OK
we understand that you may be very busy running with the running of
your store,
and a blog may be the last thing on your mind. But did you know that
92
percent of
companies who blogged actually acquired customers through their blog?
If
that's not enough evidence, here's 6 more reasons why your online
store should have a blog....
1. It
will drive traffic to your store
Yes
it's true, creating content for your blog will help bring people to
your store and it's all to do with SEO. The science behind the
madness is that every time you write a new post, you are adding
another page to your website.
So
when Google checks your website (which it does regularly), it will
rank you higher because not only do search engines like new content,
but they like to see lots of it! In fact, businesses
with websites of 401 – 1000 pages get 6 times more leads than those
with 51 – 100 pages.
(HubSpot Lessons from 4,000 Businesses, 2011)
Another
way to drive traffic to your online store using your blog, is to put
links into your copy that direct to other pages on your website, and
to respectable websites around the web. Although you may not want to
link to outside websites, it is a good
idea
to do so as it helps with SEO.
But
wait, that's not all! You can also use tools such as AdWords
to find out what keywords your customers search for and then use
those keywords in your copy. Say for example your customers search
for 'leather bags' – you can write a blog post all about leather
bags and naturally you will be using the keywords that your customers
search for. Your website will then be better optimised in order to
attract the customers you want.
Takeaway:
- Use
your blog to add more pages to your website
- Add
links to direct customers to other parts of your site and other
websites
- Find
the keywords that your customers are searching for
2. It will convince your visitors to buy
So
your marketing efforts may have got visitors to come to your store,
but what happens next? First impressions are everything and if you're
not careful, they could leave. You need a way to convert your
customers and a blog is the perfect tool to help you do that. A
blog can help you stand apart from the crowd
by proving that you are the expert in what you do.
Not
only can you update your blog with fun behind the scene scoops, but
you can blog about your latest products, give interviews with
customers on your latest stuff, or even talk about the latest
industry hot topic. No matter what you blog about you need to make
sure it's interesting, educational and showcases your expertise.
Think about offering great tips and advice that relate back to your
product. Say for example you sell fitness products – provide your
customers with some great work out tips.
Takeaway:
- Your
blog needs to show authority
- Convince
your readers that you are a leader
- Offer
tips and advice, related to your products
3. It provides shareable stuff for social
You
probably not only too well that social media is important, but it's
hard to come up with topics to post about, right? Well, that's what's
so great about a blog. Once
you start updating your blog regularly, you will be able to post your
stuff to your social platforms.
This will help keep your feeds current, interesting and you will
generate more followers from it.
You
don't always have to post about educational stuff all the time. Find
out what your customers like to share and use that to your advantage.
In fact, it doesn’t even have to be a written blog post in the
traditional sense. You could create an infographic or a video to
place on your blog and direct your social followers to it. Another
great option is to provide your customers with high value content to
make you stand out – like an ebook!
Takeaway:
- Always
post your content on all social channels
- Create
various content for you blog – like videos, ebooks, infographics
- Make
your posts good enough to share
4. It shows you have a personality
We've
blogged in the past about how important it is to define
your brand,
but did you know that a
blog can really help set the personality of your brand? A blog will
show your visitors that you are human – and this is really
important. It's difficult to connect with your audience when you are
simply showing them the facts. You also need to show them that you
have a personality and that there is a face behind the products on
your website. Once you've mastered this, you'll start to see more
sales.
You
can also use your blog to help you improve on different parts of your
online store. Make sure you give your audience the option to leave a
comment below your post. Not only will this make your readers feel
included, but it will help you decide what's working for your store
and what's not. Don't be afraid of negative comments – as long as
you respond – you'll be seen as an honest and reputable company for
doing so.
Takeaway:
- Define
your brand with your blog posts
- Show
your readers that you are human
- Give
them a chance to feedback with a comment box
5. It will increase your database
So everyone would like more leads right? Well, once you start posting interesting, valuable content, you'll be giving people a reason to come back. The key is to add subscribe boxes to your posts so that people reading your blog will be able to opt in to hear more from you. The people who sign up their email address clearly want to hear more from you – so there you have it, a bunch of free leads!
In order to entice more people to opt in, think about offering something of high value – like an ebook as mentioned earlier, or offering them a discount code to use on their next purchase in your online store.
Make sure you don't spam their inbox with sales emails as there is the risk that you'll turn people away. Provide them with what the content they want and if you are clever with the topics you post about - sales will come naturally from that.
Takeaway:
- Give your readers a reason to come back
- Feature subscribe boxes so they can opt in for more
- Give them a reason to sign up – like free content or offers
6. It will increase your reach
So
you obviously want to reach a large audience with your products, but
how do you do this if no-one has ever heard of your website? Your
post doesn't have to just sit on your blog and build up dust. People
love content that they can share with their followers and if you
provide them with content that's good enough to share, then you will
increase the chance of more people hearing about you.
Make
sure you tell your readers at the end of the post to share it with
their followers and even do the hard work for them, by linking to
various social channels. As long as your content reflects
your brand
and tone, then you're increasing the chance of more people hearing
about you and giving them a reason to visit your store.
Takeaway:
- Tell
your readers to share the post around the web
- Feature
share buttons to social channels
- Stay
true to your brand
Want
to get started?
So
if that's convinced you that you need a blog then we can actually
help you get started! Yes that's right, we've got everything
covered within our features
and that includes blogging! Our easy-to-use tool lets you create
shareable blog posts to help you achieve all of the above. Contact
us today
to find out more!
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