You’ve started your online business, you’re ready to get it out into the public and start bringing in clients and well, money.

But you keep hearing about this blogging thing and you’re thinking to yourself, “I don’t need a blog I already have a fancy website.”

As the weeks go by you’re finding it tough to stand out, tough to show your clients you actually know your stuff.

And it’s frustrating.

Can I just stop you right there? Because I get it.

You see, having a blog can actually compliment your existing business.

Not only that, having a blog can actually help you build your new online business.

Piqued your interest didn’t I?

If you’ve heard about this whole blogging thing and are curious to know how it can benefit your business, stick around because I’m going to share with you 8 actionable strategies to use a blog to grow your online business.

And if you’re curious on how to actually start a blog from complete scratch, read this completely comprehensive guide on starting a blog and what to do in your first 3 months of blogging.

1. A blog Shows your Audience you Know your Stuff

One of the biggest benefits of adding a blog to your business is to actually show your audience that you know what you’re talking about before they work with you.

Regardless of if you run a coaching business, an online boutique or a raw juicery, your business depends on that know, like and trust factor.

And what better way to build trust with your audience than a blog that pertains to your business??

You may be wondering what you would actually write about and that’s where you get to be extra creative.

Using the coaching example from above, you could blog about a general topic that you coach people on. Such as how to get your life together when you’re struggling with depression, how to build an online business, how to utilize the law of attraction in your everyday life.

The possibilities are endless.

And the point of your blog posts are to show your audience snippets of WHAT to do and your business is to show people HOW to do it.

2. A Blog Makes you more Relatable

Although you can have an “about me page” on your website they never feel quite as personal as a really well-written blog post that takes you behind the scenes.

That’s the thing with blogging, you can get as personal or as business-like as you want.

One of the best ways to make yourself seem more human and less, well just a business with no face, is to have a few posts showing the behind the scenes of your business.

This doesn’t mean you have to write a 5,000-word post on exactly what you do to be successful, it means letting your audience peek behind the curtain a bit.

Even show them how to properly use your products and/or services in everyday life.

Doing so makes you more “human” and much more relatable as sometimes we forget there is actually someone behind the business.

3. You’re able to Provide Value before the “Sale”

If you haven’t heard of Gary Vaynerchuk he is a very successful online entrepreneur that will tell you like it is, no hand-holding, no holding back and he basically coined the term, “jab, jab, jab, right hook.”

This saying of his always stuck with me and it’s something I remember whenever I create a new product.

The point of “jab, jab, jab, right hook” is to give, give, give, then make the sale. So you’re giving immense value before even offering anything.

Which is quite easily done when you have a blog.

Your blog is your jabs and your business is your right hook (in a good way). With a blog, if done correctly, you are giving your audience tons and tons of value before they even begin working with you.

Making them more excited about what you have to offer and much more likely to purchase from you.

The more trust and value you can give to your audience via your blog posts, the more likely you are to make more sales.

4. A blog gives you more Chances to be Found on Google 

That’s basically the dream, right?

To be on the first page of Google for all to see.

But it’s tough out there and Google is basically just an enigma of confusing, complicated and intricate algorithms.

We do know this though, Google loves new content and value.

You guessed it, the best way to get both of those things packaged into one pretty little present is to have a blog.

With a blog, you are adding new pieces of long-form content or content that is 1200 words or more to your website on a weekly basis.

That alone is going to tell Google that you are still relevant and are valuable to people searching for your particular niche.

Which will help you look more valuable in Google’s eyes and will increase your chances of being seen on search engines.

Not only that but your blog posts can rank for certain keywords that do show up on the first page of Google. Driving more traffic not only back to your blog but back to your business.

5. Blogging gives you Analytics to Create New Products

One of the most heartbreaking and frustrating parts of owning a business is creating a product that no one will buy. Luckily, we have the world at our fingertips and can get pretty much get immediate feedback from consumers before we even create anything.

The best way to do this is, of course, is to use your blog and Google Analytics.

Google Analytics will show you which posts are driving the most traffic and from where.

This information is imperative to know because once you get a feel for what types of cont
ent your audience likes, you can begin creating products that dig deeper into that content.

You can even use your blog’s comment section to see which posts are getting the most comments and questions which can help you decide what products to make.

6. A blog creates more Content to Market on Social Media

I’m just going to be honest here, I’m kinda sorta, really obsessed with Pinterest. Probably because it is my highest traffic driver, it’s super passive once you have it set up and there are over 250 million monthly active users.

Did I mention it’s all free traffic??

But you have to have some kind of information to promote on Pinterest which is where your blog comes in.

Promoting your blog on Pinterest helps build your traffic, which of course drives more sales and it shows you as the go-to person in your niche which helps you build your authority.

Of course, like everything else online, Pinterest isn’t all fun and games, you need a solid strategy to make it work. You can read more about how to really boost your business and blog with Pinterest here.

You can also use your blog content on other social media platforms as a way to again, drive traffic back to your business and show up for your audience on a consistent basis.

7. Blogging Increases your Sales

More traffic = more sales. #science

But in all seriousness, yes, generally speaking having more traffic will equate to having more sales from your business. And we already know that having a blog can actually increase your website traffic via Google, social media and other search engines.

That being said, having specific blog posts can also bring in more specific traffic and more high-quality traffic which is what you really need to increase your sales.

A large amount of traffic is good but a small amount of the right traffic is great.

Your blog posts can bring in the right kind of traffic because usually, the people that are coming in via your blog posts are people that are searching for that particular topic. Which means they’re looking for answers.

So when you show up and give them those answers for free via a blog post, they are much more likely to actually purchase from you. Increasing your sales overall.

Not only that but you can actually link to your own products in relevant blog posts giving you another opportunity for your products to be seen.

8. Blogs Help you Grow your Email List

Having an email list is basically the bread and butter of your business because people trusted you enough to give you their emails which is pretty huge in 2019.

Trying to get people to sign up is a whole other thing.

The whole, “sign up for my newsletter” thing, no longer works, people want more.

This is where you can use a lead magnet like a free PDF, a free video series, basically a free training of some sort that people need to use their emails to sign up for.

Of course, this is where your blog comes in.

Once you’ve created a lead magnet, you can add it to all of your relevant blog posts. And when people come to your blog posts and see how valuable they are but aren’t ready to invest just yet, they are going to sign up for your email list.

Building your email list helps you build that deeper relationship with your audience and really makes you the go-to person in your niche.

Blogging can Build your Online Business

If you play your cards right, your blog can actually build your online business by bringing in the right traffic, making more sales, building a community and helping you create valuable products for your audience. 

If you haven’t started a blog just yet, start now. And if you’re unsure of how to start a blog or even where to begin, check out this completely comprehensive post on how to start a blog from scratch.

By Emily Syring

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