To a large extent, blogs are living, breathing pieces of content. They help businesses establish trust with prospective clients, humanise their brand and turbo-charge website SEO efforts by consistently offering fresh, new content. Blogging is a tool that, when used right, can position you as an industry expert and shed some light onto your perspective, background and point of view.
Studies show that businesses with blogs produce an average of 67% more monthly leads than companies who don't blog at all. And businesses that blog get 55% more website visitors than those that don't. Blogging connects you to your target audience in a way that just isn't possible with social media.
It's safe to say that blogging isn't just crucial for your business; it's necessary and should form a significant part of your businesses' overall marketing strategy. But many businesses struggle to know what to write about when considering a website blog. A wave of stress and anxiety often puts us into a content-induced panic, and so, we end up writing nothing at all.
There's a world of expertise at every business owners fingertips. You just need to break it down and identify the content that your audience wants and needs from you, so they keep coming to you as the trusted expert in your field. If you're wondering where to start, start here.
Evergreen content
Gone are the days when we'd religiously read our favourite blogger's new posts every week. The world of blogging has changed A LOT over the years. Today, instead of posting journal style blog articles that are read and then forgotten, you should optimise each post to attract new people to your website who are interested in a particular topic. Use your blog to serve interesting, valuable content and ultimately, invite prospective clients to dive deeper into your brand.
Evergreen content is content that doesn't go out of date. It's going to serve the same amount of value to your prospective clients tomorrow as it will do this time next year. It focuses on a timeless topic that will always be relevant to your readers, no matter what time of the year it is or what else is happening in the world. Producing this sort of content will not only bump up your SEO and position you as an industry expert to your readers, but it's also content that you can promote, reshare and repurpose multiple times.
And remember, just because you may work in beauty, healthcare or skincare industry does not mean you can't venture outside of your industry niche. If you're a therapist, but you also love yoga, weave that into your content! You can even incorporate your own expertise by discussing the effects of stress on the skin and why it's essential to make time for stress-busting activities.
When getting serious about your blog, I recommend picking 5 or 6 topics that not only fit with your business but topics you're passionate about. Then, cycle through them in your blog content. If you're struggling with ideas, take some time to brainstorm frequently asked questions, myths or common mistakes that clients often make regarding each topic area.
Searchable content
Answer questions people are searching for. These are the blog posts that will have people landing on your website and viewing your content. Merely typing a few keywords into the Google search bar and scrolling through what auto-populates below is a super-savvy way to gain a little topic inspiration.
For example, if you want to talk about chemical peels for treating acne, you could type "chemical peels acne" into the Google search bar. Watch as the menu auto-populates what people are already searching for – 'types of chemical peels', 'how much is a chemical peel', 'best chemical peels for acne', 'what to expect after chemical peel' and so on.
Often, people turn to time-sensitive or personal content because it's easy and feels natural. Still, usually, people aren't typing these subjects into google, and therefore, you're not going to increase your website visitors this way. Feed your website visitors valuable content, be the solution they're looking for and start creating with intention.
If educating your clients is part of your process, creating 'how-to' or step-by-step posts can be really helpful for your audience because these are the things they're already searching. Break down your content into a list of steps with bullet points and headers to make it easier for your readers to consume and digest.
Personal content
While personal content should by no means be your primary source of content, peppering in the occasional personal post keeps people connected to something deeper than just the upper layers of your brand. Show pieces of your life, your team, the behind the scenes of your business, an achievement you're proud of or a barrier you've overcome.
This is important for building the know/like/trust factor, and your story will help build that trust and form connections with your audience.
How often should you post?
Try to aim for weekly or at least bi-weekly blog posts, and stick to that consistently. By doing this, you will soon see the benefits of blogging: serving your audience exactly where they're searching, boosting your website SEO, improving your leads and monthly website visitors and building trust with your audience through how to, personal and evergreen content.