Why blogging is important – and 7 tips for success

Let’s face it, writing a blog is hard work. Especially when you’ve got a business to run.

Many small business owners start off writing a blog (because they’ve been told they should) but give up when they get busy or run out of things to say.

And with so many blog articles and websites out there it’s tempting to think you’re doing the world a favour by not adding to them.

But a blog can still be a very powerful business tool – as long as you do it well.

A blog helps you attract more website visitors…

You’ve probably heard that a blog is good for search optimisation (SEO). That’s because a blog:

• lets you target a wide range of key phrases
• disciplines you to regularly update your website
• and if your articles are really good, other people will share them and link to them and boost your rankings

Most importantly, your blog is yours – it’s not sitting in rented space on Facebook or Instagram and those blog pages are there for the long haul. You can still share the content through social media – and it will take those who are interested to your website (where they won’t be distracted by the cute cat picture their friend just shared).

… and convince those visitors to buy from you

A blog also allows you to showcase your designs and skills and engage with prospective customers. As blog articles tend to be written in a more conversational way than static web pages you can show couples your personality. Your readers will get to know you – and we are more likely to do business with people we know (and that applies even if we “only” know you online).

This is so important in the wedding industry – brides and grooms are looking for suppliers they like and trust with their big day.

You can demonstrate your expertise through real weddings you’ve worked on, tips & ideas articles, comments on industry issues and therefore give prospective customers real confidence in buying from you.

7 Blogging Success Tips

1. Know your purpose

Be clear about the difference between “having a blog as part of your wedding business marketing” and “being a wedding blogger”. The former is all about getting more customers for your photography, planning, stationery etc business. You don’t need to be Rock’n’Roll Bride or Style Me Pretty. (Little secret, only a very few wedding bloggers actually make a decent living from their blog alone).

2. Stay on topic

Keep your blog relevant to your business and your ideal customer. This doesn’t mean you need to be talking about yourself all the time, but, again, don’t try to become a general wedding blog if your purpose is to book more weddings for your cake business.

3. Set a manageable schedule

– and stick to it. It’s better to post a quality post once a month than to load 6 real wedding articles all at once and then nothing for 6 months. Weekly is great if you can manage it, but fortnightly works well too. Remember most blog software lets you schedule articles so you can write them and then set them to publish at regular intervals.

4. Make it interesting

Think about your target customer – what would they like to read about? A good mix of article types helps keep things fresh. Check out this article for 10 blog article ideas

5. Show your personality

This doesn’t mean you need to discuss your private life or domestic details. But show your personality, express opinions and share things you love.

6. Use a mix of content types

Use a mix of text and photos (you could also include videos and even audio clips) to make your blog more appealing. Brides love to see photos to inspire them. On the other hand, don’t just post articles full of pictures – use some text to tell the story behind them.

7. Share your blog

It’s not enough to simply hit the publish button and forget about it. To be really effective you need to let people know about your blog. Use social media to promote your articles.