Share your stuff on your blog

One of the biggest challenges that business owners face is convincing potential clients that their services are top notch. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling a product or a service, it’s the knowledge that underpins it that matters to people who are considering you as a supplier.

We’ve all heard stories about companies who talk a good talk, but don’t follow through with a great service. This is where blogs – and the content that you can spin off them – come into their own.

If you have a blog on your website it’s an ideal opportunity to show off your knowledge and help people to get to know you by reading your thoughts, ideas and opinions on your areas of expertise.

We’re not talking about writing a handbook, but about giving people good advice about the things you’re a specialist in. Your style should be conversational and informal, so your reader feels as though you’re talking directly to them.

If you’re thinking ‘I don’t want to give all my secrets away,’ don’t worry. The people who read your blog and decide to try and follow your advice are the ones who aren’t prepared to pay for your services. The people you’re aiming to influence are the ones who read your article and think ‘These guys know what they’re talking about, I’ll get them to help me.’ And if the ones that don’t have the budget are impressed with your knowledge, they may recommend you to others – or even come back to you for help, when their business is in a place where they can afford to.

What to write about

That’s a common worry – I won’t have anything to write about. But, if you’re an expert in your business you know loads of stuff.

• What are the questions you get asked most often? Elaborate on the answers to those.
• What do you find yourself explaining to people most often?
• What are the problems people most often experience in relation to your products or services?

These are all potential articles for your blog.

Stick to simple language, don’t get technical and keep it conversational. If you’re better verbally than you are writing, maybe record it and get it transcribed.

The double whammy

The advantage of sharing your expertise on your blog is that you are not only impressing the socks off your readers, but you’re also ticking the search engines ‘fresh content’ box, which gives your website brownie points!

If you know what people search for when looking for information relating to the subject of your blog, try to include those key words and phrases in both your title and in the main copy.