By Rob Jones

I believe that blogs are becoming as important now as having a website was important 10 years ago, and it’s probably a good idea to understand why this is true, particularly for small to medium business. When I started contributing to our blog about wood flooring, we began to attract the attention of other bloggers, as well as those who were just looking for information about wood flooring. Some of the exchanges I’ve had with other bloggers, installers, DIY-ers, and even other sellers, have given me a sense of being connected to a community of people who are pursuing some of the same goals I am. This is a pretty great thing alone! But, how does it translate to sales?

There’s been a lot of talk about blogging in the last year or two which might make you think that they represent this kind of a shiny object that won’t serve your core mission which I mentioned in my last article. I think there is a lot of value in questioning the usefulness of having a blog, certainly. So, I’d advise you to consider these 5 direct benefits which have to potential strengthen your relationships with customers and ultimately to boost your sales.

1. Your blog gives you a ‘face’. There is truth to be found in the idea that people like to do business with someone they know. Your blog is a great way to let your customers and your potential customers see who they’re dealing with. When they do, they’re more likely to buy your products and services, because they’ll know who you are and what you stand for.
2. Your blog gives you a ‘voice’. People are probably talking about you online - or they will if they’re not now. As long as the chatter is going on, why not have it happen in your own online ‘living room’ where you can offer them the benefit of your presence while they do so? This way, you’ll get to throw your two cents in too, which in times of criticism can make all the difference to your bottom line.
3. Your blog gives you maneuverability. One of the greatest ways of keeping repeat customers in your camp is to get them the latest information that is most relevant to their interests on a regular basis. Blogs are designed to be updated instantly, without much involvement from your IT staff. For maneuverability, blogs are perfect for getting ideas out to your audience right away on a regular basis without much effort.
4. Your blog gives you more traffic. Blogs which are maintained on a regular basis with fresh, relevant content being added often, increase your chances in attracting more and more visitors coming to investigate your site content. Search engine spiders crawl the content more often, returning fresh results to users. Users visit your blog because of frequent indexing and will likely link to your content, and on and on. Blogs have incredible potential to perpetuate the kind of cycle which is anything but vicious. When it comes to traffic, it’s more like a vital cycle.
5. Your blog gives you credibility. When you deal with the public honestly on your blog, revealing something of your personality and your values, including the things you’re trying to improve upon as a company, confidence that your customers and potential customers have in you will rise. Being transparent about what is important to you speaks volumes to those looking to establish a long-term relationship with trustworthy companies who share their values. For you, that ultimately means potential repeat sales.

These are just some select examples which I hope you’ll find helpful. The next question some of you may be asking, assuming they are helpful, is: OK smart guy. Now I know why I should do it. But, how do I do it? Great question - which I’ll talk about next time!

Cheers,

Rob.