Four ways blogging will help your current and future clients

In late 2022, the question – does blogging still work? – rose to the top of my FAQs and it’s stayed there.

Early this year (2023), I wrote a post about it, but since people are still asking, I’m going to write a series of articles here that break down all the ways blogging still works for business owners and how it can work for you, too!

When business owners think about blogging, they, quite rightly, question how writing blog posts will help their business, and how they can bring in money.

Once upon a time, this was fairly straightforward. In the early days of the internet, one could post daily blog posts (where did these people find the time and energy?!) and monetise them through product placement. So, you’d write about someone else’s products.

I don’t know about you, but I’m glad things have changed. First, we’ve calmed down on the frequency – monthly posts are enough to satisfy your SEO (more on that in a future article). Second, the annoying flashing neon ads and overt sales pitches are largely a thing of the past.

Instead, bloggers now focus on building relationships with their readers. In this article, we’ll look at how your blog can help your current and future clients.

1. Clients, blogs and the customer journey

All business owners know that without clients, they have an expensive hobby, not a business. Your blog posts help you find clients by guiding your readers through your customer journey.

Have you thought about the customer journey for your business lately? Or ever? If not, it’s time to start.

Your customer journey is the route customers take from first becoming aware of you and your product or service and buying from you – or not.

If you understand your customers and how they move from awareness to working with you (or buying from you), you can guide them on that journey. Your blog is a great way of doing that without constantly selling to them – no one likes that!

You can use your blog posts for each step of the journey. Those steps can include:

• Getting to know you

• Becoming aware of the problem

• Learning how you can help solve the problem

• What working with you looks like

• What outcomes you can help your clients achieve

If you’re just starting and need help understanding the customer journey and visualising yours, have a look at this module from Enterprise Nation called Getting started creating a website. At about the 4:45-minute mark, in this short video, you’ll see a graphic that shows you how a customer journey map can help you take a wider view of your business.

2. Blogging builds credibility

Your blog posts build your credibility. When someone asks you a question, you can give a short answer and then point them to a more in-depth answer on your blog. By doing this, you're showing them you've anticipated the question and taken the time to answer it in detail.

That you’ve anticipated their question shows your reader that you’re an expert in your field. Sharing that answer in a free blog post shows them that you value building relationships with people.

This is much more effective than always going for the hard sell. Housing the answer on your website, complete with links to relevant services and products, will help you gain new clients.

3. Blog posts help you connect with potential clients

Blog posts are easy to share and people like sharing things that make them look well-informed – think of them as a gift to your readers that helps you connect with potential clients.

When your readers share your posts with their friends, they’re sharing their audience with you. In other words, they’re helping you with your marketing. Most of our marketing activities are designed to help us get our ideas, goods, and services in front of new people, having your readers share your stuff is the best way to do this.

Think about it – which would you trust more?

• An ad from a random company that pops up on social media

• A useful article that a friend shared on social media

The second, right? When we read things that have been shared by people we know and trust, we transfer some of that trust and good feeling to the author of the shared article.

4. Blogging builds trust with your audience

Your blog will help you build trust with your audience as they get to know you and come to like and trust you. They'll be more likely to recommend you to others and/or become your paying clients.

The old saying ‘people buy from people’ is still around because it’s true. Your blog will help potential clients in your audience get to know you as a person. Each post will share a little more of your story and your personality. It will help them get to know you as a person.

Relevant resources

• A start-up's guide to blogging

• Lunch and Learn: How to write engaging and effective blog content

• Lunch and Learn: How to make money from your blog