Blogging is one of the most cost-effective marketing techniques a small business can implement. It not only allows you to engage with your audience regularly but is a great way to build brand awareness and increase your customer base.
Here are some hints and tips on how to make the most of your small business blog.
Create regular and engaging content
One of the best ways to develop and strengthen relationships with new and existing customers is to blog regularly and use content that will engage your readers. Whilst it may be tempting to upload a few pictures now and again, that isn’t going to draw people to your business or enhance brand loyalty.
Ask customers for opinions, create a buzz about new products, and, where possible, engage in conversation. The better and more regular the content, the more powerful your blog becomes.
Collaborate with other businesses
Collaborating with other business bloggers from time to time is common practice amongst small businesses. Working alongside companies that compliment your brand can do wonders for increasing reach and creating brand awareness.
If, for example, you run a bridal shop, you might look at collaborating with a company that creates bespoke wedding stationery. You can link to their company on your blog and vice versa, or you might want to allow them to do a guest post telling followers more about the company and what they do. The power of professional relationships should never be underestimated.
Work with influencers
Another great way to use collaboration to market your products and your brand is to engage with social media influencers. Whilst you can make contact with or send freebies to influencers you feel would be well matched to your products, a far easier way is to pay for collaborations across many social media platforms. Companies like Collabstr, for example, will provide you with access to an unlimited amount of influencers for a set monthly fee. If you do go down the paid route, it’s important to give it a bit of time to gain momentum and produce the desired results.
Take decent photographs
Good photography can make a big difference to the popularity of your blog and how professional it looks, so it’s important to make sure you use good quality images on every blog post. Many people make the mistake of photographing their products on a sofa, bed, or carpet with no thought to lighting, background, or the product itself.
If working with smaller products, consider making a DIY photography lightbox. This is a very effective yet inexpensive way to produce well-lit professional-looking shots.
Continuity is very important when blogging, so another trick many bloggers use is to place their products on a piece of patterned or wood effect wallpaper. It creates the perception of quality and value and ensures that every photo looks similar. Another must when posting photos, is to add your company logo or a watermark to your images. If a photo of your product goes viral, everyone will know where to go when they want to buy one!
