Cue the ‘Inception’ sirens, as we’re talking about blogs within a blog post. For a few years it seemed like everyone and their pet started a blog, much like popularity of podcasts at the moment, and though a lot of them have now been lost in the ether, your startup having a blog is more essential than you think.
It doesn’t matter where this blog is. You could have a dedicated page for it on your website, or perhaps an account on a platform like WordPress, even posting on LinkedIn and Medium counts as blogging. The fact that you’re posting longform content regularly is what matters. With 77% of internet users reading blogs, there’s no better time than now to tap into that resource.
The blog first gained popularity by people using them as online diaries and journals. They were a natural extension to the increased frequency of computer and internet usage and could include more information than, say, a Tweet or Facebook status update. However, over time, the importance of companies including blogs in their content marketing strategies has only grown with 70% of customers wanting to learn about a company through articles, rather than advertisements.
If that isn’t enough to sway you to start a blog, allow me to continue…
There is nothing like blogging to drive organic traffic to your website and social media pages. Blog posts, when posted onto your company website, can do wonders for SEO. Writing posts filled to the brim with keywords relating to your industry and market will boost your chances of attracting organic search traffic, ensuring your startup a higher rank in search results. By understanding and anticipating what your audience searches for online means you can create targeted content that will gather many potential customers.
Anticipating the needs of your customers means you can be the answer to their problems before they know they have any. Promotion of your services through blog posting and generally keeping your readers updated on the ins-and-outs of your startup means they’re more likely to choose you over your competitors. It also means you’ll have a wealth of content to post about, which is key for consistency.
They’re a hub of information and news, a place to share insight into your niche, what the company is up to, and any events that may be going on. As a founder, you need to make sure the correct message about what your startup is and what your product has to offer is being shared. Blogging is a way to get you heard and sharing posts like these expand on how credible customers see your startup and the more valuable the content, the more shareable.
Creating a personable image is beneficial for your startup and a blog is one of the ways you can achieve this. Humanising yourself and your company means customers are more likely to keep coming back, with 60% of people being more likely to buy a product after reading a blog post about it. By blogging, you’re creating a space for your opinions to be heard and where your personality can shine through, whether that be funny, knowledgeable, or entirely professional – the way you write communicates your image to your audience.
Depending on the content you post, particular kinds of blog posts can give you the title of ‘industry expert’. You’ve already done mounds of research to create your startup to begin with, so why not share it with a captive audience? Becoming an industry expert cultivates that trust with your customer base further and writing posts such as listicles, how-to’s, and ultimate guides which relate back to your startup cements your all-knowing persona.
Speaking of voice, a blog helps you to maintain your startup voice and how to be consistent with it. If you want readers to return, keeping it consistent with tone across all the content you create, blogs and otherwise, will do just that.
Blogging facilitates conversation and starts discussions with your customers which is one of the most valuable things you can get out of starting a blog. By being approachable, your customers will feel like they are valued and can share their thoughts on the industry and your startup, and thus letting you in on what they’re looking for. This will serve to help your growth in the long run and as mentioned before, feedback like this can be a source of finding out what your competitors are, or aren’t, offering and how you can be your customers go-to.
A blog can build a community, and a community can give you feedback, and that is gold-dust.
If you’re still unsure on starting that blog and putting pen to paper, contact us at blazon. We will work with you to get the right message across about your startup and ensure you’re using all the tools at your disposal to continue your growth.
