Every local business should have a blog for a variety of reasons, including exposure, building expert status, boosting SEO, building consumer loyalty, branding and more. Sharing newsworthy, informational posts is important, but it’s also a good idea to change the type of posts you share up a bit to keep your local business readers interested. Below are 3 types of blogs to consider incorporating as part of your local business blogging strategy.
1. Write a blog post sharing helpful resources your target audience can turn to for education and research. Readers appreciate one-stop-shop type of resources where they can go to a single place to identify resources they’re looking for. We’ve found a lot of success in writing posts that provide a list of Internet Marketing tools and resources, including links to other informational blogs, software, contacts, and products, that help local business owners succeed online. For example, if you’re a shoe retailer, you might provide a blog post that includes a list of resources on how to keep shoes in top shape and from wearing out easily.
2. Create blog posts that incorporate and share links to industry events that your target audience might be interest in attending. The more resources you can provide your target audience to help them succeed, the better. It shows you’re interested in their success, and not just yours. Plus, they love receiving information without having to go find it on their own.
3. Write blogs that incorporate reflection about thought leadership content from market influencer. This provides different perspectives for your content, and shows that you respect and collaborate with other industry ‘experts’. You may also gain the attention from those industry ‘experts’ you reference, which could be a great networking opportunity.
And if you’re looking for ways to boost your blogs exposure and readership, read: Enhance Your Blog: 10 Tips to Make Your Blog Best in Show.
For nearly three decades, Chris Marentis, Founder and CEO of Surefire Social, has been responsible for driving innovation and sales growth for large media and e-commerce brands as well as start-ups. With a long-history of counseling local businesses about their marketing efforts, Marentis provides insight on what it takes for small businesses to succeed and thrive in today’s evolving digital environment. His notable career includes creating the foundational blueprints for online marketing, e-commerce and content branding for AOL’s Interactive Marketing group, where he served as Senior Vice President. While CEO of Clearspring Technologies, Marentis developed one of the most widely adopted venture-backed Web 2.0 technology platforms. Marentis is a frequent speaker at local digital marketing conferences and a contributor to SMB and technology-focused publications.
