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5 Reasons Why Your Business Should Have a Blog....

While you may not think your business needs a blog, there are a number of reasons why it should. With the availability of both free and inexpensive blogging platforms, your business can set up a blog in a matter of minutes and begin promoting your brand and connecting with customers. If you still aren’t convinced, here are five reasons why your business should have a blog.

1. It Increases your Credibility

People are more likely to purchase products or services from businesses they feel like they already “know,” and having a blog that you regularly update can help foster a community and allow your readers to feel like they know you, even if you’ve never met face to face.

Every time you interact with your readers, by encouraging comments and responding to comments left, you are building your relationship with potential customers. By building those relationships, you are effectively creating a face for your brand, thereby increasing the likelihood of more sales. A blog is a simple way to do this, and allows customers to consistently reach out to you and stay updated on new developments, products or services offered by your business.

2. It Establishes you as An Expert

A blog helps establish you as an expert in your field, and if you regularly update it with relevant content, you reinforce the idea that you know what you are talking about. Making sure you update your blog frequently with content that is valuable to readers also helps establish you as their go-to person when it comes to your particular niche, be it consulting, editing or any other type of business.

By blogging regularly, you are building a visible presence on the web and also fostering relationships with potential customers while establishing your expertise for your particular niche.

3. It Allows for Better Customer Service

By creating a blog for your business, it allows your customers to contact you. They don’t have to be put on hold, or wait for office hours to call you. All of the info about your company should be found on your blog, so customers who have any questions or want to find out more about your business can easily do so.

Additionally, a blog is one of the best ways to update customers on new products or services being offered. You can also respond to customer inquiries quickly and more efficiently, and you can gain valuable feedback from your readership while using that feedback to make improvements and build a better business, as well as business relationships, with your client base.

4. It Gives you a Voice

Every business needs a voice, and a blog is a simple way to do that. These days, anyone can post anything online about a company, be it good or bad. By starting a blog for your business, you can help manage your reputation and give your business the voice and authority it needs to thrive.

The marketplace for any business is normally competitive, so by starting a blog that you update regularly, you are giving your company a voice on the internet. Customers can read your posts and establish in their minds that you are a credible authority, and you can interact with them frequently while establishing your reputation on the web.

While there are many reasons your business should have a blog, these are the most compelling reasons. If you haven’t started a blog for your business yet, you definitely should – it’s a cost effective, easy way to interact with your existing customer base, gaining new customers and establishing your expertise.

5. It Builds Traffic

There will always be a correlation between traffic and sales. The more traffic you have coming to your website, the more likely it is you’ll make a sale. With that said, having a blog you update frequently will allow you to direct targeted traffic to your business website, thereby increasing the chances you’ll make a sale.

By linking your blog to other social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, you’ll also be building traffic and connecting with your customer base. Whenever you publish a new blog post, make sure to post a link to it on your social media accounts to attract more prospective buyers and build your brand.

7 Reasons Why I Have a BLOG.

There are numerous reasons people start blogging. Because free blogging platforms provide anyone with a computer and internet access the ability to set up a blog and begin writing within minutes, new blogs are constantly popping up on a variety of subjects and for a number of reasons.

But why did i start blogging? What motivated me to put my thoughts and ideas out there?

1. To Teach

If you are an expert in a subject matter, you can start a blog to teach others about that topic. For example, let’s say you are very crafty, and make DIY projects at home on a regular basis. Using your projects as examples, you can teach others how to replicate those crafts at home, writing step-by-step instructions and using photographs to show what the project should look like from start to finish.

2. To Stay Connected

The internet has enabled friends and family who do not live near one another to stay connected in a variety of new ways, and many people start a blog to share photos, personal news and other information with those they care about.

3. To Help Others

Some people start a blog to help others who may be going through similar circumstances, such as a terminal disease or illness, or parenting-related issues. These types of blogs are great for those who have a desire to connect with others who are experiencing the same problems, and share their thoughts, insights and advice to those in need.

4. To Change the World

Other people start blogs to raise awareness about a specific issue or cause that is close to their hearts, or to sway people’s thinking in a certain direction. Political and social-issue blogs are prime examples of this.

5. To Direct Traffic to Their Website

Bloggers who maintain a website often start a blog as a way of directing more traffic towards their site. A blog is a great way to connect with your site visitors, as well as entice new visitors to stop by and see what your website is all about. Plus, creating a blog is a great way for site owners to market and promote themselves and their business in a creative and engaging way.

6. To Have Fun

Finally, many people start blogging simply to have fun. The most successful blogs are those where the blogger has a passionate interest in the subject matter, and can share that passion with readers. When you enjoy the topic, you are more likely to blog frequently and connect with your readers.

7. To Make Money

A lot of people start blogging in order to make money, but this takes hard work and commitment in order to turn a profit. Most blogs make very little money, but the potential to do so is there for a blogger who is willing to invest the time and effort it takes to create a decent income from blogging.

Where to Find Inspiration for Blog Content

If you’re anything like me, you periodically find yourself in front of your computer, with your WordPress dashboard open, staring at your monitor like a deer in headlights.

You’re having content brainfarts.;There you sit, experiencing content emaciation, with little direction on which way to go. You had all of these great ideas, and now that you’re on the main stage of starting a blog post… you freeze.

You Are Not Alone – I Mean It

Trust me, this is normal. Absolutely normal. At least I’m hoping it is, because this is the kind of thing I deal with every time I sit down to write a blog post. So if it’s not normal, and you struggle with the same thing, at least we can cope together.

I’m here to tell you that there’s hope. There’s a way for us to come together and produce quality content – you know, the kind of content that draws linkbacks, retweets, and comments from your users. I’ve cobbled together a list of places to find what you’re looking for – the holy grail.

Places to Find Inspiration for Blog Content

1. Similar Blogs in Your Niche
   Yes, this one is pretty obvious. If you write about underwater basket weaving, why not visit other blogs that cover the topic. Reading content that is written by others, and is drawing attention and conversation is proof in itself, that you can have an audience. Now, please hear me when I say this – I’m NOT saying that you should copy their content. I’m saying that you should be inspired by it. Huge difference.
2. Do a Twitter Search
   There are literally millions of people who babble online (in 140 characters or less) about everything from the Grammy’s to yes, underwater basket weaving. (here’s proof) What better way to write content about a subject that you know people are already talking about. Scan through the results of a Twitter search, and see if there’s commonality in what they are saying. See if people are asking questions, and if so – write about it..

3“For Dummies” Books.;Yesterday I went to Barnes and Noble for this very reason – I want to write more about my experiences with blogging and the internet, but I freeze every time I’m in front of the blog writing camera. So I did exactly what I’m telling you now. I purchased 4 “For Dummies” books, with the intent on reading them to provide inspiration for new content. All you really need to do is rip out the table of contents of each one, as that should give you all the inspiration you require to kick start your content producing endeavors.

4.Subscribe to Google Alerts

This is something that I’ve been doing more and more lately. It’s pretty genius, as a matter of fact, that though Google Alerts we have the capability of having targeted inspiration delivered to our inbox literally minutes after it’s posted. If you want to cover that latest breaking news in underwater basket weaving, setup an alert to have Google send you links to blog posts and news articles as they happen. This is also a great chance to link to the source that you reference in your post, which might probe the source author to check out your own site