More traffic means more revenue. In order to reach out to a wider audience, you should delve into marketing and choose the best strategy that will help your message hit the right note with your prospective customers. Many of those who run brick and mortar businesses are caught up in the misconception that blogging – a powerful tool if used properly – can be employed only by online industry players. This is certainly not true. Offline businesses can reap lots of benefits of blogging too. Here are the gaps a blog can fill in your business and the ways it can generate traffic.
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Contents
Many people research online before making a purchase – and blogs help
According to Bazaarvoice, 45% of brick and mortar buyers prefer to do some research online and read reviews before making a decision to purchase the thing they want. Among smartphone users, it is even more common, as 82% of them use their devices to find information about what they are considering buying in an offline store. But what does it have to do with blogging?
In fact, a blog can help decide whether this particular product is worth buying. Say, you can write articles covering various aspects of a product, what it can be used for, what its downsides are, etc. Articles that are not promotional and feature really useful tips are valued by clients. Few businesses dare to be objective, and blog articles written by a person who strives to help customers instead of tricking them into buying from him or her are rare yet somewhat disarming. Another way blogs can be leveraged to help customers make a choice is publishing reviews of the best products in a particular category.
In a nutshell, blogging can help you let your clients know you care and are trustworthy. If your blog posts betray your heartfelt desire to be useful and not to bluntly sell everything that has been sitting on shelves for ages, it appeals to people and results in more loyal customers.
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Blogging as a means of communication
The concept of blogging embraces a lot of things. It can be product reviews, news-like announcements, reflections on recent advances in the industry, and other content your audience may find useful. When we call blogging a means of communication, it is not only comments that are meant here – although these can be of great importance too – but also reaching out to clients through announcements of the events you are going to hold.
First, there are comments. They provide your customers with an opportunity to clarify, discuss, criticize (why not? It can help you make your services better!), and so on. Not only that – comments are a fast and easy way to share opinions, so it can be used by both you and lots of website visitors. This is communication proper: you receive feedback and answer.
Second, there are blog announcements. Imagine you are going to celebrate a holiday, Coffee Day, for instance, and offer discounts on your espresso. Describe the event you want to organize: what discounts will be offered, what activities will be included in the event program, and show how you have decorated your café. Detailed event descriptions and discount notifications can attract more visitors and thus lead to an increase in revenue.
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Show you are knowledgeable
Blogs provide a great opportunity to showcase your skills and knowledge of the industry. Regardless of what your business is about, you can use your blog to give answers to the questions that arise often. Say, if you sell pet food, you can blog about cat grooming, dog disease symptoms, and other things that pet owners prefer to learn online.
High-quality blog posts that are added frequently can be a way to show your customers that you are a reliable vendor/service provider, because you invest in your skills and keep on monitoring advances in the industry to ensure high quality of your products or services. If a blog is well-managed and includes a lot of really useful posts, it can drive traffic like no other means of delivering content. For example, blogging helped Shopify grow ten times within three years – something that would have been impossible had it not been for their blogging.
Wrap up
Blogging is a powerful tool which can help you increase website traffic without spending a fortune on it. An increase in traffic following introduction of a blog is expected within 7 months, with 45.54% seeing the first increase within 2-4 months.
A blog is part of your portfolio, as it can include case studies; a blog is a way to keep in touch with customers through reviewing products and announcing events; a blog can influence customers and affect their decisions, so use it wisely and responsibly. Its role in today’s marketing is decisive, and the impact in has on sales is significant both in online and offline businesses.