BLOGGING FOR BUSINESS

By Crystal Leonardi –Bowerbird Publishing

No matter the decade, content marketing has always been the go-to strategy for organisations to advertise their products. Think about the massive impact television had on content marketing, not to mention the print press. Products such as washing machines and vegemite were splashed across print media and on TV advertisements, displaying their benefits and price in a blatant attempt to convert their audience into paying customers.

Like everything, however, content marketing has evolved, and the outburst of digital technologies has changed the face of traditional advertising. Furthermore, the world wide web has also revolutionized how businesses think about advertising. Businesses today, big and small, are adapting to inbound marketing strategies, such as blogging, to create value for their customer base and sell products in a non-salesy way.

As the owner of a regional business, I’m here to share how an active blog has helped to grow my business and keep me connected and relevant in the competitive world of online marketing.

My business, Bowerbird Publishing, is located in Julatten, a small Queensland farming town with a population of around 1,000 people. I began as a self-published author and have grown my business substantially by including publishing and public speaking services to clients throughout Australia. My business operates out of my home office on the farm and consists of one employee –me. Blogging became an integral part of my marketing strategy in 2021 when my budget was tight, and my business plan was simple – to grow my online audience.

Let’s dive in head first by further exploring the benefits of blogging and why you should have a blog if you don’t already. You’ll learn how to blog well and maximize your already established blog, taking it to the next level.

What is a Blog?

Put simply; a blog is a collection of facts, thoughts and expert opinions about a business or its audience.

It is a written piece of information (or article) that lives online and can be accessed by anyone who visit’s a company’s website.

Benefits of Blogging

Unlike traditional advertising, blogging is informative rather than sales based. It’s affordable to individuals, big corporations and small businesses alike and is a more creative and adaptive marketing option. It can generate leads and facilitate repeat business just as effectively as traditional advertising.

Though the scope of online advertising is substantial, blogging brings many benefits to regional businesses like yours and mine. In a business where face-to-face networking is often not an option due to our remoteness, a successful online presence is a must.

How to Blog Well

Building trust and confidence in your brand helps your readers develop a deeper bond with you. A blog is customized to you and can be made to suit your personality and your brand. This will build your following and help your blog stand out from the rest because it creates transparency and a brand that customers will love to deal with.

The secret to blogging is being an expert in your brand and providing the reader with reliable information before trying to sell them your products or services. Here are some essential tips on how to blog well.

MAKE SURE IT’S EASY TO FIND. Your website should be interactive, have distinct headlines, pages, directions and be clear and concise. On my website, BLOG is on my home screen menu and is included throughout various pages with links to my blog.

MAKE IT INTERESTING. Use high-quality images to catch readers’ attention and entice them to read your content. Including product images or your corporate banner are great ways to break up text sections; a picture is worth a thousand words!

Or, include helpful checklists, how-to topics, ideas, or recipes, for example, to project value for money and increase satisfaction through a something-for-nothing customer experience. Educating before selling is a great tactic for attracting new readers and achieving customer loyalty.

IT’S ALL IN THE DESIGN. Great content deserves great design. Consider your line and character spacing so readers can easily move through your content. Include widgets and place links to relevant posts to make the reader’s experience both informative and user-friendly.

MAKE IT PHONE-FRIENDLY. Avoid big chunks of text, and consider that your target audience will probably be people on the move. When creating your blog post, break up long sections of text to improve both the appearance and readability.

GET CREATIVE. How you highlight your blog’s essential information will help readers get the most out of it. Use bold text, quotes, questions, and callouts to bring attention to essential information within your blog.

In my own blog, I have found that certain styles, images, and layouts attract more readers. My blog predominately includes content about work/home balance, writing, and book reviews.

Regardless of the topic, I have found that images of me or my children in everyday situations have attracted the most readers. Audiences want to feel connected to you when they read your blog, and the easiest way to help them do this is by creating an honest portrayal. Connection coupled with trust will be your key to attracting a loyal audience.

I also have a particular style that I follow, which includes catchy and sometimes ominous headlines coupled with an image. My formatting includes short and sharp information, in concise paragraphs, with critical points highlighted in bold and/or italics to ensure maximum impact and avoid a missed opportunity to make an impression on the reader.

How to Take Blogging to the Next Level

A good entrepreneur will take an opportunity and make the most of it. Have this mindset when thinking about your blog, ensuring that if you manage to engage a reader, your impact is unsurpassable. Blogging has the potential to reduce your overall marketing spend whilst generating more leads than any other form of advertising – why not maximize it? You can take your blog to the next level in two ways.

FEEDBACK. So far, I’ve shared how to inform your customer through your blog, but have you ever thought about the positive impact your customer’s feedback could have on your blog? Your blog is already easily accessible to potential customers, so why not give readers a platform to leave comments and feedback on your product or services? This encourages engagement and builds consumer confidence through real-life experiences with your products and services.

Think about blogs associated with predominantly online businesses such as Trip Advisor and Airbnb. They conclude their blogs with a comment section where users can leave their opinions, feedback, and suggestions about their stay. This is a great way to take advantage of feedback, engage with customers, and improve their business. We can all agree that the feedback found on Trip Advisor and Airbnb has played a huge part in helping people decide where to travel and stay. It’s a basic tool with immeasurable value.

YOUR SEO. It stands for Search Engine Optimization. Again, put your entrepreneur hat on and really think about another opportunity to get the most value out of a service you’re already using. Adopting your SEO correctly should be one of your critical marketing strategies, as it will drive traffic to your website.

To break it down, your SEO has two purposes; making your business visible on search engines (such as Google) and making your business MORE visible than your competition. There are two ways you can optimise these purposes.

When adding your search engine keywords to your website settings, ensure they’re not too general. In my world as an author and publisher, the keywords I use are: Crystal Leonardi (my name), Bowerbird Publishing (my business), Childhood Cancer (theme), Oncology books (specialty area), and Selfpublishing (specialty area), rather than the obvious; Author, Publisher, Speaker, Julatten, Books. My keywords are specific and unique to my business. Think like a customer and add algorithms you think someone would enter into Google if they couldn’t remember your business name.

Once you have your keywords set, ensure you use them as often as possible in your actual blog because, due to their relevance to your algorithms, your business will rank higher on a search results page, such as Google. For example, to conclude each of my blogs, I add information about where customers can buy my books with a link to my website bookstore. It’s simple, but it makes all the difference.

Gather some ideas about your products or services that you could blog about. If you already have a blog, ensure you’re making the most out of a captive audience.

When you consider your blog your most affordable and effective marketing tool in this fast-paced, ferocious world of online selling, you will want to optimise it.

Blogging can boost your brand identity, drive traffic to your website, and create value for your customers – I’m sure we all want that! It can be done by you, the business owner, for no extra cost to your business – so, make the most out of your blog today!

As an award-winning, best-selling author Crystal Leonardi reaches into hearts by reflecting on her son’s brain cancer diagnosis in 2020. Crystal has worked hard to overcome mental health battles and become a spokesperson for anyone willing to rise above the ashes of tragedy and survive. She educates her audience about how publishing the ups and downs in her life has led her to a path of positivity and a winning attitude.

As a publisher, Crystal empowers writers to share their stories. Her unique publishing company, Bowerbird Publishing, works with writers rather than for writers, educating them on how to selfpublish independently and still become successful authors and advocates for their own purpose.

As a motivational speaker, no topic is off limits; Crystal’s willingness to open up to her audience leaves them feeling uplifted and inspired, believing that they, too, have the power to succeed, no matter what life throws at them.

Website: www.crystalleonardi.com

Blog: www.crystalleonardi.com/blog

Facebook: Crystal Leonardi – Author, Publisher, Motivational Speaker

Instagram: @bowerbird_publishing