Blogging for business is not a new concept. Most businesses have some sort of marketing blog out there, and if not you can feel free to check out our Blogging for Business ebook. It’s important to have a good grasp on why we as businesses need to blog. Reasons like ‘connecting with your customer base’ and ‘getting likes’ are all well and good but let’s be honest, the real purpose here is growing your bottom line. If you aren’t planning for this as the end game to your blogging strategy then you aren’t blogging for business, you are a hobbyist.

Let’s cover a few things that you can develop on your way to blogging with purpose, and actually affecting your company’s bottom line.

1. Determining Your Audience

Producing great content becomes a lot easier once you have a solid plan, and you can’t have a content strategy without knowing who your readers are. Research your customers to gain a better understanding of who they are and what they’re looking for. You can even interview customers or setup and online survey to gain information like demographics, social influences, how tech savvy they are, and how they make purchasing decisions.

2. Determine Where Your Audience Is In The Purchase Funnel

Once you have figured out who your audience is you have to determine where they are in relation to the conversion funnel. This can be a little tricky but you can make some educated guesses based on where your traffic is coming from, how often they return and how long they stay, and your current conversion rate. You can get all this information through Google Analytics so if you don’t have it set up yet go do it NOW it is free, people!

3. Learn What Questions Your Customers Are Asking

Alright time to get into some keyword research. This is our favorite past-time here at Wikimotive and although it may seem boring to most people it can be extremely valuable. By figuring out the search queries your audience is making you can better understand exactly what they need and what brought them to your site. Once you know that you can better tailor your content to their needs and, VOILA, more conversions.

4. Solidifying Your Blogging Goals

Now that you know everything there is to know about your customers and your audience you need to set some goals for your blog to make sure you stay on track. They key here is that these goals need to be specific and measurable. This way you know when some thing is working and when it’s not, so that you can make adjustments and keep working for that bottom line. Also keep in mind that your blog goals and it’s over all tone and tenor should be in line with your brand strategy. Make sure to write content in a manor that reflects your brand culture, values, and attitude.

If you can accomplish all of these things you should be well on your way to a successful business blog. Remember, as great as your strategy may be, it doesn’t help you much without consistent attention. We recommend at least 2 blog posts a week, but the more you can do the better.

Need help developing a blogging strategy? Don’t have the time to write amazing content on a regular basis? Let Wikimotive help, we have a team of content writers well versed in most business verticals and all based in the U.S. Contact us for a free evaluation of your current blogging strategy and advice on how you can improve.