Blog regularly and often. According to HubSpot, companies who blog 11+ times a month had almost 3x the traffic that those who blogged 0-4 times! But the most important point . . . get started with a couple of blogs a month and then gradually increase the number if you can.

1. Use mind maps to develop topics and outlines. What’s a mind map? Click here.
2. Include data but always acknowledge the source with a link.
3. Develop an email list of followers
4. Send links to your blog to your mailing list.
5. Post links to your blog on social media
6. Multipurpose blog content. Break down your blog into 20 individual points and post one every business day on your favorite social media platform.
7. Break up long text with subheads, spacing and bullets to make it more scannable.
8. In order to help your blog articles rank higher in search results, your keyword should appear in all of the following: “On-Page” SEO areas: URL, Page Title, Section Header, Subheaders, Main Content, Image ALT Text, and Meta Description.
9. Use photos, illustrations to give your blog post eye appeal. Include the title of the blog in the illustration in case someone shares it with a link back to your post.
10. Include a form on your blog where readers can subscribe to your emails.
11. Promote blog.
12. Add a Call to Action at the end of EVERY blog post!

If you don't have the time or skills to dedicate to blogging, you should seriously consider hiring someone (like me) to do it for you.   Call 636-394-4148.

Does the thought of driving new traffic to your website appeal to you? What about converting that traffic into leads? Or establishing authority?

But does working closely with search engines and social media scare the #%$^& out of you? Well, I’ve got news for you! One of the most effective methods of accomplishing these three things is BLOGGING for business.

Just what is business blogging?Blogging is posting to your website’s blog content on topics relevant to your business. Blogging is NOT selling! And it’s NOT talking about just you and your company! It’s providing valuable, requested information to your readers.

There are plenty of blogs out there, but what we’re talking about here is a business blog. A business blog is a marketing platform that supports and encourages business growth. It covers topics in which you are an influencer or expert!

Why should we have a business blog? Remember the YellowPages? Blogging is as important to your business as the Yellowpages used to be! And it’s actually better because you can change and add to your blog as new opportunities arise whereas your YellowPage ad was the same the entire year! Plus it was more expensive than the cost of the time you’ll spend writing.

Remember going door to door to get leads? Blogging is a whole lot easier than that and more effective as well! According to Hubspot, 60% of businesses who blog acquire more customers. And blogging is the heart of all of your content marketing efforts and is fodder for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, email newsletters, e-books, etc.
So you may be asking, what’s the down side of blogging? No doubt about it, blogging is a time consuming endeavor so if you don't have the time or skills to dedicate to blogging, you should seriously consider hiring someone to do it for you.

But what I blog about?The prospect of coming up with topics for your blog may be overwhelming but inspiration is everywhere. . . if you know where to look.  Here are some places you can visit to get your creative juices flowing.

• Trending topics
• Headlines
• Social media
• Other blogs
• Emails
• Newsletters
• Your customers
• Conversations
• If you’re a pest control company, here’s a list of topics just for you! ((link)))

Watch for my next post about business blog tips you can use NOW!