Editors note: This is a guest post written by Sam Rabdil from ABODO.
Your business has moved from just a fleeting thought to reality. You have a product or service and you found a developer that built you a great site. You’re a dedicated bootstrapper and you prefer DIY methods, but you’re worried about content.
As you search for guidance about website content, you’re still not that comfortable the parameters embraced by self-proclaimed experts, and you need help understanding why everyone is so focused on blogs. To help you understand the ethereal relationship between content, your brand and your clients, read on.
Build Trust
You’ve had an accident. You’re looking for a lawyer. You find a few personal injury attorney sites but the one that you spend more time on has an easily accessible blog with articles about current personal injury trends. One piece explains why taking photos at the scene of an accident is so important. Another blog explains how the contingency fee model works, and yet another article explains why insurance companies often lowball accident victims when they offer quick settlements.
After reading these blogs you’re very comfortable that these lawyers know what they are doing, and you feel that they could probably help you. Simply, the current blog articles on their site make you trust them.
SEO
The days of putting up flyers, while flyers can be helpful, are not dead; but things have changed. While there is obviously more to any SEO campaign then just having a lot of fresh content on your site, carefully researched and well-written blogs are a centerpiece to any SEO campaign. You want your site to appear when someone generically searches for your product or service. You can do this by bidding for keywords and placing paid ads, but a solid Internet marketer or a specialized SEO agency can show you how to raise your organic search results by including good quality content.
Higher Conversions
Your site is just another piece in your advertising toolbox, but you want to use it to full capacity. That means even if someone has just randomly stumbled onto your site, you want a decent chance to convert them from a visitor to a customer. Great content can be the answer because if you are able to answer questions through superior blog content, studies show that your conversion rate can increase six-fold.
Build Loyalty
It’s one thing to make the first sale, and a totally different challenge to get regularly returning clientele. Something as simple as an engaging weekly blog about current industry trends can drive repeat client business. If your customers like the informative articles they find posted on your site every Tuesday, for example, they’ll come back weekly for more.
Expertise
Building trust, as we mentioned previously, is key, but proving expertise takes the concept to a different level. And to prove expertise, you need to show your visitors, clients and prospective customers that you are a thought leader. To do this, you need to create compelling blog content. Take a look at these two examples.
If you’re a real estate agent, you might consider producing local rent reports like this one from ABODO for example, to help share your expertise and valuable information with present clients and future clients as well.
If you are a wedding caterer, you know brides and their families have lots of questions. Therefore, an in-depth blog titled “10 Things to Consider Before You Hire Any Caterer,” can be a powerful tool in proving that you are an expert in your field. When visitors to your site see that you
- have no problem being honest and guiding them in the right direction before they make a purchase;
- are not afraid to disclose trade practices that others may want to keep secret;
- and are willing to list situations that would preclude hiring a certain caterer.
These are examples of what can make you an expert. Experts become thought leaders, and thought leaders attract clients—and of this can be accomplished with a quality blog initiative.
Internet marketing doesn’t have to be a mystery. You need to know and understand your brand, identify your audience, and then study your competitors to see exactly what they are doing. With these three powerful tools, you can begin to supplement your website with current, compelling and engaging content.
Bonus Tip – Where to Get It
If you’re a good author and have time to write good and consistent blogs regularly, you’re all set. If writing isn’t your thing, by all means, find a service to help you. Do be careful when you use content providers and make sure that you carefully read anything you receive before you post it. Grammatical and spelling errors along with poorly written content will absolutely work against you.
Photo by Skye Studios on Unsplash
