How to Attract New Customers in 2013 with a Business Blog

For a business owner, the dwindling days of 2012 means putting strategies in place to accomplish your goals for 2013. You’re probably asking yourself how to grow your business, operate more efficiently, pay off debt or maybe even expand to a new location.

What can you do if that list of goals includes growing your business by attracting new customers online? One of the best places to start is by creating a business blog.

There are plenty of reasons to start a business blog in 2013, but here are the ones I see as being most important.

Blogging for Traffic (and Dollars!)

The more you blog and create relevant and informative content, the more website traffic you will receive. Writing about topics important to your prospective customers casts a wider net of opportunities for your site to be found online.

Let me explain how this happens.

While your website may be found on Google by typing in the name of your business, it doesn’t guarantee your site shows up for terms related to your business that could attract new customers.

If you’re a new company that sells luxury pet items, web users won’t be searching for your store called Chez Barkton, but they could search for the term “luxury dog beds” in Google. (In case you were wondering, the keyword “luxury dog beds” gets searched approximately 8,100 times per month.)

If that web user sees your blog post titled “The 5 Best Luxury Dog Beds Your Puppy Will Love” in the listings, clicks to your site, reads your informative article and then finds out you sell luxury dog beds, you are on your way to securing a new customer.

Your Blog Positions You as an Expert

Updating your blog frequently with industry-related posts demonstrates you know what you’re talking about. These posts then have the ability to be shared on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Not only does this social sharing bring you more web traffic, the shares themselves act as endorsements that you are an expert and that your content is valuable.

Why would you want expert status? First off, it makes it easier to do business with you. If you’re trying to secure new customers who are experiencing buyer objections, you can use blog posts that demonstrate your experience and credibility as reference points to help move the sales process along.

Also, achieving expert status makes you the go-to person in your industry. When people start turning to you for questions on a topic, ask you to blog about certain industry news or to submit a guest blog post to their blog, you are creating momentum that will drive more traffic to your site that turns into leads and customers.

Customer Success Stories for More Sales

A blog can also help you make the most of your current web traffic that isn’t converting into customers. It’s possible through what we call social proof.

What is social proof? Well, it might be helpful to ask this question in a different way.

When you’re thinking of doing business with a company, do you always believe what they say about themselves? Or do you look for reviews or testimonials that feature like-minded people sharing their experience with the company you’re thinking about?

We all do those searches. This is part of the reason for the success of places like Amazon that feature its customer reviews so prominently.

Having a blog on your site creates a chance for you to write about what you have done for customers and any successes they have had. If your current website visitors read these customer success stories on your blog that establish your credibility, they are more likely to do business with you.

While your blog should focus mainly on industry topics that answer questions or provide necessary information, having posts that showcase your customer success stories with your products or services is perfectly acceptable.

Are you planning on starting a business blog in 2013? What are your concerns about getting started? Let us know in the comments!