Spend a few minutes online researching a topic related to your business. A good number of industry-related blogs will likely appear. Why? Because, as many businesses are learning, hosting a blog is a highly effective way to strengthen relationships with existing customers, create relationships with new customers and connect with potential candidates for open jobs within your company.
Share your expertise
What will you write about? When it comes to your business product or service, you’re obviously the expert. Think about the types of questions your customers typically ask you. Right off the bat, you’ll have a half-dozen topics to blog about.
Don’t think of a blog as an advertising medium. That’s not what it’s meant for. Your goal is to keep your business in a customer’s mind, even if they don’t yet know anything about you. By regularly posting informative content, you establish yourself as an expert in the field. As long as you always keep “customer value” in mind, you can’t go wrong.
Drive traffic to your website
The more people who come to your business website, the more potential sales you have. Maintaining a blog—which means continuously posting fresh and interesting content—will generate traffic to your site. One effective technique is to embed a link or two in your blog post to specific pages on your site. Also, start checking out other industry-related blogs. Comment on what you read. Link your blog to various social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.). This will expand both your readership and your potential customer base.
Posting new content “feeds” search engines (always include keywords relevant to your industry), thus making it even easier for potential customers to find you.
Interact with customers
Blogs are interactive; when you post interesting content, readers respond. Write about new products or updates to your current products or services, and solicit feedback from satisfied (and dissatisfied) customers. The comments you get back will alert you to any product or service issues, which you can then address quickly, thus keeping customers in the “Satisfied” column.
Your blog should contain (a) a brief summary of who you are and something about your background and (b) useful contact information, such as email, website, and Twitter name.
Numerous sites offer easy-to-use templates to start a blog. Sites such as Tumblr, WordPress and Typepad are either free or cost little to use.
High Profile Staffing offers a wealth of resources on employer-friendly topics (staffing, finance, networking, etc.). Check us out!