Using your blog as an efficiency library

Keeping a blog for your business has the potential of building up a library of solutions or ‘help files’ that you can use when a new enquiry comes your way. Your blog becomes a means to helping clients or potential clients solve their problems.

When an enquiry comes in you can give a quick answer, then direct the client to the appropriate article or even forward them the link to learn more. The next time this clients needs some work in your field, they are more likely to engage in your services because you have not only helped them but you have established yourself as a credible supplier.

This is what I mean by an efficiency library, this library of articles in the form of your blog becomes an efficient way to communicate with prospective customers and clients because you can educate them whilst engaging with them, which helps to build trust and position you as an expert that can meet their needs! Blog writing is a great content marketing tool. 

Where do I start?

Sometimes it is hard to make a start, but once you get started and get some ideas for blog articles it just flows. You are writing about your field, so the content in the blog shouldn’t be too hard for you to write about. I come up with blog ideas in different ways.

Firstly I brainstorm ideas. I have a spread sheet with my article ideas listed and I decide which one to write about next. I use key words and I add and subtract ideas constantly.

Secondly, I listen to my clients and determine what they need. Many of my blogs are written directly after client interactions. So a client asks me a question and often I add it to my list of blog ideas. My article on Business Culture came directly after a client interaction and I discuss this interaction in the blog. I have also had blog ideas from client surveys. When they have left comments in these surveys I have seen potential blog articles and have added them to my list.

You must get these ideas down while they are hot in your head! Whether it is simply writing it on a piece of paper or putting it in a spread sheet it needs to be kept. I have come up with ideas before and not written them down and with all the other information floating around they have gone! It doesn’t matter if you write down a bad idea and scrap it later, it is better than forgetting a great idea.

I try and do at least one blog article a month, more if I have time. I then add links to these blogs in my monthly newsletter!

How is this efficient if it takes time?

It’s an efficiency library because the communication process becomes streamlined as you explain detailed concepts in easy to read articles helping to solve your target markets problems. You can also have these articles supported by videos for a visual aspect introducing the article and drawing your audience in to read further.

Writing articles does take time, if you include a video this also takes time but I have found the benefits outweigh the time invested. Not only is it enjoyable writing about something you are passionate about, but it has been a great marketing tool.

It keeps you connected with previous customers or clients that read your articles and opens up new customer or client interactions and it helps to convey important messages or answer questions to these potential and previous customers. It is hard to measure how much work comes from my blog articles but I know that plenty of work has been drummed up from people interacting with my business through these articles.

Another reason it is efficient is because these articles boost your SEO! Adding links to your blogs, and writing about your business subject matter including key words and having rich (regular and new) content helps to boost your website up the search rankings.

Before starting my content marketing strategy including maintaining a blog I was on about the 5th page of google search. I am now on the 1st page for some of my targeted keywords. It works! 

How do I get people to read my blog?

I get my blog out into the wild by linking to particular articles in emails, text messages or social media responses as I see the topics that I have written about come up in other peoples request.

I also have a ‘read more’ section at the bottom of each article that links to other articles of similar content. I use hyper-links throughout the articles to link to other articles, for example ‘brand’ often gets mentioned and I add a link to an article on branding.

If a client or customer asks me something that is in an article I usually explain it to them and follow up with it by forwarding to an email linking to the appropriate blog article, in hope that they will read and consolidate the information I have given them and also look at what other articles might interest them.

To sum up!

Writing blog articles is a great tool and anyone can do it. The benefits of content marketing are huge and when done well, blog articles can save you time in the long run, bring in new clients and grow your personal brand. 

Get in touch if you need help setting up a blog.

I really do enjoy getting feedback so please let me know your thoughts on this or any of my articles in the comments field or on social media below.

Cheers Daniel