You Need Content to Share on Social Media (and other reasons your business needs a blog)

As business owners we’re often too focused on building business and serving customers to see the value in expanding our digital marketing presence. Social media is effective and grows brand recognition in the community but there’s more to marketing.

You have to create your own content to gain the love of Google, establish yourself as the expert in your industry, and share more than other people’s content on social media.

All too often I hear the concern that blogging and (other content like live streaming, videos, and podcasting) will give away too many secrets about a business but it’s the opposite. You will attract your ideal clients because you’re illustrating you’re knowledgeable about your products and services but that’s not the only reason your business needs a blog. 

Let’s not forget the value of blogging when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO).

Google loves when we add new content.

Don’t create a website and let it sit untouched. The key to being noticed by search engines like Google is to create engaging, relevant content on a regular basis. Blogging is one of the most affordable and efficient ways to add content to your website.

Think of it this way. Each blog post is another page, another way for visitors to find your site.

One blog post a week adds 52 pages to your website every year.

The more frequently you do this, the more likely search engines will visit and rank your site higher in search engine rankings.

Combine consistent, relevant content using keywords and you’ve got a winning combination for your brand.

Establish yourself as the expert.

A mechanic who creates a video of how to change oil in a car isn’t going to lose customers because he shared how to do it. He’s more likely to attract new customers because they see him as the expert. They don’t want to change the oil in their car because they can see how much work it is; they’ll take their car to the mechanic who knows how to change the oil. It’s the same for your business.

If your competitors aren’t creating content, they’re missing an opportunity to grow their business and get noticed (in a good way) by prospective customers. That’s your opportunity to gain a share of the market. Even if they are creating content, it’s not the content you’re creating.

Your brand is unique.

Create content that connects to your target audience. You’re the expert, not your competitor.  

You need content to share on social media.

Think about the content that you’re sharing on social media. It’s probably articles from other experts in your industry that drives readers away from your site. It’s like you’re marketing for the competition. (ouch!) That’s why you need to create your content to drive traffic to your website.

Sharing the content of others is a great way to build community but be picky about what you share and from which sources. Ask yourself these questions before sharing an article on social media:

• Is this from a reliable source? You might rethink sharing if it’s from a direct competitor.
• Is this article relevant to my ideal client? If it’s not, don’t share it.
• Does this article represent my brand voice? Just because it’s a cute kitten and its puppy BFF doesn’t mean you should share it on the social media for your business. It might be better to share on personal social media or not at all.
• Could I write a better article on the same topic? If you could write a better article, save the link for reference and write your own blog post.

Share your blog posts, videos, podcasts, and links to downloadable content on social media in addition to content from others and those cute cat memes you just can’t stop posting.

How often should you blog? For most businesses, once a week is a reasonable frequency and attainable goal.

If you’re having trouble finding the time to blog, I offer Monthly Blogging Packages. I write on your behalf, telling the story of your brand, so you can focus on your business. Contact me at anne@annemcauley or 480-206-6452 to learn more.