If you’ve been on the verge of starting a business blog for a while but are still on the “Is it the right choice for me?” fence, then today’s blog post is for you!
Your business blog is an organic tool to reach potential leads through the power of search engines - the most significant driver of website traffic. And it sits right on your website, meaning fewer clicks to get a conversion. It’s a massive opportunity, you’ll agree.
Here’s my complete guide to starting your business blog, so you can enjoy the benefits of marketing your business on-site effectively.
Some business blog ROI facts for you
Ok, so you need some more convincing. Let’s start with your ROI potential.
I wrote a blog called “How valuable is your business blog to your online success”, and in that, we discussed:
A blog can significantly increase indexed pages on search engines, with a 434% higher number of indexed pages than websites without a blog.
Companies that maintain a blog on their website experience a substantial increase in links to their website, with a 97% higher number of links compared to companies that do not have a blog.
Businesses that regularly publish blog content on their website observe a twofold increase in email traffic compared to companies that do not.
Clients who implement a consistent blog post strategy have observed a notable increase of over 300% in their website traffic compared to those who do not blog. Due to this reason, I suggest hiring a content writer like myself to assist with your content, but we will discuss this topic later.
On average, blog posts that include a call-to-action button achieve a click-through rate of 5.31%. Compared to social media, which is around 1%.
According to HubSpot, businesses that blog generate 55% more website visitors and 67% more leads than those that don't.
You can see there is lots to be gained from business blogging. Let’s dive in deeper, shall we?
Guide: How to start your business blog and start generating leads
1. Start your business blog with your why
Starting with your "why" is a great way to create a clear purpose and direction for your blog.
It’s ok if you aren’t sure what your “why” is - most clients I meet aren’t. But here’s how to define that vital part of your process because once you’ve nailed it, content becomes easier to design.
Identify your purpose - Consider why you want to start a blog. What do you hope to achieve? What do you want to share with your audience?
Define your values - Consider what's important to you and how your blog will reflect those values. Your values will help guide your content and approach.
Craft your one Call to Action - You’ve probably already decided your website’s purpose is; to make a sale, get an email, or book appointments. Your blog’s purpose should align with this. In other words, your blog posts should help achieve more leads that could convert into more sales, emails, or bookings by showcasing your expertise and understanding of industry and customer needs.
Craft your mission statement - Use your purpose and values to create a concise statement summarising your blog to readers. Include your mission statement on your blog's about page, and refer to it in your blog and category meta descriptions.
By starting your blog with your "why," you can create a strong foundation that will help guide your content and approach. This will also help you attract readers who share your values and are interested in what you have to offer.
2. Decide who your business blog is for
“Surely, it’s my customer Sara?”
That’s right, but at what stage of the buyer’s journey are they at when they read your blog posts?
They will likely be in the top or middle of your lead funnel. In other words, they have found you online but don’t know who you are or how you help them, or they may know who you are but need some help understanding how you can help them better.
Why have they landed on your site? Because they found you via a search engine when trying to solve a problem. Or they have clicked through from a social or email link.
Some may be between the middle and bottom of the lead funnel and may not be ready to buy but need nurturing. Or they need help with that final push. Your blog is a great place to do this too.
Remember, these potential leads have likely come to your blog page from a social link, email newsletter, or even a pitch.
Because all of this feels like an overwhelming number of people at different stages to write for, I like to create buyer personas to help me grasp who I’m writing specific content pieces for.
Let me give you an example. I have a SaaS client whose app deals with employee well-being. There are several personas to write for: the business owner, office manager, and HR lead. Within these roles, some buyers want to understand how the tech serves them, whereas others are more interested in HR processes or tech costs vs ROI. I must understand what and how to write for each of these for my content to attract and convert more leads.
3. Define your pillar content
We now know our blog’s purpose and who we are writing for. This is when I like to start working on the finer details of value - I have a complete guide to pillar content here for you.
Pillar content is the various categories of conversation you will have on your blog; each will offer specific value to your audience. I have an IT client whose categories include: industry news, cyber security, performance, plus services and software. These categories were designed to answer his most common questions from existing customers and leads.
4. How to set up your business blog platform
Pick your URL wisely, don’t choose something confusing! Common URL prefixes for blogs include:
/blog/
/articles/
/news/
/insights/
/thought-leadership/
/perspectives/
/updates/
/learn/
/resources/
/latest/
Next, customise your blog - Choose a theme, add widgets and plugins, and customise the layout to make your blog simple to read yet appealing enough to elicit a conversion.
Finally, set up your categories - I use pillar content keywords. You’ll find these as blogging, SEO and content marketing dictionary on my blog. These are the main topics I discuss and align with my services.
5. How to decide on your first business blog posts and create a content plan
At this point, you know what you’ll be writing about, and now you have a shiny new space on your site waiting for content - but what will your first posts cover?
For many clients, this is where I see overwhelm set in.
I promise it really isn’t that hard. You just need to pick a topic and start. I always find your FAQs are a great place to get you thinking about individual post ideas.
Create a list and then create a content plan, so you can keep writing and publishing regularly.
If you need more help with your content, read my blog guide, “The 5 rules of successful consumer-led blog content”.
6. Why you’ll need a content writer - trust me!
Blogging for business has to have a tangible ROI, right? This is where your content writer comes in.
A good content writer should know how to pitch your blog content and call to action to attract more readers and appeal to leads. Their body of work on your site should help cement your authority within your niche and instil trust in readers, converting them to leads.
A great content writer should also understand how to leverage SEO to outrank the competition and spread your business across SERPs quickly and effectively (given your budget).
I’ve written a guide called “11 business benefits of outsourcing your blog posts to a copywriter”. This will help show you the value a strong writer will bring you.
Yes, you can start writing yourself - of course, you can. But considering your investment in time, how ROI can you honestly bring in if you don’t have the skill set needed?
And remember to do your due diligence when you hire someone and pay them with ROI in mind.
7. How many blog posts do I need before I publish my business blog?
There isn’t a set number of posts you need to go live with; the number of blog posts you want to start with depends on various things.
Firstly, how well-known is your business - in other words, how many people can you send to read your content as your new blog goes live? If it’s not that high, start with five good-quality SEO-led pieces.
Secondly, let’s talk budget. If your budget is low, start on those 5 blog posts and publish them once a week. The SEO traction will be slow, but your new marketing strategy remains manageable. Consider a more ambitious content schedule if you have a reasonable content writing budget.
The main aim of those initial pieces is to give your readers a better idea of the content they can expect on your blog. Remember, they always look at your content with a “what’s in it for me?” question.
This means the quality of your content is more important than the quantity. Google ranks content based on how helpful it serves their user, so quality also plays a role in your SEO campaign.
8. Set up your analytics tracking
Business blogs can take a long time to rank on search engines and deliver traffic unless you have a team of SEO writers working for you. This can make initial analytics tracking feel pointless, but it isn’t - I promise. The historical data you record will help you see patterns in readership and the effectiveness of content CTAs.
Keeping it simple will keep you focused on your goals.
The key is to start with a set-up that works with the ROI you’d like to see from your content efforts. In other words, to track conversions, find out which data points to follow and how. Here’s a guide to some of the essential blog data points.
Now you are reaching more leads, here’s what to do next
A business blog filled with regularly scheduled and valuable content does several things. It;
Attracts and engages your target audience
Establishes your brand voice and authority
Builds your reputation and credibility
Increases site traffic and conversions
So what do you do with all of these new leads?
My advice is to think about this next step. Define and implement an easy sales funnel that moves potential leads to confirmed sales.
You could do this by automating forms on your site or blog content to deliver the next steps in nurturing content, like email sequences or whitepapers. You could also automate data flow between site forms and your sales team so follow-up meetings get booked.
However you do it, ensure your process is ready so that when traffic hits your site and makes that conversion, you treat the lead as “hot” and follow through. Quick action will expedite your next steps to securing that sale.
Good luck!
Do you need a content writer to help you develop a strategy and regular content flow? Drop a message below, and let me help you.
