However, to small and medium business owners, a blog can function as a method of communicating your business values and ideas. With this in mind, we've outlined the reasons why you need to hire a blogger as part of your marketing strategy, and how you can best use a blogger’s talents to your advantage.
Blogging is part of your social media strategy
While there once had been a question about the staying power of blogs, there's no debate anymore: blogs are a permanent fixture. On WordPress.com alone, there are 39.3 million posts being published each month. On these posts, more than 42 million comments are generated by viewers. Since its starting point in 2006, WordPress has grown from receiving just over 100 million page views per month to receiving over just over 4.1 billion page views each month. While browsing the internet, you may have discovered popular blogs such as Design*Sponge, Lifehacker, or QuickSprout. And before you know it, an entire hour is used up surfing through the content and reading posts. This is the power of a great blog, and an example why you need to hire a blogger fast!
Blogs not only draw in readers and prospective customers, but more importantly it immediately answers critical questions for them. Customers come in all shapes and sizes, constantly seeking evidence as to whether or not your company is the right fit for them. According to Linda Dessau, the author of Write Your Way to More Clients Online, business to business companies that blog generate over 67% more leads per month than companies that don’t blog. Business to consumer companies that blog generate a whopping 88% more leads than those that do not.
The reason is that your customers in today's market rarely purchase a product or service at first glance. Instead, they research online before making a decision. When a company has a blog, it gives their prospective customer a specific online destination for concise, thoughtful information about their business. Regardless of what you’re marketing—whether it’s art, yoga, real estate, cupcakes, vacations, collectibles, home repair services, or marketing advice—a blog will help you to sell it. Blogs have the ability to improve your search engine results and visibility, drive more traffic to your company’s website, and improve your conversion rate of customers. Furthermore, blogs don't just attract and inform your customers, but also respond to customer comments and inquiries, helping you to establish a positive and trusted relationship with your customers to build familiarity.
While there once had been a question about the staying power of blogs, there's no debate anymore: blogs are a permanent fixture. On WordPress.com alone, there are 39.3 million posts being published each month. On these posts, more than 42 million comments are generated by viewers. Since its starting point in 2006, WordPress has grown from receiving just over 100 million page views per month to receiving over just over 4.1 billion page views each month. While browsing the internet, you may have discovered popular blogs such as Design*Sponge, Lifehacker, or QuickSprout. And before you know it, an entire hour is used up surfing through the content and reading posts. This is the power of a great blog, and an example why you need to hire a blogger fast!
Blogs not only draw in readers and prospective customers, but more importantly it immediately answers critical questions for them. Customers come in all shapes and sizes, constantly seeking evidence as to whether or not your company is the right fit for them. According to Linda Dessau, the author of Write Your Way to More Clients Online, business to business companies that blog generate over 67% more leads per month than companies that don’t blog. Business to consumer companies that blog generate a whopping 88% more leads than those that do not.
The reason is that your customers in today's market rarely purchase a product or service at first glance. Instead, they research online before making a decision. When a company has a blog, it gives their prospective customer a specific online destination for concise, thoughtful information about their business. Regardless of what you’re marketing—whether it’s art, yoga, real estate, cupcakes, vacations, collectibles, home repair services, or marketing advice—a blog will help you to sell it. Blogs have the ability to improve your search engine results and visibility, drive more traffic to your company’s website, and improve your conversion rate of customers. Furthermore, blogs don't just attract and inform your customers, but also respond to customer comments and inquiries, helping you to establish a positive and trusted relationship with your customers to build familiarity.
Why don’t you have a blog yet? Hire a blogger and get started!
If you’re with the majority of business owners, you most likely feel that time is a major factor in everything that you do. In order to write a blog, you must designate a time in your weekly schedule just as you would a fitness class or a lunch meeting with a business associate. But with the massive list of responsibilities you have to finish, blogs suffer and fall to the wayside. Without frequent updates, blogs just aren't effective at all. In fact, if your business blog has not been updated in more than 2 months, this will definitely say more about your company than no blog at all.
Fortunately, despite what you may think, you don’t have to write your business blog yourself. Just as you would hire a plumber to fix your sink or a graphic designer to create your company logo, hiring a blogger can allow you to place responsibilities in the hands of someone who is a professional. A professional blogger is one who is skilled in the art of blog writing and can create rich, highly focused content for your business.
If you’re with the majority of business owners, you most likely feel that time is a major factor in everything that you do. In order to write a blog, you must designate a time in your weekly schedule just as you would a fitness class or a lunch meeting with a business associate. But with the massive list of responsibilities you have to finish, blogs suffer and fall to the wayside. Without frequent updates, blogs just aren't effective at all. In fact, if your business blog has not been updated in more than 2 months, this will definitely say more about your company than no blog at all.
Fortunately, despite what you may think, you don’t have to write your business blog yourself. Just as you would hire a plumber to fix your sink or a graphic designer to create your company logo, hiring a blogger can allow you to place responsibilities in the hands of someone who is a professional. A professional blogger is one who is skilled in the art of blog writing and can create rich, highly focused content for your business.
How to hire a blogger for your business – 5 tips for choosing the right blogger
A common misconception of business owners is that once they create a blog for their company, potential customers won’t care or bother to read it. If you take the time to select the perfect blogger for your company, that will never be an issue. Here are five tips to help you find, hire, and enjoy the right blogger for your business.
Look for someone who understands your niche and attitude. Freelance writers often work to create content for several companies across a wide range of industries and topics at once. It can only make your job easier if you hire a blogger who is comfortable and familiar with your industry. This is doubly true if your want a writer who can write from your point of view. If your business involves a lot of industry-specific jargon, make sure your writer knows whether you want these words to be part of the blog. Is your goal to be humorous, serious, formal, or lighthearted? An experienced blogger can tell you what their strengths are and the tone that they communicate with best.
In addition, an informative blog with a compelling tone is most likely to get shares, links, and referrals on many social media sites. Don’t just assume that a professional blogger will automatically know what your vision for your blog is, you will have to communicate with them effectively. Management is a key part of the process to hiring a blogger.
Know that the blogger will need to do lots of research. It’s important to understand that even the best writers, including those who are well-versed in your industry, will be completing internet research in order to write your blog post. Be sure to tell your blogger about what sources you consider to be trustworthy and which you don't want to use. What sites do you want your blog to link to?
Look for someone with an understanding of SEO. Today, the best bloggers understand search engine optimization and integrate it with their writing techniques. To create optimized content, a blogger should be familiar with how to utilize the title, header, and content of your blog for attracting more readers. Use your blogger’s SEO experience to your advantage by making sure to tell them what keywords you want to use, and which ones are most important for you to improve your rank for in the organic search rankings.
You should know the appropriate going rate. Do a bit of research about rates for bloggers in your area. Remember that content is king, and if you want someone who is really going to craft for you customized and valuable content, it will cost you more than $5 an hour. Since the blog itself will come at little to no cost to you, it’s definitely worth investing in someone who’ll create high quality posts.
Create the right job posting. The more specific you can be when posting a job ad for a blogger, the better your results. Make sure your headline clearly states your industry, business, or niche. Make sure you state how many posts per week you want written and the long-term goals for your blog. Don’t just ask for a resume. Ask to see work samples, references, and links to other blogs the author has worked for. Don’t make statements that can be misleading such as “this is an easy job for the right person.” You want a writer who cares about your goals for the blog and business that brings professionalism to the job, not just someone who considers it to be a breeze.
Blogging is a specific skill that truly requires a style that's different from any other form of writing. While you may have a genuine interest in the topic, it does not mean that it will be easy for you to blog about it. A professional blogger can be an asset for your business by taking this topic and writing it in a manner that communicates the tone and message you desire. By working with a professional blogger, you can clearly market your product or service to your target audience, increasing the number of leads you are able to generate, increase your conversion rate of these leads, as well as interaction with your customers.
And don't forget, Procella Consulting does professional blogging for many businesses! Check out our website for more information on how we can boost your business with a blog.
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