If you’re like a lot of traditional small business owners, you’ve heard about the benefits of starting a small business blog. 

You may have heard that it helps your website get found online so potential customers can find you. With the right approach, this is true. Having a blog also gives you something to share on social media. It’s even a good reason to email your customers. 

No matter whether you run an antique shop or a cheese shop, a small business blog will help your business grow. 

In fact, it’s one of the best investments you can make in your online presence. Inexpensive to start and run, it’s a far better pay off than traditional advertising like magazine ads, postcards, and flyers. Those things get thrown away and forgotten, but an updated blog can continue bringing in customers for years.

Check out these statistics:

• Business blogging attracts 55% more website visitors than businesses without a blog. (Source: Hubspot)  
• According to WordPress, 409 million people a month read blogs. (Source: Forbes)
• Reports show 6 out of 10 shoppers have purchased due to a blog recommendation. (Source: Huffington Post) 

Imagine your small business being at the top of the search engines in your town and bringing in more customers. It’s very possible with an active blog.

4 Business Benefits of a Small Business Blog 

Blogging not only enhances your web presence, plus it also gives you the chance to showcase your knowledge.

Imagine that a potential customer searches for what you sell, your relevant blog post pops up and they read it. Now, you’re the expert and they’re more likely to seek out your shop when ready to buy.

That’s the power of blogging for a small business. 

Let’s go a bit further and break it down. 

1. Bring More People to Your Website

Google LOVES updated content. And there’s no better way than to keep it fresh than with new blog content. 

See, when you publish a new post, you effectively “ping” the internet alerting them to new content. That action sends Google’s web crawlers to your website.

Those crawlers make note of your content and “index” the post. It’s all based on a complex mathematical algorithm, but that’s the gist.

Then, when potential visitors use the internet to ask related questions in your area, your blog post has the chance to turn up at the top.

For example, if you run a cheese specialty shop and write a blog post about favorite French cheeses and your customer searches for French cheeses in your area, they can find your blog post. 

2. It Gives You Something to Share on Social Media

You’re probably active on Facebook and Instagram and realize the need for consistent content there. That’s what brings people back to your social media accounts.

When you have fresh blog content, then you have something else to share. Plus, you can pull out quotes from the post and share those. Basically, a blog can work hard for you. 

3. Gives You a Reason to Email Your Customers

One great way to bring past and current customers back to your blog post is to send them a link to the post via email marketing.

Imagine publishing a post and then sending the link to your email list. That will automatically bring a percentage of customers back to your website. 

Or, you can round up all your latest blog articles in your newsletter, like Food52 does in this blog newsletter example:

4. Provides Value to Your Customers

One question business owners often have is, “what do I blog about?”

Fortunately, your customers will let you know. Start by answering questions they have and you have the basic building blocks for a useful and interesting blog. 

Writing blog posts allows you to share your knowledge in written form with people who are interested in learning from you.

Did you know that blogging saved a swimming pool installer from bankruptcy? It did.

Back in 2008, when the economy crashed, Marcus Sheridan’s pool business looked like it wouldn’t survive. With no budget for advertising, he took to the web and wrote dozens of posts that answered customer’s pool related questions. A year later, they ranked #1 for swimming pools.

Online competition is stiffer these days, but blogging is still one of the best ways for small businesses to set themselves apart.

In just a moment, I’ll share some ideas on creating a content strategy for your blog, but first, let’s touch on the mechanics of starting a blog on your current website. 

How Do You Start a Blog On Your Current Website? 

Fortunately, starting a blog on your current website is most likely only a matter of “turning on” the blog function. Whether you’re using WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, or some other software for your website, they all have a built-in blog component now. 

However, the mechanics for each are a little different. The best way to start is to log in to your website and review the dashboard.

If you see the word, “blog” or “posts” then that may be where you go to publish a new blog post. If you don’t see where to publish a blog post right away, you may be best served by asking the tech support to show you. 

If you used a web developer to set up your site, a quick email should guide you to the next steps. 

Once the blog component is enabled, then it’s a matter of identifying blog topics and setting some goals for your blog. 

Set Your Blogging Goals 

Your first thought might be something like “to make more sales.” But that’s a little broad. Let’s narrow the focus which has the added benefit of knowing what to blog about too. 

First, let’s consider your blogging goals. Your blog may be the first interaction your customer has with you, so you want to make a good impression. How do you greet people when they come into your business? Are you warm and friendly? Then take that tone with your blog. 

Who are your customers? A local ice cream shop will have a different demographic than a high-end art gallery. Who buys your product/service and what do they want to know? 

Are your competitors blogging? If so, what types of content do they cover? Make notes.

A blog post can be funny, interesting, or educational but it’s not meant to be a sales pitch. The more you keep it focused on your customers and their questions, the more successful you’ll be with it.

If you have employees, will any of them be interested in blogging? If you commit to one blog post/month and have three employees who also write one blog post/month, then that’s a weekly post with a minimum commitment from any one person. 

Who’s going to be responsible for proofreading the posts, formatting, and hitting the “publish” button? 

All of this lays the groundwork for successfully using your blog to attract customers. 

Create a Content Strategy for Your Small Business Blog 

As an important part of your web presence, your blog deserves some strategic attention. Earlier, I mentioned that a swimming pool company that saved their business through effective blogging. 

One of the reasons it worked is because they were consistent and they had a strategy. Even if that strategy was “answer every question pool customers” have, it was enough. What if you took a similar approach? 

You can:

• Write down all the questions customers ask you. 
• Then write down the questions you wish they’d ask but don’t. 
• Use a tool like Answer the Public to generate other ideas.
• If you’re familiar with Google Ads, you can use Google Keyword Planner do some basic keyword research to find out how often people search for a particular term. 
• Type the query into Google search and see what related searches appear in the drop-down menus. You might also find a list of questions on the results page.
• Review trade magazines – what are some of the trends in your industry and how do they affect your customers? For example, if you sell wine, what are the new trends? You can write a post about them. 

By now, you should have a sizeable list of potential blog topics. Concentrate on writing interesting and informative articles of at least 400 words. However, if you can write longer pieces, that’s even better. Statistics show that blogs over 1500 words perform well because they’re covering the topic in depth. 

However, the real key is your local community. If you’re like most local businesses, your primary customers are those within a short driving radius. If you follow these guidelines and blog consistently, your website will rise in the search engines and attract new customers. 

Ready to Start a Blog for Your Small Business?

Now that you’ve seen the power of starting a small business blog, are you ready to start yours? Start publishing, be helpful, and consistent in your blog content. If you follow these guidelines, then it won’t be long before you’re reaping the rewards. 

And of course, one of the best ways to increase your readership is to set up email marketing for your blog.

Sendinblue is a robust email marketing service designed especially for small businesses like yours. Why not test drive Sendinblue for free? 

We hope you’ve found this guide helpful! Check out our other posts geared towards small business success:

• Small Business Email Marketing Strategy & Tips
• How to Quickly Build an Ecommerce Website for Your Small Business

The post How to Start a Successful Small Business Blog in 2022 appeared first on Sendinblue.

Webinar marketing is increasingly popular, because in this saturated online world, webinars help you actually connect with your customers.

And it isn’t just me saying that – the statistics support it: according to Adobe, attendees typically stay online for up to 70% of a 90 minute webinar.

This means that people are really paying attention to what’s being said, making it a super effective way to communicate with your customers.

If you have a high ticket product, a complicated sales pitch, or a new feature that your customer must know about, webinars are the perfect medium for you to get the word out. 

Why Webinar Marketing Rocks

As I mentioned, webinar marketing is great because it captures an engaged group of people and really holds their attention. But that isn’t the only reason this marketing strategy is effective. Webinars are also great because:

High Conversions

Webinars are awesome tools for converting leads into customers, because these people are ALREADY interested in whatever you are selling. This means you’re certainly going to see a higher conversion rate with your participants.

In fact, the average webinar conversion rate is 19%. That’s a serious revenue generator. Conversion rate is one of the most important metrics marketers use to measure the performance of nearly everything they do. 

Engagement

Webinar participants will stay online for an average of 54 minutes – that’s a ton of time for them to understand your product offering, get any of their questions answered, and ultimately get closer to converting to a buyer. 

Attention for Your Product

How many advertising channels give you the opportunity to showcase the multitudes of your product?

If you’re like most businesses, the answer is very few. That’s why webinar marketing is so awesome: it gives you the chance to delve into the depth of your offerings with an audience who is ready to listen. 

How to Plan A Webinar

Decide on a Topic and Title It

Choosing a topic should be pretty simple – do something that relates to your business! It probably shouldn’t be just a webinar on what your business does, but it could be something you’ve had success with that you want to share with others. 

Once you’ve decided on the topic, pick a fun title! The best webinar names tell users what they get, while roping them in with a hook. Maybe throw in a statistic about your offering to grab people even further.

For example: “Learn how to grow your SEO traffic by 50% in a matter of months.”

We’ve often found that statistics or success metrics are the best way to get attendees to take interest and show up.

Decide Who’s Hosting and When to Do it

Plenty of webinar software tools will allow you to have more than one host at a time, so decide who it’s gonna be and roll with it!

Your webinar hosts should be experts on whatever the subject matter is. They should be a steady, clear speaker, and preferably someone with some public speaking experience. 

Then, decide when it’s all happening. Schedule a time when you know you and your hosts will be available, and give yourself several days of time to do marketing beforehand.

Market Your Webinar

Imagine throwing a whole webinar and having no one show up. That would be tragic. Thankfully, proper webinar marketing can help prevent that. 

Use all of your resources for this webinar marketing: your email lists, social networking profiles, blog, and website. T

ell everyone you know about your upcoming webinar. Here are some other marketing tactics to make your webinar a smashing success:

Email Marketing

It’s said that email marketing can return up to 30x your investment. From order confirmations to newsletters, email marketing must be a part of your marketing toolkit.

When it comes to webinars, you can’t remind your email list enough about your presentation. We find that it’s best to ask them to sign up at least five times before going live.

Make sure to remind them the day of and even a few hours before to ensure a high turnout rate. You must activate your email list if you’re going to run a well-attended webinar. 

Create a Landing Page

When you’re advertising your webinar, you need a place that synthesizes everything your readers need to know about the webinar. This should focus on what your audience will learn, and give them the opportunity to sign up directly on the page.

Use a landing page software tool to create an eye catching, pixel-perfect experience for your customers. Make sure to include social proof and/or customer testimonials to really grab their attention. 

Use Your Social Media

You know what your social media is? FREE access to a group of people that already know you. This is ripe with webinar participants, so use it wisely! Use it for all of your marketing. But it can be particularly effective for advertising webinars. 

Here’s an example of Sendinblue using their social media to promote a webinar:

Paid Media

With paid media, you can go beyond the bounds of your own network. Try creating some targeted Instagram ads or Facebook ads to garner more signups for your webinar.

If your webinar is about a business topic, we’ve found that LinkedIn can be incredibly effective — both with organic and paid LinkedIn posts — to bring viewers to your webinars.

Ask Partners to Promote

Ask other industry experts or colleagues to promote your webinar. You could also ask them to partner up with you and co-host, which means you will be able to attract their network, too! A win-win-win.

We’ve found that teaming up and co-hosting webinars is a great way to combine audiences and sell both companies’ product offerings. 

Find Your Webinar Platform

Feel ready to get started on your webinar now? 

Great! The next step is to choose the best webinar platform for your business.

The best platform will vary depending on what stage of growth your business is at, as well as what type of product you are selling.

Sendinblue connects with several of the best webinar platforms including Zoom and GoToWebinar, with a simple one-click Zapier integration. 

That being said, there are a few factors that you’ll want to look at, regardless of your specific needs:

The Look

You (read: nobody) wants their webinar to look super lame and low-tech. Because it makes you look super lame and low tech. So make sure you choose a platform that allows you to customize your brand with your own colors, logo, and more.

How Easy It is to Use

You don’t want to have to worry about any sort of technology that will give you pause, especially when you are going to be hosting a webinar.

Additionally, you definitely don’t want a platform that will be difficult for webinar participants to access and engage with. Make sure you are choosing one that has a user-friendly interface, to minimize those technical troubles.

Does it require an installation?

Some webinar softwares require the user to install a program on their own computer, while some allow online functionality. Make sure you’ve decided which you’d prefer before making a webinar software purchase. 

Evergreen Functionality

Are you able to record your webinar and convert it into an evergreen webinar? For those unfamiliar, evergreen webinars are (as I said), recorded webinars that you can use over and over and over again.

If this is interesting to you, then make sure you choose a software that allows you to do it!

Free Trial Offerings

Do they offer a free trial for you to do a road test? This is crucial, because you want to make sure that the software checks all of those other boxes before committing. So make sure you check in on that free trial before doing anything else.

Now that you’ve found the software that checks all of those boxes, it’s time to plan. 

Prepare and Execute!

Before the big day, make sure you prepare. You might think you can just wing it, but we can assure you: you can’t. 

Write down some of your main talking points, or better yet, write a script!

Got any other webinar marketing tips? Let us know in the comments.

Post by Mark Spera. Mark is the founder of Growth Marketing Pro, a blog focused on SEO, marketing software, and growth hacking. He lives in San Francisco where he surfs and eats pizza for nearly every meal.

The post How to Create a Webinar Marketing Plan appeared first on Sendinblue.

Test drive Sendinblue’s marketing platform >>

We all know that content is king. 

The problem? Creating excellent content is time-consuming. Most of us don’t have two to five hours a day dedicated to creating really useful, engaging content. 

So, what is the solution? Create mediocre content? Create less content?

Make the most of what you have already created by repurposing content. 

Repurposing content is one of our top content marketing tips we’re excited to share with you. 

We’re going to cover seven ways to take those tasty bits of content you already have and turn them into a gourmet meal. 

Ready? 

Turn a Listicle into a Multiple Posts 

Everyone loves a good list. That’s what keeps sites like Buzzfeed and Cracked in business, after all. 

Instead of letting that list article languish, breath new life into it breaking down each list item into its own longer post.  Got a list of the ten best video editing apps? Create ten new posts that dive deep into each app, including pros and cons and top features. Who would the app be best for? Does the cost justify the features? Are there any little-known tricks you can share?

The goal with repurposing is not to just slap some content up and call it a day. You still need to provide real value. 

Once you’ve created each in-depth guide, make sure to link back to the original list post. Cross-linking sends a little signal to Google that your content is useful and can keep readers on your site a bit longer. 

Turn a Blog Post into a Video 

All it takes is a scroll through your Facebook business page to figure out that video is kind of a big deal. If you haven’t jumped on the online video bandwagon, now is the time. 

Consider this: Youtube, the most popular video streaming platform, gets an average of 1 billion monthly visitors. 

For a bit of perspective, if you had a billion dollars and spent $1,000 each day, you wouldn’t run out of money for 2,740 years.

Suffice it to say, video is a big deal–and it is one of the easiest types of content for most creators to make. You don’t need a huge budget or to sit down and write a full script. 

Sure, you can spend thousands of dollars on the latest gear— or you could record using an iPhone or a newer digital camera and use a video editing app to create a killer video. 

Believe me when I say it doesn’t have to be difficult to create and repurpose epic content. 
Take this example blog post from GetVOIP, comparing the top 9 free IVR software choices:

This would be ideal content to repurpose into video format with an in-depth review on the aforementioned IVR platforms.

Here are a few other ideas for repurposing content for a video: 

• Record a how-to video detailing a specific strategy 
• Host a Facebook or Instagram live and answer audience questions about a recent post
• Record an interview with a person quoted in a recent blog post 
• Take a topic from a listicle article and dive deeper 

And, just like you did with the list articles, make sure to cross-link related posts so people interested in similar content can find more of the content they dig! 

Create a Long-Form Guide (Fast)  

If you are an expert in your field, there is a darn good chance you have a wide breadth of knowledge about your industry. 

And, if you are an avid content creator, you have likely already written about many of those topics. 

Instead of breaking long posts down, what if you put shorter posts together?

Another strategy to make the most out of your content is to repurpose multiple blog posts into an ultimate guide that covers many different related topics.

If you’ve covered a wide range of topics, this is an ideal way to educate your audience and establish that you know what you are talking about. 

Long-form guides can be really versatile, too. They can be lead magnets, an ebook, or posted in your resources section. 

Unsure of what type of content to provide in your long-form guide? Try providing the exact information your target market is searching for online. 

A quick tip: Don’t just slap the same content into one guide and call it good. You need to take the time to rework and polish these pieces. However, the time commitment will be much, much lower than creating this guide from scratch. 

Turn Blog Content into Product Page Content

Product pages are often very thin with content, making them nearly impossible to rank. 

But product pages don’t have to be just products. In fact, they shouldn’t be if you want to rank or organic searches. 

Your product pages need context, keywords, and information just like any other page on your site. 

To combat this, turn any about us or informative site content into product page content. Case in point, Gaia Herbs does exactly that, adding content to the bottom of their category pages to increase page authority and quality: 

Turn Testimonials Into Videos 

We already talked about how popular videos are, but I want to cover another way to put the power of video to work for your brand. 

How about combining the power of videos with the selling power of testimonials? 

The last time you were looking for a new kitchen gadget to buy, how did you decide which model to purchase? There’s a good chance you read reviews or asked friends for recommendations.  

Here’s the thing: 72% of people say reading reviews makes them trust a business more. And 88% of customers say they trust online reviews as much as in-person recommendations. 

So, how can you get more mileage out of reviews? 

One way is to turn testimonials into videos for your landing page to increase sales. Bigcommerce found that using customer testimonials generate 62% more income from every customer, every visit. 

Take a look at what Housecall Pro did. 

They had real customers explain why they chose Housecall Pros software and how it helped them connect with their customers in their own words. This format is powerful because it gives prospective customers, who are in the home service business, examples of how and why they should work with Housecall Pros. 

Customers can relate to the people in the videos, and it shows the software company understands the unique challenges home service businesses face. 

If getting customers to record video testimonials isn’t possible, consider creating an animated version using a video editing template, like this one from Biteable. 

Create a Podcast from a Blog (or vice versa) 

If you’ve been relying mostly on written content, you might be missing out on traffic from people who prefer to listen to content over reading it. 

Podcasts have increased in popularity over the last few years, in fact, more than half the US population has reported listening to podcasts. 

As of March 2018, Apple reported more than 500 billion podcast episodes were downloaded from their platform alone. 

Why are podcasts so popular? There are several reasons— you can listen to a podcast while completing another task, such as driving or cooking dinner.

But, people also absorb knowledge in different ways. For some people, listening is a more effective way for them to learn. 

Creating your own podcast is pretty simple, and you can likely do it for free using equipment you already have. Or, you can invest under $100 for a basic setup.

Not sure what to talk about? 

Turn a blog post into a podcast by first starting a blog and then using your blog posts as talking points on your show. Your could also cover recent industry news, or share a case study. 

Alternatively, if you already have a podcast, have your podcast transcribed and edited to turn it into a blog post. Many marketing podcasts follow this exact strategy — taking their interviews with experts and turning them into SEO-optimized blog content.

Sites like Rev.com charge just $1 per minute to transcribe, so you don’t have to do the work yourself if time is limited!  

Turn Social Media Questions into a Blog Post 

If you have heavy social traffic, there is a good chance you (or your team) has spent tons of time answering customer questions online. Instead of letting that good content go to waste, consider compiling your answers in one blog post. 

This is especially powerful when people ask the same questions over and over.  

For example, LUS, a hair care product for people with curly hair, gets tons of questions on their Facebook posts. 

Many customers ask the same or similar questions, such as “Which product should I get?” and “What are the different curl types?” 

The answers to those questions could be turned into a post, for example, “10 Questions About Curly Hair Answered!” 

The brand has answered those questions several times, so all they have to do is paste them all together and edit! 

Alternatively, you could turn to sites like Quora to find questions people are asking about your industry, then turn your answers into a blog post, a podcast, or video. 

For example, I searched “best landing pages” on Quora, and got a list of questions people asked related to building landing pages.

It might take a bit of sorting to find high-quality questions, but those could then be used to create a listicle or any other type of content. 

Get The Most Out of Your Content 

Creating dramatically useful content doesn’t have to take up hours every week. When you already have a full arsenal of really awesome content at your fingertips, a bit of reworking is all it takes to get the most out of your content marketing. 

Added Bonus: Use the content for your email marketing

Don’t forget that with all of the above hacks to repurpose your content, you can easily incorporate them into your email marketing campaigns and newsletters to ensure your content gets seen by your audience.

Start sharing your recent blogs, vlogs, and podcasts with your email list to drive more traffic and get your content in front of those who love it most. 

By creating your free Sendinblue account you’ll have access to an email editor and a range of templates to help you format your repurposed content in the best way possible.

Plus, not to mention, tying your content into your email marketing also helps with mobile attribution and tracking how you obtain leads or customers.  

What is your most popular piece of content? How could you rework that content so you can reach and help more people?

The post 7 Smart Ways To Repurpose Your Content appeared first on Sendinblue.

A content upgrade is essentially a freebie that you offer to visitors in exchange for their email address that is specific to the blog post or content that your viewers are already reading. If your readers are coming to your blog for advice or searching for an answer to a burning question, you can create a targeted content upgrade you know they want and won’t be able to resist.

Bloggers and businesses everywhere have discovered the high-converting power of content upgrades and if you want to join them and get more subscribers to your blog, you should start offering content upgrades ASAP.

But what kind of content upgrade can you offer your visitors? Check out these six content upgrade ideas that boost subscribers.

1. PDF Guide

A PDF guide is one of the easiest content upgrades you can offer. You can draft your guide on Google Docs, create a beautiful cover for free with a tool like Canva, convert it into a PDF and voila, you have a professional looking guide your viewers will be excited to read.

Here’s an example of a PDF guide from Creative Revolt offering tips for Youtube SEO:

Try expanding on the topic of one of your blog posts and create a more in-depth guide you can offer within the blog post to those who want more info. If you offer valuable content to your viewers, they’ll definitely want a detailed PDF guide of your tips and advice that they can refer back to anytime they want.

2. Video or Audio

Everyone has a preference on how they like to consume content. Some people love reading blog posts or ebooks but others prefer watching videos or listening to podcasts. So offering video or audio content upgrades will give your audience more options to enjoy.

You can easily transform your blog posts into videos using a tool like Lumen5. Or you can use a free app like Anchor to record mini-podcast episodes so your followers can download and listen to your advice on the go.

3. Email Course

One of the best ways to attract and convert subscribers is to educate them. And if you want to be considered an expert in your field, a free email course is the perfect content upgrade option for you. Offering a course by email is convenient for your subscribers and you can easily set up a marketing automation workflow in Sendinblue to take care of this.

An example of a free email course is this one by Oh She Blogs that teaches readers how to make money blogging:

A free email course is also a good tactic to give your subscribers a taste of what you can offer them, making it easier to sell your paid course or product to them in the future.

4. Mini eBook or Workbook

Now you probably don’t want to spend too much time creating a full-size book to give away for free, so it might be best to offer a mini ebook instead.

If you wrote a series of blog posts on your site about the same topic, you can piece those posts together and fill in the gaps by adding some extra information in order to create a mini eBook that your viewers can download after submitting their email address.

Workbooks are a popular option as well, and they are often much more engaging for readers. So consider offering a workbook that allows readers to interact and participate in different exercises rather than just passively consuming content.

5. Checklists

If you really don’t have a ton of time to create a content upgrade, the best option for you is a checklist. People love checklists, they’re easy to read, easy to use, and can be created in minutes.

Checklists are a great content upgrade for long-form blog posts that include a lot of detailed steps. For example, say you wrote an article about how to write the perfect blog post, you can create a checklist that includes those steps for your audience to follow along with when they write their own blog posts.

If you want to save even more time, you can use tools like Forgett or Checkli to help you create an awesome checklist.

6. Resource Library

If you really want to wow your visitors, you can offer them access to a free resource library. This offer is super tempting for your audience and will get you a ton of email subscribers who want to take advantage of your expertise.

Here’s how Melyssa Griffin entices her readers with access to her library of resources:

Pull together all of your content upgrade PDFs and documents that you can offer to readers including checklists, templates, spreadsheets and guides.

You can create a private page on your website for your resource library and when someone signs up with their email address, you can send them an email with the link and password to the page.

Your Turn

Now that you’ve decided what awesome content upgrade you’re going to offer your readers, you need to add it to your blog. The great thing is you don’t have to start from scratch. You can use a tool like OptinMonster to create stunning popups to promote your content upgrades without knowing how to code. With strategic placement of your email capture forms, you will be able to double, even triple your email list in no time.

The post 6 Content Upgrade Ideas that Boost Subscribers appeared first on Sendinblue.