How blogs help grow your visibility as a social entrepreneur

This week I’ve been reviewing the content of module two in my Impact Communications That Convert course for my students. This module is all about the Customer Attraction Plan - the unique approach you use to attract customers and your sales strategy.

Blogs can play a big part of this for many types of social enterprises because they’re a perfect way to showcase your expertise to new and existing audiences, generate organic (free) traffic to your website and in turn attract new potential customers.

I find having a blog also helps me focus on what I want and should be communicating about in all my marketing whilst creating content that I can then use and re-purpose again and again. I’ll explain more about this later.

Why having a blog helps you grow your social enterprise’s visibility

1. Blogs grow the visibility of your social enterprise

   Blogs are a fantastic way to increase the visibility of your social enterprise. How you ask? Well if you use the in built blog tool on your website, it will do the work for you.

   When you write a blog post about a topic your target audience might be searching for in google or ecosia, and if your title and content includes these phrases or keywords, “the internet” will do the work for you and show your content in the searches.

   For example, I write blogs on topics which I know social entrepreneurs are asking google. My best example of this is my blog “9 social enterprise awards you could apply for in 2019”. I didn’t realise when I wrote it that it would drive quite so much traffic to my website but it does and is my best performing blog to date.

   I knew it was a topic social enterprises would be asking in google (because I know my audience), so I wrote a blog topic on it, even though it’s not a core part of my business or what I teach about specifically. But it gets people in my target audience visiting my site, to read this particular blog and then they take a look at other content - who I am, what I do and some will sign up for more information and resources - joining my mailing list - this is when the magic happens, when I can start building a relationship with this person.

2. Blogs showcase your expertise and particular perspective

   Blogs are a unique way to share your unique perspective and expertise with the world. And with a little thought about what your target audience might be searching for optimise it to get views.

   Most people don’t write blogs because they don’t think of themselves as a writer and don’t know what they should write about. This is why blogs are great you can write about whatever it is that’s important to you and your audiences.

   It doesn’t have to conform to any particular style, length, approach. There are blogs of poetry, blogs without grammar, blogs that are lists as well as blogs written like news articles from a broadsheet. The truth is anything goes in a blog. You can even add video, images, opt-ins and more.

   If you’re willing to just write and get your perspective out there, with a little thought about what your audience might be interested in and searching for it’s a fantastic way to grow your audience.

3. Blogs generate organic traffic to your website (for free)

   Blogs are great to share your expertise with your audience via sharing the link in social media or in your emails. But even more powerfully it generates organic traffic simply from posting your blog.

   Blogs also help the SEO (search engine optimisation) of your website. Search engines prioritise websites with fresh content, they show this first. Having a blog is a great way to ensure you have regular fresh content on your website (as is adding social media widgets or a podcast).

   I recommend a weekly blog if you’re serious about increasing the reach and visibility of your website and organisation. But even a blog a month will make a difference to your SEO and traffic.

4. Blogs help attract new customers

   People may come across your website and organisation by you having a blog because they’ve searched a particular question / topic which you’ve written a blog about. In order for blog readers to become customers you need to make it easy for them to a) find out more about you and what you offer/sell and b) sign up to a mailing list so you can send them more information or blogs to build your relationship with them and convert them in to customers.

5. Blogs help you build your content for all your communications

   I find that planning out my weekly blog posts and writing them helps me focus on what I want to communicate with my audience. It also means I have content to re-purpose for all my other communications channels such as my email, live videos, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Questions to help you think about what to write about in your blog:

• What do you know that no-one else is talking about?

• What are others talking about which you have a different perspective on?

• What questions do you know your audience are asking but there’s no answers for on the internet for (or very few search results)?

• What do you want to be known for? Write about that!

• What do you know your target audience might be searching for which you could write about in order to attract them to your website (e.g. how my 9 social enterprise award blog works for me)

• If you don’t have the expertise who could you interview (and write a blog about) or ask to be a guest writer on your blog.

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