expert in your field/industry; boosting your credibility, driving traffic, and encouraging your target market to share your content. For example, as the brand manager of a fashion line, the primary pillar of our blog strategy is to use the platform to forecast fashion trends, give valuable how-to tips and our must-haves for each season. By creating high-value content that evokes a response or sense of urgency, our audience is engaged and returns time and time again to get the latest scoop on what's on the horizon in fashion.
Thanks to Sas Terani, Terani Couture!
Sample Blog Post: https://teranicouture.com/what-to-wear-to-a-rehearsal-dinner/
#10- Inform clients
Many of the home improvements our company completes (kitchen & bath remodeling, siding, and composite decking) are once in a lifetime purchases. In addition to being infrequent purchases, they are also costly. These aspects can make choosing a contractor a decision that brings anxiety. Now, more than ever, consumers are doing their research before even meeting with a contractor to discuss a project. We recognize this trend and utilize our blog as a platform to inform current and potential clients about home improvement trends, pros & cons of popular products, provide advice on home maintenance, and showcase recent projects. While our content applies to Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials , we understand that these generations vary in how they like to consume content. We maximize our blog's exposure by promoting it on a variety of platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Houzz, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. We're honored that Feedspot has us ranked in the Top 100 Home Improvement Blogs & Websites for Tips, Ideas, & DIY Guides.
Thanks to Andy Lindus, Lindus Construction!
Sample Blog Post: https://www.lindusconstruction.com/become-expert-choosing-next-roofing-contractor/
#11- Teach to show expertise
We are a small business jewelry company that does blog posts a couple times per month. We actually focus on teaching our secrets. While we are a retailer, many of our followers are other retailers. Because we have an in-depth knowledge in our industry of colored stones (our niche), that is what we blog about. Most of our blog posts are along with a video we have done, which we feel does better for us in terms of followers and interaction. We like to teach through our videos and blog posts as this is not something you see with other retailers. This allows us to show our expertise in the industry and eventually leads to more sales because of it. It look a couple years to find out what would work for us, but when we did, it really paid off and we will continue to do these blog posts as long as our followers keep enjoying them.
Thanks to Jeff Moriarty, Moriarty's Gem Art!
Sample Blog Post: https://www.tanzanitejewelrydesigns.com/blog/heating-inclusions-faceting/
#12- Demonstrate care
Blogs are an excellent way to drive organic traffic which is free and forever. They are a good start toward educating our audience about the benefits of business intelligence across research, marketing and sales. We want our customers to get a sense of caring even before they decide to work with us. So we share all the tips, tricks, insights that we know which helps us convert more customers. This establishes Thought Leadership and Trust, positions us as a sought after brand.
Thanks to Vaibhav Jain, StartupFlux!
#13- Updates on what we've been upto
Your blog is the perfect place to publicise your business' news. In fact, our blog is actually listed as the ‘News' page rather than a blog. We want our students and potential students to know that they are attending a reputable and renowned institution when they take a course with us. Therefore, our news section informs people of what we've been up to, what we have achieved lately and what we have planned for the future. For example, we are going to be involved with 2018's London Fashion Week, which is something we would be insane not to publicise. The perfect way to begin doing this is through a blog post on your website, which you can then share on social media to reach influencers and other industry professionals.
Thanks to Murat Evin, The London School of Make-Up!
Sample Blog Post: https://www.london-school-of-makeup.com/edeline-lee-ss18-at-london-fashion-week/
#14- Share valuable advice
When I founded my startup, CrazyLister, I decided to reveal everything I did to build a multi-million dollar drop-shipping business and that's how I started writing the blog eBay sellers journey to $100/month. Today, the weekly blog is the most important acquisition channel for CrazyLister and generates more leads than any other non-paid marketing channel. I attribute the success to the fact that we're sharing genuinely valuable advice in each and every blog post, having built a successful business ourselves we know the main pain points and how to solve them to take your business to the next level and that's exactly what we share with the community which in turn views us as experts and feel confident to purchase our software.
Thanks to Maxim Godin, Crazylister!
Sample Blog Post: https://crazylister.com/blog/sell-ebay-sellers-journey-100000-month/
#15- Several ways
We use our blog to provide value and ultimately get more business. We also blog to reach out to other companies for business development. When we first started our website it was just a business card, a place for people to read up about us and find contact info. Today our website is used as a lead magnet, since we're an SEO agency we decided to drink our own juice, we generate 15k traffic views a month and have been increasing views by a few thousand every month. My biggest tip to people who want to use a blog to generate business starts with a target audience in mind and write down all the questions they'd google.
Thanks to Vladimir Mkrtumyan, Logic Inbound!
#16- Increase visibility and other reasons
I use my business blog in several ways, including courting new business by showcasing my abilities, increasing my visibility as an expert in my field and creating awareness about the potential of becoming a female entrepreneurs. Typically, I create blog content based on conversations with clients and potential clients, especially as I notice patterns in their questions or misconceptions about certain topics. I also created a monthly blog series called Lady Bosses I Love, which features a new female entrepreneur telling the story of how she launched her business, the challenges she's faced and the advice she has for others who may be thinking about launching their own business. As a female business owner, I love being able to encourage and inspire other women to do the same. My female entrepreneur empowerment articles are by far the most popular across my social channels and have brought in new business for me!
Thanks to Hilary Young, Hilary Young Creative!
Sample Blog Post: http://www.hilaryyoungcreative.com/single post/2017/06/28/Why-Arent-There-More-Women-Entrepreneurs
#17- Timely content
I am a big believer in producing educational content and making it accessible to clients, prospects and the industry on a regular basis. Content is written focusing on the needs of clients and prospects, including concepts that resonate as to why they might buy from us, as opposed to infomercials about my firm and products. Our website is designed with timely content in mind. Specifically, navigation features Insights, which is the blog, and In the News which includes press coverage and press releases. In addition to the links in the navigation, recent articles from both sections are available on the home page so the tiles aren't buried within links. In addition, many Insight articles, in addition to custom content, are placed in relevant news publications read by executives in the financial services industry.. The third party endorsements provide more visibility and credibility than we can earn by just a blog. We also promote our Insight and news content on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
Thanks to Dan Sondhelm, Sondhelm Partners!
Sample Blog Post: https://sondhelmpartners.com/category/insights/
#18- Couple of ways
I use my blog to influence customers and establish credibility and expertise. The topics are diverse and include social media, blogging, branding, and public relations. Before my blog, my pitches were all rejected by publications, and no one wanted my advice. My blog became my primary source of publicity. Now, my tips are getting published, I've taught a webinar on social media and e-business, and I spoke at The Courier-Journal on how to market yourself on social media. My clients are in Louisville, KY, New York, and Washington. I attribute my business successes largely to my blog.
Thanks to Kevin Lindon Ryan, KLR | PR!
Sample Blod Post: https://www.klr-pr.com/single-post/How-to-Write-Blog-Posts-to-Establish-Credibility
#19- Myriad of purposes
Most notably, I use my blog for educational and informational purposes for my readership and potential clients. I try to write blog posts for employers and employees regarding the most recent and emerging labor and employment law issues to keep them in compliance with all laws and to assist them with avoiding any costly lawsuits if necessary. Writing blogs also provides value to me-the author-because as I am writing and researching topics, I am growing my own knowledge, and keeping myself abreast of the latest developing issues as well. I also try to use blog posts as a form of SEO (search engine optimization). I use blogging as a mechanism for improving my visibility. I try to leverage my posts to improve my rating on search engines and to draw people to my website–which in turn will make them aware of my services and how I might be a resource to them.
Thanks to Kimberlee Gee, Kimberlee Gee Legal!
Sample Blog Post: http://kimberleegeelegal.com/the-rise-of-the-gig-economy-and-independent-contractors-what-every-employer-needs-to-know-about-misclassifying-their-workers/
#20- Write on different topics
As a fiction and nonfiction book author, I use my author blog to write posts on a variety of topics connected to my published and upcoming books. Given that my fiction and nonfiction books include history, women's issues, and military topics, I have ample material on which to blog. I then share my new posts on social media, and each blog post includes links to my books on Amazon and, when appropriate, links to my upcoming book projects.
Thanks to Phyllis Zimbler Miller, Miller Mosaic LLC!
Sample Blog Post: http://www.phylliszimblermiller.com/military/cold-war-2/
#21- Educate
At My College Planning Team, based in Naperville, IL, we use our website blog to educate families to various aspects of college planning. Our company covers both financial and educational college planning and their is a wealth of information that is generally unknown to our potential clients, the families of a college-bound student. By becoming informed, they are more likely to look to us as experts in the field and we are happy to share current information with them.
Thanks to Jack Schacht, www.mycollegeplanningteam.com!
#22- Provide value
I have to avoid the temptation to include a hard sell. The aim for my blog is to build and nurture a relationship with the reader by creating content which adds value to their work life. Hopefully the content is valuable enough that readers share it, and then this extends the organic reach of my content. Practical content aimed at solving problems helps establish me as an expert. By creating content regularly it helps to remind people that I exist and when they need to call in an expert, the hope is that my content will be fresh enough in their mind that they think of my business. When content reflects your business brand and personality it can also act as a filter so you only attract customers that are a good fit for your service.
Thanks to Alan Richardson, Compendium Developments Ltd!
Sample Blog Post: http://blog.eviltester.com/2017/11/what-is-agile-testing.html
#23- SEO and resources for our clients
The first goal is to just rank for keywords or long tail phrases that our potential customers are searching for. We do this with How to type posts or Top 5 Features… type posts. These posts bring in traffic which is helpful for our SEO. We also create posts that speak directly to our clients. Sales or Support reference these posts when clients have questions or we want to provide more information on a specific functionality of our software. In the case of our email series, which is our highest ranking blog post series, this achieves both. Many people search for how to write a good payment email so our post ranks really high for this query. But we also have tons of clients who ask for advice and tips on creating their own email templates as they build out their system. We are able to use our blog posts and the content we've created as resources as well as just a marketing tool, which is great!
Thanks to Asaf Darash, Regpack!
Sample Blog Post: https://www.regpacks.com/blog/payment-acknowledgement-email-templates/
#24- Actionable tips
While the goal of most blogs is monetization (through ads, lead gen, etc.) that's not our primary focus. Sure, it brings in additional revenue, but that's not our primary, nor secondary focus. We provide actionable tips to help entrepreneurs manage their company, business capital, and make the most of growth initiatives. By collaborating with industry experts to share reliable tips, we can ensure that our clients are using their funding as effectively as possible. Doing so also provides a better customer experience and also provides some secondary benefit as a lead gen channel.
Thanks to Jeffrey Bumbales, Credibly!
#25- Get audience
Our blog has been the biggest source of growth for our company since I founded ProjectManager.com in 2008. We got a head start on content marketing in the project management industry and built a massive following of project management professionals, students, and business leaders through our free templates, infographics, and blog content. This audience is what fueled the growth of our company through word of mouth in the years that followed. Today, as more of our competitors have caught up to us in content and blog production, our audience still remains larger due to our focus on maintaining cutting edge blog content. Our early efforts in blog content marketing were even recognized by Forbes in 2012.
Thanks to Jason Westland, ProjectManager.com!