Why blogging is good for business

A new year means new resolutions and if you’re anything like me, you’ve decided to make blogging a priority for 2013.

Blogs have unquestionably come a long way over the past few years; once regarded as a simple pastime has now become a career for many individuals, as well as a huge selling tool for companies and businesses alike. A norm, you might even say.

So why is blogging good for business?

• A blog serves as an outlet to share your expertise and knowledge with a large audience, ultimately building a community of followers, generating an online identity, and having the power to influence.
• Blogging is a cost-effective way to increase your business’ SEO. Think of it this way: every thoughtful blog post you write has the potential to become the result of someone’s entry on a search engine — it’s just that simple!
• Thanks to the abundance of ad programs and sponsorship opportunities, a blog can even act as a great source of income, if that’s your goal.

Sounds great, but how do you stay on top of your blog?

I like to think that the chief source of success when it comes to managing a blog stems from planning ahead. The steps can be as easy as 1-2-3:

1. Have a set number of posts per week that you plan to publish. Whether that number is two or five–you determine what will work for the resources you have
2. Generate ideas, key words and topic areas for each of your posts. The ideas, of course, should be relevant and of interest to the target audience at hand. Always think “what questions do our customers have and how can we offer them the solutions they’re looking for?”
3. Plan your posts using a content calendar far in advance to when they will actually publish. Based on how fresh your content is, this might mean two weeks ahead, or more along the lines of six to eight weeks.

Another bonus? As you search for new information and ideas to share with your readers, you will naturally stay knowledgeable in your field–yet another way to showcase your expertise and stay relevant in your industry.

Blogging is a platform that can be nicely integrated into your online content strategy. Embrace blogging as a business tool; there is great potential to help you and your business advance in today’s technologically-based world and maintain great relationships with current and prospective clients.