If you’re in business, you know how important your website is to your success. You also should know that standing out from your competitors is important. This article is about a blog on your website and how it can improve your sales.
A blog (short for weblog) is a section of your site where you can frequently update with info about your business, introduce new staff, and proactively engage with customers.
Let’s dig down into the benefits.
Frequent updates to your site, even with a blog, boost your site’s SEO, and thus its visibility on search engines. Search engines take note of your site updates because they consider updates to be fresh material that site visitors will want to see. If possible, blog content should be keyword-optimized, but if not, don’t sweat it. Updates to site content are important, whether optimized or not.
A blog allows you to showcase your knowledge and expertise in your industry. By offering insightful, helpful, and informative content, you position your business as a leader in your field. This builds trust with your audience, making them more likely to choose your products or services over competitors.
Blogs can attract new visitors to your website through search engines or social media sharing. By offering interesting or valuable content, you encourage people to visit your site more often. It also gives your audience a reason to return — if they find your posts useful or engaging, they’ll keep coming back for more. You do want them to return!
Through blog posts, you can communicate directly with your audience, answer their questions, and address their concerns. This level of engagement can help deepen your relationship with potential or current customers and show that you care about their needs and interests.
Blogs can be a great addition to other marketing efforts, such as email newsletters, product launches, or promotions. By linking blog posts to your campaigns, you can provide more context or background on a particular topic, giving your customers more reasons to interact with your brand.
A well-written blog can drive lead generation by offering valuable content in exchange for contact information (like an email address). For example, you could offer an in-depth industry guide or case study on your blog and ask readers to provide their information to download it.
A blog lets you share your company’s story, behind-the-scenes content, and values. This helps humanize your business and makes it more relatable to customers. Sharing personal insights or company achievements creates a deeper emotional connection with your audience.
Let’s consider what “humanizing” your business really means and how it can help.
Whether you operate a local storefront business or a corporation with 5,000 employees, you have a choice about how to present your company to the public. The bottom line, is you can be faceless and cold, or show your face and their warmth. Given a choice, who in his or her right mind would choose faceless and cold?
Examples? How about these?
Tell your company’s story. How did you get started? What inspired you to create your product or service? Show the values and passions that drive your business. This can be done through an “About Us” page, blog posts, or even social media stories. People connect with stories that resonate with them emotionally. Southern California’s American Vision Windows is a great example. A married couple ordered new windows and the customer service and installation were awful. They started the business so others wouldn’t suffer the same fate. They turned it into a major success.
People like to know who they’re doing business with, so show your people. Share pictures and bios of the team members who make your business run. Highlight their roles, personalities, and passions. This could be through your website, social media posts, or employee spotlights. Let your audience get to know the humans behind the product or service.
Honesty and openness go a long way in building trust. If there are challenges your business is facing, don’t be afraid to share them in a way that shows you’re working towards a solution. When you’re open about your business practices, decisions, and even mistakes, customers are more likely to feel that they know the “real” you. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a local bookstore faced the prospect of closing its doors. They published an announcement that falling sales could put them out of business. Me and many others bought books, in person and online, and they survived. During the pandemic, many restaurants faced the same fate. Announcements brought customers and saved them.
Share testimonials, success stories, or customer reviews. Let your customers be the voice of your brand. This can include user-generated content or customer spotlights on your website and social media. When people see real customers enjoying your product or service, it makes your business feel more relatable.
Let people know what your business stands for. Whether it’s sustainability, social responsibility, or supporting local communities, sharing your business values can help create a deeper connection with customers. When people align with your values, they are more likely to engage and remain loyal. If your business doesn’t have a cause to align with, perhaps you should look into the possibilities.
Keep the tone conversational. When writing content for your website, emails, or social media, use a friendly and approachable tone. Avoid corporate jargon and keep things casual and simple. People want to feel like they’re talking to another person, not a faceless, cold corporation. I mentioned that earlier, remember?
Instead of just promoting your products, create content that adds value to your customers’ lives, or perhaps entertains them. Write helpful blog posts, share tips, create videos, or even host Q&A sessions. This positions you as a resource and helps people see your brand as more than just a business — it’s a part of their lives. In my business, Ghostwriters Central, Inc., the blog is wide-ranging and goes back years. It touches on a lot of things, from the final episode of The Sopranos (did Tony die?), to General George Patton’s raunchy poetry, to booze under the brand name of Writers’ Tears, to A.I.’s attempt to write a screenplay, and much, much more. It’s fun reading.
Be empathetic and responsive. Show empathy in your communication, especially when handling customer inquiries or complaints. Take time to listen to your customers and respond with genuine care and understanding. Address concerns in a thoughtful way that shows you value their experience.
Humanization!
Next, let’s discuss people’s images. For most businesses, it’s generally better for employees in photos to appear friendly rather than serious. Friendly, approachable photos help humanize your business, making it feel more inviting and relatable to your audience. Here are a few reasons why friendly photos tend to be more effective:
Friendly expressions make employees seem more approachable, which encourages potential customers to feel comfortable interacting with your business. People are more likely to connect with a brand they feel is warm and welcoming. Remember faceless and cold?
Smiling or having a friendly demeanor in photos makes for a positive first impression. It makes your business appear open, easy to work with, and customer-focused. A friendly photo can convey that your team is happy, engaged, and passionate about what they do.
If your business prides itself on customer service, showing employees with friendly expressions reinforces the idea that your team is ready to assist and care for customers in a positive and personable way. This doesn’t mean just sticking a stock photo of a smiling person on the homepage.
A genuine smile or relaxed, friendly posture makes employees seem more human. This helps avoid the feeling that your business is robotic or too corporate, which can alienate potential customers.
However, there are circumstances, dictated by customer expectations, when serious or professional appearance is appropriate. Usually, these are in industries where professionalism and authority are crucial, such as law firms, financial advisors, or high-level consultancy. In these cases, employees might still appear approachable, but their demeanor may be more formal.
In Southern California, there are at least two exceptions where law firms are concerned. They are the LawBrothers.com and CallJacob.com. Look them up. As I write this, the LawBrothers are featured in a funny TV commercial. They’re in a bank. Two masked robbers burst through the door and told everyone to hit the deck. The brothers lie down on the floor. But they’re still taking client calls on their mobile phones. Really comical and memorable. Who says lawyers need to always look stiff and formal?A blog can help you. If you’d like our help to write it, all you need to do is click the link and ask. We are Ghostwriters Central, Inc., and we’ve been providing professional ghostwriter services since 2002. Thanks for reading!