How to blog like a pro (and why it matters)

If you run your own business, you may be wondering if it’s worth starting a blog. The answer is simple – yes, it is. In fact, it should be a vital part of your marketing strategy. Life coach and journalist Julie Brown tells us why and gives handy advice on blogging for success.

Why should I create a blog: six compelling reasons to start right now

1 Attracting traffic

Good quality content, which is targeted at your ideal client will regularly attract more traffic to your website. Even posts that are years old can continue to send visitors there every week. Qualified leads can be converted into clients. Result!

2 Building credibility

Running a business is all about relationships and solving your client’s problems. So, if you want to build trust with prospective clients, you need to show them you’re an expert. A blog is a great way to do this and it’s key if you want to get any sort of press coverage too. In addition, when others are looking for experts, for an event, for instance, they’ll search for someone who is sharing their knowledge on a blog. Make sure it’s you.

3 It’s more effective than social media

The issue with social media is that you’re not in control of what happens to your content once it’s posted. So, rather than building your business just on social platforms, think about starting or growing your email list, and creating content on your website is key to this. It gets people to your site, where you can offer a freebie to encourage them to sign up to your list. You can then use this for targeted marketing.

4 It helps with customer experience

Your blog should exist not just to attract new clients, but also to help your existing clients get the most out of your services. These clients are the most likely to buy from you again or to recommend you to a friend, so targeting them in your marketing is essential. If you publish content that shows you look after your existing customers, potential customers will see this and will be much more likely to want to do business with you too.

5 You can deal with customer’s questions

Publish content on your blog that answers your customer’s questions about your services before they have raised them. This can really help when it comes to converting customers who can’t make their mind up about working with you. For example, a blog post about what to expect from life coaching may just help someone take the plunge.

6 Blogs offer lots of re-purposing opportunities

Every blog post can have more than one purpose. It can be turned into a script for a podcast for instance. Or you could use lines or short paragraphs from them as social media posts. Or use the pictures on your Instagram feed.

Five top tips for blogging brilliance

1 Know your audience.

This first tip holds true for any type of writing. Who are you aiming at? What do they want to read about? Have a clear picture in your head of your ideal client and, as you write, imagine them sat opposite you. This will help you get the tone of the blog just right.

2 Blogging rules change all the time, but  Google is more likely to favour longer posts in search results.

Around 700 words is ideal. Choose a great headline by thinking about what your potential clients are searching for. ‘How to increase your confidence in three easy steps’ is a good example. Include pictures.

3 The first thing most visitors will do when they find your blog is to look at how up to date it is.

If it’s more than a month since your last post they’re unlikely to come back. Blog at least once a week.

4 We’re all good at allowing our work to expand to fill the time we have available.

To prevent this give yourself a limit for how long you’ll spend on writing your blog and stick to it. Use a timer with an alarm.

5 Keep a list of frequently asked questions in your industry.

as providing the answers is a great way to create content.

By Julie Brown.

To find out more about Julie visit www.thesassylifecoach.com