Content is the most important component of a small business blog

As a small business owner, your goal with a blog is to create the ‘know’, ‘like’ and ‘trust’ factors that people need to do business with you. building relationships with your potential customers.

Here are some areas to consider when creating the content for your business blog:

Is the content you’re writing helping to portray you as the “go to” person in your geographic area for your type of business? It can be entertaining and fun, but are you also showing that you know how to solve your potential customer’s problem?

Does your blog encourage people to connect with you and build relationships? Is there a place for your audience to give you their name and email address so you can start the communication process? Are you asking for feedback? Ask people to comment and respond to what they are reading. Don’t assume they will know what to do.

Does your content create a sense of trust in you and what you do? If you are repeating a testimonial or story from one of your clients, do you have their permission to use the information? Are you writing in a tone that people can understand? Stay away from technical terms just to show off your knowledge. You may want a high school student to read your articles. If they can understand what you have said, your audience will understand it too.

Is it clear how someone can hire you? I am often amazed by the blogs I read and there is no place for me to contact the blog author. You need to provide multiple ways for people to communicate. This should include an RSS feed for them to subscribe to your blog, a local phone number, and an email address. If you’re active on social media (and you should be), provide a link to your Facebook business page or LinkedIn profile.

What are some areas you can address with your blog content?

Keep in mind that your goal is to educate your audience. Provide helpful tips that they can use when using your product or service. If you have a seasonal business, like lawn care, give your readers good information on what to do in the off-season to maintain their lawn.

Make your blog entertaining by relying on funny stories and antidotes. Your blog should be written as if the reader is sitting across from you and you are having a cup of coffee. Keep in mind that you don’t have to be vulgar to be funny. You want to appeal to the widest audience possible, so stay away from topics related to sexism, age, or race. You want to include stories about yourself. People relate to people, so tell who you are and why you’re in this business. Being entertaining includes the use of multiple forms of communication. Don’t be afraid to add photos and videos to your blog.

Reach the interests of your audience. Share the story behind your product or service. In the case of our landscape service company, they could share the story of the azalea which is a very popular plant in our area. When a potential customer searches for information on azaleas, her article would be part of the search.

Engage your audience by taking polls and asking for their opinion. People always want to share their knowledge in a certain area. Ask questions and be ready to give an answer. Give your opinion on a topic. Set up a Google alert about your product or service. Write a review of something that was in the news or someone else wrote and give your opinion. You’ll also want to provide a link to the original story.