You finally got the blog page on your business website set up. Now comes the big challenge: what to write about. Well, naturally, you should write about all of your products and services. I mean, those babies will basically write themselves — and wow, what a great way to double up on product copy on your website! Right?
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. (Your Products and Services pages — that’s where you write about your products and services.)
It might seem counterintuitive, but your company blog really is not for writing about your company. Um, say what? What will I write about then?
Don’t worry. I promise you’ll soon discover that you have plenty to say. But let’s start by addressing the obvious question: Why on Earth should my business blog not be about my business?
1. You’ve got you covered.
Your entire website is about you, so your business blog doesn’t need to be. For starters, you have an About page. Some of us even have multiple pages of About content on our sites. You might have a History page and a Bios page, for example. Your website is also teeming with plenty of content related to your products and services.
If you’ve built your site right, no one wants to learn more about you and your business.
2. Consider why people read blogs.
Think about the blogs you read. Do you read them because you want people to sell you things? No. You read them to learn something or to be entertained. Your blog should do the same.
If your business blog offers entertainment or educational value (or better yet, both), readers will follow. And if people come to your site to read your blog, there’s a good chance they’ll click around to learn more about your business and products. Some will likely even end up buying something from you someday.
3. You want your content to be shared.
If I read an interesting blog post, I might share it on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. And then, my followers might see it and click it and read it and share it, too. But if you’re blogging about yourself, I’m less likely to read it — and therefore, less likely to share it.
Shareable content is engaging content. You don’t have to be controversial or offer up “clickbait.” But you do have to be interesting; you have show value.
4. Give some thought to search.
Yes, the almighty search algorithm is always changing, but we do know it’s important to update your site. One of the great things about having a blog is that when you regularly add unique content to your website, you send a message to search engines that you are relevant, which boosts your rankings. And if you’re blogging about broader topics than just the business itself, you’ll be more likely to get picked up for a variety of keywords.
5. Think about how to bolster your reputation.
Talking about yourself doesn’t do anything to help position you as a thought leader. However, blogging about industry trends and big ideas does. Sharing your expertise does.
A company blog is an opportunity to write about anything you’d like. So, use it well. Talk about your industry. What’s trending? What are your thoughts on those trends? (Which leads into how awesome sauce your company is. See? Even without writing about your business, you’re still marketing your business.)
You can opine on the news of the day and even share some personal stories from within your business. You can address questions you frequently hear about your industry. You can offer tips and tricks and advice.
At the end of the day, there’s so much content that you can put into your blog (that doesn’t have another natural place to live on your website) that you shouldn’t even need to talk about your business. So, resist the urge to use your blog as a biz brochure — because it offers so much more than that. Show off your personality, and showcase your knowledge and ideas. And readers will come.
