85% of them businesses consider their blog to be an integral part of their trade.

Does the same go for Filipino companies? Yes, and like your competitors, you should be setting up a blog.

Here are some of the reasons to start writing a blog for your business now:

1. It Humanizes the Company

Customers are all about brand loyalty. And they are willing to give that loyalty to a brand that understands them and addresses their needs. They look for a brand they can relate to.

A more human approach to communicating with them goes a long way in terms of customer retention. With a blog, you can be as informal as you want as long as it is consistent with your brand. For instance, technical topics can be discussed in less technical terms to make them easier to understand.

Tip: Personalize the experience of your blog readers. Simple customizations, such as being able to choose how many posts to display in a page or having a social media sharing button, can go a long way in improving their experience.

2. It Establishes Authority

Tackling industry-related topics gives you the opportunity to highlight your authority and thereby convince customers to click that ‘Buy’ button. A company blog allows you to address potential concerns while showing your industry skills and expertise. And you can do this without sounding like you’re pushing your products or services on them.

Tip: Always double-check your facts before you publish the blog. Each post should sound professional, though there is some leeway for fun.

3. It Builds a Community

Having a blog is not just about building a bridge between you and your customers. It also encourages interaction, especially in the comments section. If you post your latest blog on your social media accounts, this provides another channel to engage more customers.

Tip: While your blog is a good place to foster relations, set aside time to monitor your posts regularly to address negative comments that may be damaging to your brand. Your community should be open and welcoming. If people are talking negatively about your brand, step in to acknowledge it publicly and resolve it privately.

4. It Promotes Your Products and Services

When creating content about your products and services, address the needs of your customers and talk about how you can help them. You cannot address every possible scenario in your website copy and design, but you can address much more in your blog posts by further emphasizing the helpfulness of your brand.

Tip: You can advertise your products on your blog to some extent. If you’re hiring an SEO company for content writing services, indicate in the content brief to what extent you want them to write your product endorsements in the blogs.

5. It Fosters Engagement

Filipinos are not unlike consumers from anywhere else. When they have a question, they want immediate answers. Your social media accounts are good for easy questions here and there, but if you need to elaborate on a process or product, or perhaps simplify a discussion that has caught the attention of your consumers, your blog post is the best channel. This gives customers a platform to find more valuable information while staying engaged with your brand.

Tip: At the end of your blog post, ask a question or add a call to action that encourages readers to engage in a discussion.

6. It Introduces You to Your Audience

You may have an idea of the target market you’re trying to penetrate, but posting a blog and seeing how they respond to it is a good way to dig deeper into their preferences. For instance, you can compare a successful post to another that did not get as much attention. This helps you see the differences in the way the content was presented so you can craft a better post next time. This also gives you an idea of what readers want to see in your next post.

Tip: Try different kinds of headlines, as well. A/B test your headlines to see which of them rake in more views.

7. It is a Long-term Investment

Many companies skip on having a blog because they do not know how to write a blog post. What they don’t realize is that they are missing the opportunity to generate more traffic for their website. Blog posts targeting the right keyword can generate leads. As you build your blog, you are building your site’s authority and making each of these blog posts more powerful.

Tip: Focus on one keyword per blog post and use this keyword in subheadings and meta descriptions. This helps Google rank you for the right keyword. Plus, there are many resources to help you get started.

8. It Helps You Generate Ideas

A single blog post with quality content can generate different kinds of reactions. These reactions can help you brainstorm the next idea you should post and even spark ideas on different kinds of content to add to the website.

For example, a business selling appliances can blog about the different types of washers and then follow up with a post about choosing the type of detergent. Different content types for the same blog offer chunks of helpful information for customers. If you keep giving them useful content, they will bookmark your blog and keep coming back for new posts.

Tip: Keep track of the topics you’ve already written. You want your information to be timely and relevant. If something new comes up, link to the old post to distribute the link juice.

9. It Builds Subscribers

Blogging is a good way to build your mailing list and boost your number of subscribers. At every post, encourage them to sign up to your mailing list so they get updates on new posts. You can also use your mailing list to pitch your products.

Tip: Don’t sell all your products in every email. Your main aim is to give them valuable information. If you keep trying to sell, they may unsubscribe or mark your email as spam.

Final Thoughts

A blog may seem unnecessary, but it may also be the missing link between your company and your customers. Your blog helps you communicate with them, and opens up more opportunities to generate sales. Never underestimate its importance in your content marketing campaign.