3 minute read
Do you really need a blog?
Business consultant Phil Jackson from Build Your Salon, weighs up whether a blog is an asset to your business
Do you have a salon blog? If you do, have you thought hard about why you have one? Blogging can be hard work and there is nothing more depressing than a blog that hasn't been updated for a long time. Keeping on top of regular content is a discipline. To be honest, I’m not always convinced it's a necessary part of your salon’s ongoing marketing strategy either. Hear me out…
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Ultimately it depends how you get your new customers (which means you should probably figure out exactly how you get new customers - there may be some surprises there!) If you only ever get new clients through word of mouth or through you social media, spending a lot of time writing a blog is probably not wise. But if your website is a source of clients and appearing high in Google searches is important, a blog can be a great boost to your marketing – because Google loves high quality, relevant and up-to-date content. It gives search engines something to index so that you appear higher in relevant searches.
You can, of course, blog just for the pleasure of it – and it’s rare that a blog is actually harmful. There are a few more good reasons for blogging which some salon owners miss, though.
First, a blog is a great tool for positioning you as a professional in a particular field. I've said for a long time that salons that offer a bit of everything are severely restricting their growth - it’s been said a lot that ‘there are riches in the niches' - and having a targeted blog can help you cement your position as the expert.
It’s been said a lot Second, it gives you that ‘there are riches something to talk about on social media! You can send in the niches' - and people to your blog (called having very targeted ‘driving traffic’) from social blog information media platforms by sharing your blog link and getting in front of can really help you people who might be interested cement your position either on your page, in groups as the expert. or through paid-for ads. And because of the way social media platforms choose how a post is shown, you can share the same blog with a new snippet throughout the year (as long as the content is 'evergreen' eg. it doesn’t date). Third (and for pros only), you can retarget blog readers with ads on YouTube, Facebook or Instagram. Basically, when someone reads a blog on your website on a particular topic, you can have them pick up a piece of tracking code which then means they see an ad for your relevant services on that topic next time they go to social media. Clever, huh?
3 REASONS TO GET A BLOG ON YOUR WEBSITE 3 REASONS NOT TO GET A BLOG
1Shows your expertise in a particular field
3Allows you to retarget blog readers with ads 1 It can be time consuming 2You get clients through word of mouth referalls
3If you don't have content, a sparse blog looks worse than no blog at all!
Phil Jackson is an international business coach with 20 years experience in the industry.He strives to offer a unique perspective on salon ownership.