Starting a Blog from Scratch During COVID-19

How’s business going for you right now? For most Americans, the answer is not so hot. It’s Spring 2020. Much of the nation is shut down and businesses everywhere are struggling.

Other than staying home and sanitizing, there’s not much we can do to stop the spread of Coronavirus. Political leaders and health experts say it will get worse before it gets better.

Business owners are watching helplessly as what they took years to build evaporates day by day. I get it, because I’m in the same boat.

Why not take this time to start something that will help your business recover faster? Over the next few weeks, we’re going to look at how to start a business blog from scratch.

The first step is understanding why it’s worth your time, by researching the blogging benefits for business.

5 Reasons to Start Creating Content During COVID-19

You’re isolated either at an office on lockdown or in your living room. You can’t conduct business as usual, and you need something to do other than pace the floor. Create a business blog because this may be your best opportunity, and because doing something positive will help keep you from going crazy. If that’s not reason enough, try these.

Give Your Website a Boost With Search Engines

Websites are meant to evolve over time. Search engines love new, fresh content. Every blog post is a new web page for your site, each is an opportunity to rank for the keywords that matter to your business.

For example, let’s say you’re a home builder. You have a website that shows what you do, similar to this one we created for a Tyler Texas home builder. Nobody is building even a doghouse right now, but eventually, that will change.

People have asked you about building barndominiums. You want to show up when people search for the word “barndominium” in your area. If you create a unique, relevant blog post around that word, you have a better chance of appearing in search engine results.

Note: If you don’t have a business website, getting one is a better priority right now than starting a blog. Plus, you’ll need a website for blog posts when you do start creating content. Check out what we offer in terms of affordable website design for startups.

Build Relationships

You sent the email to tell people how you’re sanitizing your business and protecting their data, now they don’t really want to hear from you unless you have something of value to say. One of the blogging benefits for business, especially during the COVID-19 outbreak is that it helps you build relationships and offer something of value.

It would be a waste of money for the builder in the above example to spend a lot on advertising trying to convince people to start new construction right now. But people might be interested in that blog post on barndominiums.

He could create something like, “10 Things Everyone Should Know About Building a Barndominium” and share what they cost, what makes them unique, what the build process is like and so on. Throughout he could share photos of his work. By doing so, he builds trust with people who are interested in the topic and considering using him as a builder.

Show What You Know

You have unique knowledge about what you do. When you give your expert knowledge in a blog post, consumers can tell you know your stuff. Over time, you become their go-to resource when they have a need or question related to the type of products and services you provide.

Get More Leads

Include a call to action with every blog post. Include more than one if appropriate. Also, somewhere on the page prompt visitors to subscribe to your newsletter. When they give you permission to email them, you have a lead that’s interested in what you offer.

Create Shareable Content

Link to your blog post in your email marketing. Share it on social media to reach a wider audience. When you create something of value, people want to share it with others. Your brand has a wider reach.

This difficult time presents us with unique opportunities. Start asking yourself what problems people face right now for which you have a solution. Successful blogging, in a nutshell, is about helping people find what they’re looking for when they need it most.

Research on Blogging Benefits for Business

So that’s all nice, but will starting a business blog really make you money, especially now when it feels like we’re in the zombie apocalypse? Check out these stats:

• More than 75% of Intenet users say they REGULARLY read blog posts. If you’re not blogging, you’re missing an opportunity to grab their attention.
• Marketers who prioritize blogging are 13 TIMES more likely to see positive ROI. I think we could all use a little positive ROI right now, right?
• Content marketing, in this case blogging, gets three times more leads than paid search (Google Ads or similar).
• 61 percent of consumers have made a purchase after reading a blog post recommendation.
• All of the above links will take you to more statistics if you’re not yet convinced. Blogging is powerful, and I’ve seen it make a difference for every single one of my clients in terms of website traffic, brand awareness and leads.

Today’s Assignment if You’re Starting a Business Blog from Scratch

Let’s make this personal. You’re interested in experiencing blogging benefits for business, how will you measure success?

Use a word document or pencil and paper to make your wish list. When you’ve been blogging a few months you’re going to come back to it and see what you’ve accomplished and what you still need to tweak. Here’s a list of common goals to get you started:

• More website traffic – Measured by an increase in metrics like unique visitors, pageviews and unique pageviews
• More conversions – Measured by how many people do what you prompt them to do in each blog’s call to action
• Improved engagement – You should see bounce rates drop as people spending more time browsing your posts
• Boosted SEO – Carefully created content increases site visitors and helps you rank for relevant keywords

Make your list and keep it nearby. Then sign up below to receive notifications as we publish the next part of our series on starting a business blog from scratch.