You’re reading a blog post from Software for Hardware. Maybe this is the first one you’ve seen from us, or maybe you’ve read other posts in the Doorway to Success series. Writing posts takes time, so why do we do it? Read on to learn the benefits of writing a business blog and how you can run one effectively.
Blogging is your business’ time to shine. With a series of posts, you can talk about topics that display your expertise, knowledge, and credibility in your specific industry – whether that be your observations on current trends, business tips you learned over the years, or anything else of interest. Software for Hardware’s blog “Doorway to Success” discusses helpful business tips and ideas geared towards door, frame, and hardware distributors.
In making these posts, you share insightful content and resources with your industry. Current and potential customers will appreciate your knowledge and advice. It also helps establish your authority in the industry, encouraging leads to engage with your business.
We’ve talked before about Lori Greene’s fantastic blog iDigHardware, which discusses door and hardware code requirements with the goal of providing support and education for door and hardware professionals. Her posts provide relevant, up-to-date information that has aided professionals and helped establish Lori as an industry authority.
HubSpot also points out that blog posts about topics relevant to your customers’ questions serve as important resources. When asked a question by a customer, your employee can pull from an archive of finished blog posts to speed up the question-and-answer process and deliver support faster.
When posted to your website, blog posts also increase your visibility. HubSpot explains: “Every time you create and publish a blog post, it’s one more indexed page on your website, which means one more opportunity for you to show up on the search engine results page (SERP) and drive traffic to your website in organic search.” Basically, by showing Google that your website is being consistently updated with new content, your business shows up sooner when people search for keywords related to your services.
You can also benefit from blogging on social media. Reposting blogs from your website is an easy way to start building up your business’ social media page and connect to online audiences. By posting them on LinkedIn, for example, you can attract like-minded professionals, create connections, and begin forming an online community.
So how do you start? Luckily, blog posts don’t need to be very long – in fact, making them too long will make it hard to keep readers’ attention. One page is often enough to convey important ideas without diving too deep into the topic. Shorter posts are also more sustainable to write consistently, especially if you’re busy with other business tasks.
When it comes to writing, keep things clear and simple. Your audience is also busy, and they won’t engage with a piece that’s cluttered with too much lead-in or description. Try to get to the point quickly to capture your readers’ attention.
At the same time, write with your authentic voice. Blog posts can be more casual than other types of writing, allowing the opportunity to share your personality and use humor to connect with readers. Just make sure to maintain a balance between personality and professionalism, as your blog reflects your business.
As you write, include sources as needed. By doing a little research and finding credible information, you can back up your points with the wisdom and data of other professionals. Or you can bring up counterarguments to refute a specific point that you disagree with in service of your argument. Either way, including sources is a good way to involve other voices and build a conversation about a topic. You may also learn a little more yourself in the process.
When you finish a post, have at least one person proofread it. An outside perspective can catch potential grammar mistakes or offer feedback on the posts’ content, ensuring that you put out your best work for your readers.
Blogging lets businesses share their unique voices with the digital world. You can offer helpful insight, establish credibility, and express feelings on industry topics. Posting on both your website and social media will increase your visibility and drive more traffic. And by writing concisely and authentically, you can present your blog in a way that audiences will appreciate and return to eagerly.
Happy blogging!
Anna Litofsky, Marketing Coordinator, Software For Hardware.
