Caroline Dunn
Guest Blogger: Caroline Dunn.
Caroline is a professional winemaker, respected wine show judge as well as a social media specialist. To find out more about Caroline, visit Wolf Blass Wines.
Why Writing a Blog is Important to your Wine Business
When Tim Berners-Lee first conceived the World Wide Web back in the 90’s his vision was for a socially interactive system linking everything to everything else and allowing users not only to receive information, but to edit and develop as well. As we all know, early Internet incarnations did not realise his dream, but as we move through the era of “Web 2.0” the vision has become a reality, and nowhere more so than with the humble blog.
Early blogs were most often in the form of a personal diary or journal through which bloggers could voice their opinion on any topic, leading to the widely held misconception that blogs are simply vehicles for vents, rants and raves atop personal soapboxes. Granted, such blogs do still exist, however times are a-changing and business blogs have now become one of the most fundamental and valuable tools in the marketing toolbox. A business blog has a different set of goals. It is about informing, educating, enlightening and entertaining, and it can act as a life-affirming force to invigorate online business.
So why is writing a blog so vital?
Here are my top 7 reasons why writing a business blog is imperative, essential, indispensable, crucial and just plain important.
1. Search engines simply love a good blog.
Search engines love new, fresh, quality content. Websites that are frequently updated shine bright in the eyes of search engine spiders. Every time new content is created, your blog site pings the search engines, resulting in more frequent visits from their spiders. The more unique, relevant content you can post to your blog, and the better you get at integrating keywords, the higher your search engine rankings will soar. On top of this, there is a strong community of “socializing” bloggers who regularly link back to blogs they regard as valuable or relevant. Popular bloggers with a strong presence and following can often instigate a rapid, viral spread of links throughout the community. Links, trackbacks and comments all validate your blog in the eyes of the search engines, encouraging them to appreciate your site all the more. All this leads to greater online visibility, generating a greater flow of traffic to your site.
2. Blogs act as the central hub for your social media presence.
Social media is all about networking, building relationships and providing valuable content. Blogging platforms encourage sharing. When you create new content it can be syndicated through RSS feeds, social media sites, and otherwise shared with your network of followers. If your network sees your information as valuable, they will on-share it with their networks, quickly and virally spreading the word throughout the Internet. Once you generate enough social buzz, people will be flocking to your site to see what all the fuss is about. And once again, search engines love social buzz. Your site will rank more highly, and more people will find you. And the value a blog provides generally results in higher mailing list conversion rates than a static website, further building your network. Your blog becomes the hub of a never-ending social circle, sending out content and drawing people back.
3. Blogs help build relationships.
Blogs are inherently social, interactive and conversational. Rather than static webpages, which provide passive one-way transmission of content, blogs allow exchange of ideas and communication in a two-way forum. People like to buy products and services from people they know and trust. Regular participation and interaction with your readers builds healthy relationships, breathes life into your business, and gives your business a “face”. Blogging allows you to stay in touch with your readers and allows your readers to stay abreast of new developments. Providing valuable, informative content, without pitching or selling, makes readers feel you care about their needs and strengthens bonds.
4. Blogs allow and encourage instant feedback.
Feedback from readers, in the form of comments and reviews is an invaluable tool that allows you to track, tweak, reassess, respond, and know with confidence when you are hitting the mark. Your readers’ feedback is a significant barometer of how your customers are currently viewing what you have to offer.
5. Blogs help build credibility and authority.
Informed blogging sets you up as an authority within your field. You don’t need to know it all, but a little bit of research can go a long way towards positioning you as an expert and industry leader. Again, if your readers are receiving valuable information from you they will be more inclined to return. Not only can you build personal credibility, but also the credibility of your brand.
6. Blogging software is extremely user-friendly.
Recent advances in blogging tools have removed virtually all the technical barriers once associated with publication by the masses. Although there are varying levels of sophistication, anyone with a message can now shout it out to the world without spending years learning complicated programming code.
7. Blogging is budget-friendly.
Blogs are created using open-source software, which is freely available on the web. Although there are a number of completely free blogging platforms available, these are generally not recommended for business use. But even with a self-hosted blog, such as WordPress.org, the standard blogging platform for business; if you are happy to create your own blog, your only cost will be nominal hosting fees.
So hop to it! And if you enjoyed this post, why not share the love with others? Or leave us a comment – we’d be chuffed to hear from you.
