By Gail Oliver, Published November 2, 2014
Does my business need a blog? I get asked this a lot by my clients, particularly my professional services clients such as lawyers, financial advisors and realtors. If you are your brand (which, when you offer services is typically the case) then yes, you would benefit from a blog.
My blog is case in point. I doubt many people would hire me off the Internet if I didn’t back up my experience and reputation with blog posts that show my knowledge. It can be a powerful marketing tool for your business. That is why I do not accept guest posts, because I want the voice of the blog to strictly be my own (be leery of blogs that have a lot of guest writers, it tells me that they are relying on the expertise of others instead of their own).
A blog is time-consuming and a bit commitment, and I do not have much time to write mine these days, but it can find you new customers by drawing them in on content they care about.
Ideas for Blog Posts
Your blog topics should, for the most part, be things your potential clients are searching for on Google. If you are a lawyer, for example, using Google autocomplete start typing in “What are my rights” and you will see searches such as “What are my rights as a tenant?“, “What are my rights as a mother?“, “What are my rights in a common law relationship?“, and this becomes a good place to find topics to write about.
Quora is another great place to find topics your target market is interested in. If you are a realtor, look up their real estate questions and you will see people asking, “What is the best area in San Francisco to live in and why?” or “What is the worst investment for a home renovation?“. Make the title of your blog post these questions, and you may see more traffic from Google.
Ideas for More Creative Blog Posts
But do you really want to keep it all business? That could get a little boring for your followers so be sure to occasionally add more “lighter fare” content as well. So, for example, a baby photographer can blog about “Stylish Maternity Outfits to Wear in the Third Trimester” or a financial advisor could blog about, “Tax Horror Stories from the IRS“.
Ideas for Timely, Trending Blog Posts
Check out the morning newswire to see if there is a news story that is trending that you can add your professional opinion to and capitalize on the trending hashtag. For example, as a lawyer, do you feel that quarantining nurses coming back from Africa is a violation of their human rights? Or as an accountant or financial advisor, what does today’s news that the Federal Reserve plans to keep its short-term interest rate near zero means for your clients?
Ideas for Lighter Fare
Quirky blog posts always get attention. For inspiration, go over to Buzzfeed, known for their quirky content. You will find articles that people tend to gravitate towards, such as 24 Truly Appalling Real Estate Agent Photos and 12 Pick up Lines Only a Lawyer Can Use (ok, not too sure about this one, but you get the idea).
Social Articles | Business 2 Community
(329)
