Ever founding yourself asking: what is a blog and how does it work? In the early days of the internet, blogs – aka web logs – were essentially online journals for sharing whatever was on your mind.
Today?
Blogging has evolved into a powerful tool to grow your online visibility and nurture your target audience.
If you’re still unsure about what a blog actually is and how it works, allow me to explain.
This blog post is designed to demystify blogging for business and equip creative business owners with the knowledge and tools to start and blog and use it to see meaningful growth this year.
Whether you’re a jeweller, a candle maker, or an interior designer, a blog can help your creative business to connect with your audience, boost your visibility, and even make sales.
What’s the difference between a blog and a website?
Let’s begin with the basics.
A blog can be an online presence in its own right, used by bloggers to write entries directly to their online audience.
There are various blogging platforms you can use to do this, and people may start a blog to talk about anything from fashion to food.
Bloggers make money this way by selling advertising space, using affiliate shopping links, or they might create content featuring paid promotions with brands.
However, the type of blog we’re going to focus on today is different to this style of personal blog.
The kind of blogging I specialise in is business blogging.
Blogging is still a relatively untapped tool for creative business owners, and I’m here to spread the word about how it can set you apart from competitors in your industry and help you reach your business goals faster.
What is a business blog?
So, unlike the type of blog mentioned above, a business blog is a dedicated section of your website where you share content – in the form of articles, tips, or insights – related to your business.
It’s a type of long-form content marketing which enables you to share your expertise on a specific topic in more detail than a social media caption or TikTok video allows.
Within your blog section, you can share articles around topics designed to:
- Educate: share your expertise and position yourself as the expert in your sector.
- Inspire: showcase your process or products – without being overly salesy.
- Connect: build trust and a sense of community so your target audience feels like you’re the natural choice when they come to purchase.
Benefits of blogging for business
Imagine someone Googling “best candles to neutralise pet smells” or “space-saving home office design tips”.
If you write a blog about that topic and optimise it for SEO (search engine optimisation), they may well land on your website.
However, sales aren’t actually the primary goal of business blogging.
Blogging is a type of content marketing, which aims to educate and inspire your audience, rather than directly sell to them.
So, think of blogging as a useful tool in the research part of their buying journey, providing the answers they’re looking for to make an informed decision.
Having said that, blogs can lead to sales! But there are plenty of other next steps you can encourage your reader to make in your call to action (CTA) – for example, sign up to your newsletter, follow your socials, read another blog, or book an appointment.
Other key blog benefits include:
- Boost your website’s visibility through effective SEO!
- Give your brand a personality so it stands out from competitors
- Create shareable content for social media – blogs are super easy to recycle into Instagram captions, TikTok content, or email marketing.
What different types of blog post are there?
There are many different types of blog posts – here are some examples of blog content types to inspire you.
- Listicles – e.g. 7 Ways To Freshen Up Your Home Office This Spring
- How to guide and tutorials – e.g. How To Clean Your Wedding Ring
- Behind the scenes content – e.g. A Day In The Life Of An Interior Designer
- Case studies – e.g. How Kate Upgraded Her Rented Flat Using Sticky Tiles
- Thought leadership – e.g. Why Sustainable Design Makes Business Sense”
- Checklists – e.g. Wedding Planning Checklist
- Personal blogs from the founder – e.g. The Surprising Reason I Started My Candle Business
How to make your blog count
If you’re ready to write your first blog, here are some tips to get cracking.
- Know your audience – picture your ideal customer and always, always write with them in mind – what do they want to know? What would they find useful or interesting?
- Plan ahead – choose topics that align with your products and values. Create a content calendar to incorporate special dates or times of year that tie in with your business and hit the right audience at the right time.
- Write in your unique tone of voice – every brand has its unique personality and voice, so make sure yours shines through to differentiate yourself from competitors and connect with your audience.
- Include a call to action – people like to be told what to do next, so don’t expect them to read your mind. Encourage readers to check out your products, follow you on social media, or sign up for your newsletter.
Start blogging with purpose
If writing isn’t your thing, don’t worry – you can still experience all of the benefits of blogging without doing the work yourself if you hire a professional copywriter.
As a copywriter specialising in creative businesses, I can take the stress out of blogging for you. I can create a blog content calendar tailored around your goals then write and optimise regualr posts for you, or we can work together to turn your ideas into visibility-boosting blog articles.
Book a free call with me to discuss what blogging can do for your business and let’s make this the year you experience meaningful and measurable growth.