You have a good business, you work hard but sometimes you don’t manage to engage with as many dream clients as you want. Believe me, you are not alone. We are living in very demanding times, so making your business stand out from the competition is vital, as is creating a memorable business message.
Of course, there are many factors that can affect your business, which you can’t control – hey if it was easy, then everyone would be doing it. But let’s focus on something you can control – your business personality.
Why does your business need a personality?
You can have the best business in the world, selling brilliant products or services and offering the most amazing customer experience, but how do people know that? You need to convey so much information through your online presence.
You’ve heard that saying ‘People buy from people they like’. They get to know and understand them and trust builds. Their opinion is valued which results in the growth of a strong and loyal business relationship.
The same principles can be applied to a business and the development of its online personality to attract a following of ideal customers. Communicating in a way that makes those customers feel comfortable, valued and understood is going to make you stand out. You will be thought of as a company that cares, that delivers, that helps and that will bring you results.
How do you build your business personality?
- Content is King
By that, I mean what you put your business name to needs to be good. It’s all about quality, not quantity. You want your visitors to be drawn into your internet presence, captivated by your message, so they want to learn more about you and what you do.
- It’s not just what you write, it’s the way that you write it
The Internet has provided us with so much information at our fingertips, we have become a very impatient bunch. These days people scan first and read when they see something they are interested in, so bite size is best. Short sentences offering clarity are best. Remember to deliver your main points first in a heading. Then any potential customers are under no doubt about what that paragraph is going to tell them.
- Write with your ideal client in mind
Few businesses really spend time on this. Ask them and they will tell you a few generic details but it’s a big help to think about it and do some research. How can you find and connect with your dream client if you don’t know more about them?
- Promote your uniqueness
Every business is unique – it’s just they don’t always know what it is. If you know what makes you special then shout it from the hilltops, if you don’t then give it some serious thought. Your business personality will be easier to develop if you know this.
- Show you care and understand your market
When I was first in business, a few years ago now, you had to act tough to get what you wanted. Thank goodness those days are gone. Don’t get me wrong, business can still be tough but caring about your customers is the new tough and I think that’s a much better place to start.
- You need to give before you get
I suppose this follows on from the previous point. If you offer help, show kindness and give away a little of your knowledge, you will reap what you sow.
Make one marketing decision today – spend time developing your blog
I think blogs are amazing – so much so that I’ve been writing them since 2007. Blogs are a versatile weapon in the marketing armoury of every business.
Here are some interesting facts you should know:-
The average business that has a blog, generates 126% more traffic than a business that doesn’t. Hence, blogs can make you stand out from the competition.(Brightseed)
More than 50% of consumers say that useful content will make them more likely to engage with a business (Content Marketing Association)
Content Marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing but produces 3 times as many leads (Demand Metrics)
9 Reasons why Blogs Build Business
Sadly there are still companies and organisations who don’t see the value in having a blog or enhancing an existing blog. Here are 9 reasons why blogs build business and can help you stand out from the competition:-
1. Increase your online presence
For the majority of websites, once the content has been added and the site goes live, nothing really changes to the text. Hence, there is nothing new to report to the search engines when their spiders come crawling. Blogs are a great way of adding new content to your website on a regular basis which, in turn, helps to improve ranking.
2. Cost effective marketing with the ability to calculate return on investment
Compared with other forms of advertising, blogs are a much more cost-effective way to convey your business message. The best part is that you also have the ability to calculate return on investment, which is vital to remain competitive.
3. Connect with customers in a different way and share information
A blog is another string to your marketing bow. You can discuss topics that it might not be so easy to include within your main website content. Just as a book has a contents page, you can categorise blogs under certain topics so your customers can easily find what they want to read about.
4. Learn what your clients want to know more about, through interpretation of statistics received from the blog itself
Aaah, analytics – what did we do before analytics! A fascinating insight into what your visitors want to know about. I tell you, Google analytics is as close to mind reading as we can get. You really can learn from it and this information is so important when deciding on the future direction of your business. This will be vital in the coming years as marketing will need to be so much more targeted to specific customer groups.
5. Create an informal way to communicate
Blogs are usually much more conversational than the more rigid structure of conventional websites. Text on a website often needs to be more formal so a blog can contrast in its delivery of information. I like to think of website text as a conversation you might have with a bank manager and blog text is how you would talk to your friends.
6. Retain your client base
By posting regular blogs, your business can remain in the thoughts of your customers more easily. This means when they want to buy again, your business and what if offers, will be at the forefront of their minds.
7. Convey what you do in more detail
It doesn’t matter what type of business you have, there will always be times when you want to discuss something in more detail. Perhaps it’s a topic that’s in the news, or it could be a new development within your industry. Whatever the reason, longer posts allow you to add more keywords that you want the search engines to find and more importantly, you can build trust in your products and showcase your expertise.
8. Talk about current issues connected with your business
We live in a very fast-paced world where information is everywhere. We have come to expect this information to be delivered in an instant. Blogs are a great way of commenting on current issues, offering advice and encouraging the opinions of others.
9. Create a personality, voice and individuality for your business
A blog is a marketing tool which you can use to create a business presence. It can make you stand out from the competition and elevate your reputation within your chosen marketplace.
Interested but just don’t have the time?
Don’t worry – that’s where I can help you. I can create a blog and write blog posts that will make your business sparkle. Persuasive words handcrafted to make you stand out will make a difference, so let’s have a chat or send me an email.