In order to create a blog strategy and implement it in an efficient way, a good bit of planning needs to take place. Which is why a lot of small business owners end up dropping the ball when it comes to updating their blog regularly. But in today’s world, of search engine optimization strategies and social media sharing, failing to blog consistently can do some damage to your business online.

You Might be Losing Traffic

According to HubSpot, companies that blog get 55% more website visitors and 97% more inbound links to their site. If someone finds the information in your blog post useful, they are more likely to check out your website for even more useful information.

Having a blog with regularly updated content also helps increase your chances of a higher search engine ranking page (SERP), and gives you the opportunity to use long tail keywords.

Long tail keywords are keywords that are more specific and related to a niche topic. For instance, while you might want to rank for “Pittsburgh swimming pools” on your website, you might want to include more specific and less competitive long tail keywords in your blog posts, such as “Pittsburgh above ground swimming pool.”

You Might Lose Credibility

If I am looking for somewhere to get my car repaired, I am probably going to do some research online. If I stumble upon a website with not much more than a phone number and a photo of a popped hood, I have no idea if they know how to fix my problem or not. But if I find a website that includes a blog covering topics like car maintenance, recalls, and DIY fixes, I already know that they are knowledgeable in their field.

Blogging about your industry gives you credibility that can ultimately help you earn business.

You Might be Missing the Opportunity to Perfect Your Tone

While your website copy should reflect your company’s tone and culture, your blog posts can further show customers and potential customers what your business is all about. Content on your site is usually more to the point and lets your customers know who you are, what you do and why they should choose you. Your blog can allow you to get more creative.

Blog posts give you the opportunity to have a conversation with your customers so that they can get to know your brand better.

You Might be Missing the Chance to go Viral

When content is good, the social media savvy are likely to share it. And lately, “social media savvy” covers more people than ever. When you choose not to blog, you also miss out on the chance to have your content shared with others.

Each time we write a post for Imagebox, we share it on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+, also increasing the chances that the content will be shared. With more and more emphasis being put on buying products and services based on their recommendations on social media, it pays to put your name out there.

Part 2

So you’re read this blog post and decided that you want to get into blogging… but aren’t sure how to start or where to pull motivation from? Be sure to check out tomorrow’s follow-up post on how to get on track when it comes to blog