Your customers and prospects encounter content every day. Some of it is good, most of it is forgotten immediately. It is your job to make sure that your business content is remembered and has a positive impact on your customers.
A great way to do this is by creating an informative and engaging blog. Many businesses are still debating whether they should pour effort and resources into creating and maintain a blog. The answer is, of course, a resounding YES. Even if you do not particularly want to blog, you have to understand that your prospects and customers want to read/hear/watch what you have to say. According to a Custom Content Council survey, 61% of consumers say they feel better about a business that offers custom content and, in turn, are more likely to buy from that company.
Building The Connection
Blogging is one of the easiest and most effective ways to form a connection with prospects and customers. They can review your content at their leisure and then contextualize it to their individual situation. It’s simple: content plus context equals connection. It is important that you remember this equation.
The content that you create should be of value to your reader. If it is one long sales pitch, they will tune it out and your chance at connection is lost. Most prospects and customers know that you are in business to sell products or services, but they also want valuable content.
Strategize, Strategize, Strategize!
Now that you have decided that it is important for your business to have a blog (you have decided that, right?), it is time to create a blogging strategy.
One if the most important aspects of blogging is consistency. You cannot just post content whenever you feel like it. Your customers expect content on a regular basis. You should be posting content at least once a week. Preferably, you should be blogging on a daily basis, but if you can’t do that, pick one day a week and post on that day. This way your customers know when to look for new content.
Coming Up With Ideas
Coming up with ideas for blog content is actually pretty easy. You’re already sitting on great content ideas, you just may not realize it. They are in your memos and white papers, notes from sales calls or client interface, comments on social media forums, industry newsletters and customer surveys—the list goes on and on. Anything that will answer a question that your prospects or customers have, or help them resolve a want or a need or make a decision can be turned into blog content.
If for some reason you do not have any of these resources you can always do it the old fashioned way: simply ask your customers what questions or concerns they have.
By blogging on a regular basis, you will become a trusted source of information for your prospects and customers. This will also serve to strengthen the connections with your brand, which will effectively increase your bottom line.
By Sean Royer
This article was originally published by SyneCore
Published: January 13, 2014
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