Struggling to start a blog for your baking business? This article provides tips and insights to make the process of blog marketing easier and less overwhelming. Learn how to start creating content, set realistic expectations and build an audience that is passionate about your content.
Blog marketing for your business can feel overwhelming especially if you have a small team and you personally don’t feel like “much of a writer.” However, if you are considering getting into blogging as a part of your marketing strategy, this article is the perfect place to start. In this post, you’ll discover tips for getting started as well as insights to help set your expectations.
Much like building an audience on social media, blogging requires dedication and patience. Please don’t expect your blog to be an overnight success and instantly drive millions of hits to your business’ website. You have to update your blog, communicate those updates and provide valuable content to grow a consistent follower base. This will keep your readers happy, coming back for more and willing to share your content with others.
The great news is that it is fairly easy to start a blog for your business. Most website providers already have a blog feature built into their platform. You’ll simply need to connect it and start sharing content. I’ve found that most people are overthinking their blog and that is what keeps them from using one. If you can manage a social media page for your business, you can host a blog. Just think of your blog as social media on your own website. In other words, the same content that you share on your social media page, you can share on your blog. It’s just that easy!
Outside of the topic of “what to post” on your blog, the common hurdle that keeps a blog from growing is the lack of marketing. You should never assume that thousands of people are going to instantly flock to your website just because you posted something new on your blog. You have to let them know that it’s there AND you have to make sure that you’re using the proper keywords.
When it comes to blog content, you can write the articles yourself or you can pay a copywriter. That’s totally up to you. However, you should make sure that the content is something that your audience will want to read. Good content will keep them coming back! You should also become familiar with Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is the “techy” way of saying that you should include keywords that will help your blog have a better ranking with search engines such as Google.
Once your blog is running and has a few good articles, you should focus on spreading the word. Use your network. Share your blog link with other business bloggers who share your audience. Develop a cross promotion strategy where you share their link on your blog and they share your link on their blog. You should exchange links with sites that are relevant to yours, but not in direct competition. For example, if you sell wedding cakes, working with a bridal boutique blog would be a perfect fit.
If you really want to kick it up a notch, you can invest marketing dollars towards online ads or listings on paid directories. You can also share your article links on multiple social media outlets to help increase traffic, and your email list can be a great traffic source as well.
Finally, don’t forget to engage your readers by responding to comments. Again, just like with social media, you shouldn’t make your readers feel like they are talking to an empty room. Make sure to comment back when you receive a comment. You can also comment on other blogs that are relevant to yours, and leave a link to your blog as well. This will help bring in new visitors to your blog, and you will likely see more and more traffic. Just make sure not to be spammy on other blogs.
Conclusion
As I said earlier, don’t overthink blogging for your business. If you can say it on social media, you can share it on your blog. Simply use the same images and (maybe) expound on the caption. Yes, you may have a few readers who follow your business on social media, and they might have seen the same post. However, it's very likely that you will be connecting with a brand new audience by sharing this content on your website. So, don’t hold yourself back from expanding your reach.
Cyd N. Mitchell
Business Blogger, Retail Bakers of America
Cydni N. Mitchell (aka Cyd) is a Bakery Consultant and the Sweet Business Coach behind Sweet Fest®. Based in Atlanta, GA, Sweet Fest® is an online company that supports the business needs of the Sweet Community in the areas of professional development, marketing, branding and web design.
By trade, Cyd is an accountant & financial analyst with a Masters from the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the Founder of the Sugar Coin Academy, an online business academy for business owners in the baking and sweets industry, and she is also the organizer of The Ultimate Sugar Show, Georgia’s Largest Annual Baking and Sweets Expo in Atlanta. She is also the Business Blogger for the Retail Bakers of America.
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