You don't HAVE to start a blog for your business. But here are 8 ways you'll benefit from having one (especially #3).
I was standing in my kitchen on a muggy summer night. The house was quiet, because my two boys were fast asleep in bed. I should’ve been in bed, but after a long day, I wanted some time to myself. I swiped open my phone and pulled up Instagram, because, what else do you do when you really should be sleeping?
To my surprise, there was a message waiting from me from a total stranger.
“Hi Amanda! I saw a blog you wrote about giving birth in Japan. I couldn’t leave a comment, so I found you on Instagram. Could I ask you a question?”
Omg! I’d been writing about my life in Japan for a career site, but I didn’t think anyone was actually reading those posts. Here was a new mom who had found my post and went out of her way to tell me about it.
We had a short conversation and she went on her way. But it left me thinking just how powerful blogs really are.
Blogs attract readers and move them to action. And you can use them to create positive outcomes for your business: website visitors welcomed, appointments booked, mailing lists subscribed to, and products sold. In this post, I’ll explain the 8 reasons why I recommend almost every business have a blog on their website.
#1 – You own & control your content
I’ve seen dozens of businesses get hacked or banned on social and suddenly find themselves locked out of an account and the years of work they put into it. Or the algorithm changes, and suddenly their posts aren’t getting seen anymore.
It sucks, but that’s the risk of publishing all your content ONLY on someone else’s turf. Creating a blog on your website means you hold the keys to that content, and you decide what happens to it and when.
#2 – Blogs are endlessly shareable
As business owners, we want people to find our content—that’s why we write it. But sometimes, it feels like no matter how much we advertise our content or our website, people don’t really care.
But have you ever had someone else share your website or content with their friends? Suddenly, everyone’s interested because they heard it from their bestie (not some sales rep). So let’s make it easier for them. A blog post can be shared on social media, Slack, Pinterest, email, and more in a couple of clicks.
#3 – Blog readers convert to subscribers, leads & buyers
When you’re scrolling on Instagram or TikTok, how many times do you tap on a person’s profile and click on a link? You might do it if you’re really interested in what they’re offering, but the majority of us just keep scrolling. We want to be entertained, not scroll the web. So, links often go unclicked.
Not to mention that companies like Meta and TikTok design their apps to keep people on them.
On the other hand, if you’ve got a reader on your blog post, you can do more to convert them into a lead. Maybe the cherry-red button in your header will convince them to book an appointment, or a popup will get them to subscribe to your list, or the product links in the post will get them to buy. It’s a much easier sell when they’re already there.
One of my clients is earning thousands of dollars in extra revenue through their blog, because we weave product promotion into every post.
#4 – You can go deep on each topic & cover the full story
Instagram gives you about 440 words. Twitter (X) gives you 4,000 characters. TikTok gives you 10 minutes. Can you cover your entire topic in that space?
Blogs give you all the space you need to play with word count, structure, format, and multimedia and better communicate your story. You can add video, links, product embeds, PDFs, quizzes, and more to engage your readers and help them understand your point of view.
#5 – A single blog can bring traffic to your website for years to come
Most blogs are found through search engines like Google. And search engines work differently than social media. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok constantly bring up new, exciting, and viral content. In other words, your awesome post detailing 5 tips for staining your deck won’t show up after a week or two.
But search engines like Google, Pinterest, and YouTube work to surface the best content that answers that search. So whether you wrote that post last week or 5 years ago, if it’s the best, it’ll still drive traffic to your website for years to come.
#6 – You can engage non-buyers until they’re ready to buy
No matter how awesome your product is, the majority of people in the world are not ready to buy from you right this very instant. So what happens if they come across your product? They’ll shrug ? and go about their day.
Instead of missing out on those future buyers, you can give them content that helps them right now so they can keep engaging with your brand until the day it hits them: I need that product ASAP.
For example, if you sell wedding dresses, you might share dating tips or engagement announcement ideas to attract the people who don’t need a dress now, but probably will soon.
#7 – Headings & multimedia make your content easy to scan and read
Look, I love a good video tutorial or viral TikTok, but sometimes I just want to scan a post and get the details really quick. A blog post gives your readers the option to sit and read through everything in detail or skim your headings and get the general idea. (Which one did you choose for this post?)
And for those folks who just want to watch a video, you can repurpose the content into video format and embed that into the post. Now you’ve got something to engage every type of reader, and nobody misses out.
#8 – Blogs morph into short-form content, videos, podcasts, and more
This last one is more of a practical reason that can save you time down the road. If you’re already creating social media content, the blog post can serve as the “anchor” content that everything else flows out of.
You might choose one overarching topic for the week and write the full spiel on the blog with all the details, then break that essay into bite-sized pieces for social. Plus, you can turn a blog post into a YouTube video or podcast episode for even more reach. (I first learned this method from conversion copywriter Ashlyn Carter.)
Final Thoughts
So what do you think? If you’ve got a blog already, I hope this post has given you more confidence in your choice to host long-form content on your website. And if you don’t have one yet, maybe this has encouraged you to get started on that blog you’ve been thinking about. It can help you SOO so much.
To take action on this post: Identify the very next step you need to take to get a blog up and running and write it down on a piece of paper. Write down who needs to be involved. Now send them a quick group message and let them know your plan.
If you’re not sure where to start, you can hire a content marketing specialist like myself! Learn more about what I can do for you and how to get in touch on my home page.
