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It’s unlikely that you ever imagined yourself becoming a blogger. You’re probably a small-business owner and not a professional writer. You don’t need to be a master wordsmith to create engaging and compelling posts. A blog is only possible if you are passionate about a topic. This trait can be acquired as an entrepreneur. Blogs can be an affordable way to increase your business’s visibility and build trust with your readers, which is a win-win situation.

Blogs are also “owned content,” which means you can create your blog in your own way, without having to rely on others. You will have complete control over the content on your site. This allows you to ensure that your blog’s tone and style are consistent with your brand values. It takes work to build a blog. This article will provide insight into how other businesses blog.

Why not start a blog to promote your small business?

The 80/20 rule social media rule can be useful when thinking about what content to include on your blog. While it is acceptable for businesses to spend up to 20% of their marketing strategy explicitly advertising their products, the other 80 percent should be informative and entertaining for your audience.

Instead of bombarding customers in promotional ads, enrich their experience with interesting, educational, or edifying content. A blog is an excellent channel for adding value to customers’ lives. This content can be shared to attract customers and create a stronger online community. You can also repurpose blog posts on social media, generating more content to promote your business.

Here are some reasons why blogging is a great investment.

Highlight your knowledge

Customers want to be confident in the brands they buy from. Blogging can help to share your knowledge and expertise. Bloggers allow founders and CEOs to share their experiences from their careers, as well as their thoughts, through blogging.

Your brand’s values, goals and mission should be expanded

Sometimes, Instagram Stories or Twitter threads are not the best platform to share your company’s mission. Blog posts are a great way to get a deeper look at your company’s core principles and share your entrepreneurial goals.

Transparently document and share

It is not easy to run a business. Recording the ups, downs and lessons learned can be beneficial for both customers and business owners. A timeline of milestones for the company, quarterly reviews and a post detailing how you overcome obstacles to running your business are some examples of useful content. People who build in the public eye have seen positive results, such as building community and increasing brand exposure. This honesty will be appreciated by readers. It may help them to see the humanity behind your brand rather than just seeing it as another company.

In your post, include keywords

You can drive more traffic to your website by writing blog posts that include keywords related to your products or services. This is a great way to increase organic search for your brand. It will take time for your posts on SEO to rank well. Your articles will eventually rank higher on Google and other search engines if you continue to produce solid content. Here are some SEO tools to help you.

How to get started blogging

Although setting up a blog is easy, there are some things you need to do before you can start writing.

Select a Content Management Software

There are many content management systems that you can choose from for your blog. These are just a few of the many options available:

• WordPress – WordPress is used on 41 percent of all websites. It is easy to use, but it also offers more advanced features for those who require them. WordPress’s basic version is free. However, most businesses and brands will require a plaid plan.
• Tumblr While Tumblr is known for its social media features, its user-friendly interface makes it ideal for creating blog posts. You can also use it to add trending memes to your posts or a casual tone to them. Tumblr is also free.
• Blogger A free Google product, Blogger was created in 1999 and has been widely recognized as a pioneer in online publishing. Blogger is simple and easy to use, and can be linked to all your Google accounts. A plus? Google Adsense is also possible to be integrated into your website.
• Ghost – We use Ghost to manage our blog. We love its intuitive dashboard and built-in SEO tools. The platform also places content at the center of the page. Ghost Open-Source is the free version, while Ghost Pro costs $9 per month.

Editing made easier

Blog posts that are full of typos and grammatical mistakes can make it difficult for readers to read. This is why it is important to ensure that your content has been thoroughly reviewed. Grammarly is an excellent editing tool, especially for ambitious teams of one. Grammarly has a premium version but a free account will fix most spelling and grammar errors.

Implement a content calendar

A content calendar can be used for your blog in the same way as a social media calendar. This calendar would contain blog post ideas and pitches, as well as the timeframe for each post. It also includes the editing, outlining, and drafting process. The publish dates are included for each piece. This will allow you to have a clear view of your blog and help you keep up with all your posts.

Get Ideas

While you may have some top-of-the-mind ideas for your blog but are unsure how to produce content consistently, It is normal to feel unsure about what topic to write about. However, there are many ways to do this. It’s always a good idea to get your followers’ feedback on what content they would like to see. This can help you address customer problems. Even if they aren’t in marketing or communications, asking your team to pitch you can give you an insider’s view of the blog. Finally, brainstorming and creating a mindmap can help you think outside the box.

Although it can seem like you are trying to manage multiple tasks simultaneously, eventually you will find a rhythm and start creating content. The most important thing is to get started. You can also adjust your blogging strategy as you go.

How do other small businesses approach blogs?

Writing a blog is great because you can choose the content that you want to share. These examples are from small businesses that can provide you with more ideas to get you started.

Their journey documented

Customers can keep up to date with brand news via blogs.

Scotch Porter

Scotch Porter, a black-owned company that makes hair products for men, has many posts on their blog, The Scotch Porter Journal. Their main focus seems to be sharing milestones, such as announcing launches in CVS and Target. They also shared the news via their journal when they appeared on Nick Cannon’s talk show in 2021.

Buffer

It’s great to celebrate your successes, but it can also be rewarding to share the difficulties and obstacles that your company has encountered. Buffer is committed to transparency as one of its core values. We document our learnings through our Open blog. These posts don’t shy away form difficult topics, but rather, they are candid about the areas that need improvement and the steps taken to achieve them.

We have written about how to foster a sense of community in remote teams, the challenges faced by our engineering team, and security breaches at Buffer. We hope that sharing our experiences will inspire and assist others in their small business ventures.

Highlighting products

Although you might be most familiar with advertising products on social media, a blog can be a unique way to market your products.

Glamnetic

Glamnetic is a brand that sells magnetic lashes and press on nails. They highlight their products frequently on their blog, but keep it light and fun by linking back to other trends such as TikTok and celebrity culture. You should read their articles: Want nails like Kylie Jenner?, How do you remove pressure on nails — TikTok viral hack and 2022 spring beauty trend information.

Passion Planner

Passion Planner also writes blog posts that link back to their main products, journals. There are tons of ideas on their blog for journaling enthusiasts, including 42 planner ideas to give you a glowing schedule and the 7-day self-love Challenge. The blog posts aren’t focused on passion planners but can be used for any agenda or journal. Passion Planner’s blog is no longer a marketing ploy, but rather a valuable resource for readers.

Flow Club

Flow Club is a virtual coworking space that features user testimonials. This article, entitled “How Elizabeth Yin, co-founder of Hustle Fund, beats procrastination using Flow Club”, focuses on one customer’s experience using their product. They provide direct quotes and personalize the service a little more for readers.

Demonstrating your expertise

Blogs about your knowledge and experiences are a great way to share your knowledge with your customers about relevant topics to your business.

Birthdate Co.

Birthdate Co. creates unique candles for each birthdate by using astrology, numerology and tarot. Their blog contains tons of information about astrology and horoscopes like the Gemini Guide: What are the Traits of Gemini?, Taurus Season Hooscopes, as well as What Are The Best Astrology Books to Learn Everything About Your Sign.

Pacific Cookie Company

Pacific Cookie Company is a family-owned company. Their blog focuses on all things cookies. They have posts on the best coffee and cookie pairings, recipes to make air-fryer cookies and other baking topics, such as how to make cookies without butter.

Passion Planner

Passion Planner blogs about journaling and self-care. These principles are directly related to the company’s mission statement. Their goal is to help people feel great and fulfill their dreams.

We hope you found this article helpful in understanding how blogging can bring value to your brand. It allows you to connect with your audience on an even deeper level. After you’ve written your first post, it will be easier to write more and blogging will become part of your daily routine.

Are you running a blog for your business? Send it to us on Instagram or Twitter!