When it comes to creating their digital presence, many small businesses today feel that it’s enough to just have a website and a Facebook page. But what many small businesses fail to realize – especially in more specialized areas like Finance, Technology, and Healthcare – is that there’s a tool they can use to help grow and strengthen their voice online.

Blog Can Help You Grow Your Small Business

This tool is Blogging.

Starting your own business? Here’s why you should start a blogClick To Tweet

Blogging creates many opportunities for small businesses. To start, it’s a way to raise awareness about you, your brand and what you’re all about. With a blog, you can expand on your service offerings and showcase your expertise.

For example: If you’re in Finance, you can write a series of posts about the small things people can do every day to save money. You can include a call to action at the end of the posts — something that encourages people to contact you to talk about their specific financial planning needs.

Blogging regularly also helps people find you online through search results on Google, thereby growing your audience. By being strategic about the terms you use, you can utilize the content in your blog posts to rank higher in search results. This process is called Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

The best way to get started with SEO is to think of what it is you would like to be found for. What are your small business ideas; what sets you apart? Once you have decided this, you can generate a list of key terms that can be used in blog posts.

For example: If you’re in Healthcare and you would like to be known for your prescription-refilling app, some key terms you could utilize could be related to how health care apps benefit patients, nurses, and reduce prescription mistakes.

Blogging is also a great way for a small business to show that they are keeping up with industry trends. Customers want to feel confident about who they give their business to. If you are publishing blog posts offering insights about industry trends and how your small business can help, that is going to help you stand out with your audience.

Blogging lets your small business engage with your customers

One of the greatest aspects of having a blog is the engagement it allows you to have with your current customers and potential customers. One way this happens is in through the commenting feature. Many small business owners often turn off the commenting feature because they are worried about receiving negative comments. Or they worry about being asked questions that they don’t want to answer in a public space.

Not having the ability to comment can give people a negative impression; being open and transparent will be much more appealing to any potential customers. Even if you do receive negative comments, you can use that as an opportunity to reach out to those commenters and help them resolve any issues they have.

An active blog is also an opportunity to keep your website’s visitors on the site longer. Featuring a list of your latest blog posts on your site is a great way to capture your visitors’ attention. Visitors will see the list and may be enticed to read your posts to find out more about you, your business, and your offerings. A blog is an effective way to convert potential customers into buyers.

A blog is an effective way to convert potential customers into buyers.Click To Tweet

Ready to get started with a blog?

If you’re ready to start leveraging the power of a blog for your small business, keep these points in mind:

  • Be consistent with your posts. You don’t have to write every day or every week, but you do have to be consistent. Consistency will let people know when to expect new content.
  • Think about the terms you want to be known for. Once identified,  use them consistently throughout your content.
  • Encourage people to connect with you – either by calls to action at the end of each post or through comments.

Have questions about getting started with a blog? Ask them below!

The original version of this post appeared on the Atomic Reach blog.