You may have heard that having a blog can benefit your business, but what if no-one reads it. This helpful slide deck will explain why having a blog is important along with giving you some ideas on how to find interesting topics to write about and tips on how to get people reading it.

1. Photo credit: joeldinda via photopin cc

2. You work hard on your blog.
But what happens if no-one sees it?
Like the saying goes, “if a tree falls in the woods and no-
one is around to hear it does it actually make any noise.”
This presentation aims to help you blog smarter.

3. How to ensure your
small business blog
makes some noise
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4. Why blog?
• Personalise your business
• Build trust
• Search engines (Google)
• Social media
• Traffic
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5. Why blog?
• Personalise your business
–Gives your company a voice
–Allows you to build a stronger
relationship with your existing customers
–Gives potential clients an insight into
what they can expect from you

6. Why blog?
• Build trust
–Demonstrate your knowledge
–Express your opinions
–Build credibility for you and your
business

7. Organic search traffic will increase over time from your blogging efforts
Well written and promoted blog posts will send more traffic to your site
Why blog?

8. Why blog?
• Social media
–Blogging gives you content to share
–Enables you to build relationships
–Social signals are an important factor in
SEO, helping to boost your visibility

9. Why blog?
• Traffic
–Greater online visibility means more
traffic to your website
–More traffic means more leads
–More leads = more customers

10. Who is your audience
If you don’t have a target, how can you figure out where to aim
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11. Who is your audience
• Think about who you’re writing for
– Existing clients
– Potential customers
– Industry professionals, colleagues
– What jargon / terminology should you avoid
• Look to create personas for your target audience
– Who are they (age, job, etc.)
– What are their interests (creative, sporty, travel, etc.)
– How knowledgeable are they (clueless, informed, etc.)

12. What to blog about
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13. What to blog about
• Stuck for content ideas?
• Use your customers / leads
– FAQ’s and SAQ’s (Should Ask Questions)
• Online research tools
– Google Trends, Keyword Planner, UberSuggest
– Social media sites
• Your own website
– Analytics and Webmaster Tools
• Local or industry specific news & events

14. Where to put your content
Spread your content around the web, both near and far
Photo credit: Thomas Leth-Olsen via photopin cc

15. Where to put your content
• Your best content is for your own blog & website
• Repurpose your content
– Videos on YouTube
– Presentations on SlideShare (& LinkedIn)
• Guest blogging
• Local newspaper or magazines
• Industry journals and websites

16. How to promote your blog
Great content deserves great promotion
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17. How to promote your blog
• Make sure your content is well optimised for search
• Use social media
– Sharing networks: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc
– Discovery networks: Stumbleupon, Reddit, etc
• Email direct to your contacts (newsletter)
• Use forums to start a discussion and get more views
for your content
• Add your blog URL to your email signature

18. 4 steps to smarter blogging
• Target
– who is your audience
• Research
– what content are they interested in
• Location
– where’s the best place to host your content
• Promotion
– through social media, email & more

19. Smart blogging  more traffic
More traffic  more potential leads
More potential leads = More Customers

20. To read the full story
please visit:
smart-local.co.uk/small-business-blog-tips/