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Maybe you have an offline business or an Etsy store. If you have an offline business you might not want an online business too. There is just one problem with that and that is, everyone is online and expects you to be too. If you have something like an Etsy store you might not think that a blog is necessary. But having a way to connect with customers is necessary. This is why you should have a blog, even if you’re not a blogger.
If you want them to do business with you, you must show them what you know. A blog is a perfect way to do this. Have you ever been to a site for a business or even just an actual blog and thought there is nothing really here or what is here isn’t good?
Be the Authority
This is what you want to avoid. You want people to see you as the authority in your business and come to you for information. That is before they go to someone else. Here’s an example, if you are a photographer your blog may discuss how lighting affects the picture or something about angles. I’m not a photographer, but you get the point.
There are things that you know that may not seem like they matter to your potential customers, but it does if it makes you look like you know your stuff. Also, an informed customer with a mild understanding of what to expect is more likely to work with you. You take away possible fears that they have and they relax.
Engage Your Customers
Adding a blog doesn’t need to be overwhelming. If you have an existing business you could ask current customers what things they have questions about when you are dealing with them. Take the responses and those are your first blog post ideas.
Add a page on your site and start to answer the questions. They don’t need to be any certain length. You could make every post a Q & A. Write out the question and then your answer. If it’s a short answer so be it. If it is a little longer than that’s fine too. Just be sure to explain things in a way that a newbie could understand. Remember they likely know nothing about what you do.
Don’t have a site get one
This doesn’t need to be complicated, but if you don’t already have a site there will be more work involved. Although if you don’t already have a site for your business shame on you!
If you don’t have a site you can make it fairly simple by going to a hosting company like bluehost or godaddy. Check out my easy walkthrough to get your site up and running. Through the hosting you can get a wordpress site. They make it pretty easy to setup.
You may even find that blogging is something that you would rather do than your actual business. You could make money explaining how to do your craft. You could sell products that teach others. This could become more lucrative in the long run.
Having a blog has the added benefits of making you the authority. It makes your customers feel better about working with you. You become the go to person and it could turn into another business altogether or just another income source for your current business.
Finally don’t make this into a big deal. This is not a lifeline for your income. It is an additional tool for you to take advantage of. Start small and do only what you can to start. Shoot for at least one post a week and be consistent. If you are just doing the Q & A style posts it should be simple for you. Just share what you already know and watch your business grow.
This can be a great addition or beginning to your business. Don’t get overwhelmed with the details. It is easier than you think to start a blog and you can do it with the a little help. Check out my easy walkthrough to get you up and running.
