Why your business or charity needs a blog

Many businesses and charities benefit from having a blog on their website because it increases their visibility digitally; it’s a low-cost and simple way for websites to show up in search-engine results and drive more organic traffic to a site. Having a blog also opens up opportunities for building an email marketing strategy, improving social media exposure and sharing more in-depth information about the organisation whilst at the same time projecting a relatable persona.

As well as driving traffic and improving marketing strategy, having a blog for your business or charity’s website has many benefits. Let’s explore some below:

Updating your audience

Perhaps the most obvious reason to have a blog is to keep your followers updated about your business or charity’s activities. This could be as simple as sharing a day in the life of an employee, what you’re working on at the moment, or what it takes to run a charity or organise an event. Everyone loves behind-the-scenes content because it gives insight into an aspect of a person or organisation that the general public wouldn’t normally be privy to.

It’s obviously quicker and simpler to share a short social media post with a captivating photo and a little paragraph about what’s going on, and you should definitely maintain a social media presence for any organisation. But supporting your social media posts with a thoughtfully written and informative blog post will engage your audience on a higher level and make it easier for them to get to know you and therefore more likely to support your business or charity.

It’s especially useful for charities to use a blog to keep their supporters updated on any upcoming events, success of past events and most importantly where money raised goes and how it has helped the cause. This can have a huge impact on whether people are willing to donate again or attend an event in the future.

Social media exposure

A blog can be a powerful addition to your social media strategy by providing a consistent source of fresh, engaging content to share. Rather than scrambling for new posts or ideas, you can simply promote a link to a recent and relevant blog post, offering something valuable to your followers. Not only does this keep your social media feed active and interesting, but it also drives more traffic to your website, helping to increase visibility and engagement with your brand. By connecting your blog with your social channels, you create a seamless loop that benefits both your content and your audience.

Mailing list marketing

Having a blog where your website has regular new content gives you the chance to build a mailing list. By asking visitors to subscribe to your mailing list you’ll be able to share new posts with them as soon as they are published, guaranteeing your audience’s awareness of your new content. Having a loyal audience of subscribers opens up the opportunity for email marketing because as well as sharing your new blog posts, you can also share news of upcoming products or events, or provide discounts to subscribers to keep them interested in being on the list.

Feedback

Collecting subscribers isn’t the only way to interact with your audience or customers. Including a feedback option on your website will invite readers to give their opinions about a topic, ask questions about a product or event, and feel like they can easily communicate with you.

A blog can make your website more colloquial and interactive, changing it from a simple advertising or selling platform, to one which opens up conversations where visitors can share their views and feel like you and your organisation are more relatable. Asking customers for their feedback on a post can be an invaluable way of understanding if your products or services satisfy your customers, and asking what they’d like to see in the future so you know that what you’re posting is what they want from your business or charity.

If you’re a creative business you could ask readers to choose what you create next, or ask them if they like a particular product line or business decision. For digital and online businesses requesting feedback might mean asking your customers what sort of products they or their industry needs, or what they’d like to have more information on. As a charity, seeking feedback from your readers can help direct you in improving your communications, organising activities or events people will be excited to go to, and maybe even give you ideas for possible future projects for the charity to support.

Posting on a blog and offering relevant open dialogue with your audience means opening channels for positive communication, as well as constructive feedback, benefiting both parties by improving the experience for the customer as well as the development and success of the business or charity too.

A feedback box on your site could be placed at the end of each blog post for specific conversation about that particular post, or you could encourage readers to use an email address or contact form to get in touch. As a bonus you can use any positive comments you receive as testimonials or reviews!

A teachable moment

Having a blog gives you an opportunity to provide detail and explanation about your products, services or activities that can’t quite be replicated on social media. Providing a platform to teach your readers what goes into making a product, or exactly what happens to the money they donate is a way of broadening your connection with them.

Going into detail about a product line you’re selling can make it more enticing for customers to buy, whether it’s a physical or digital product. You can explain what goes into creating the product, why you think they or their business needs it, and how or where they can get it, whether that’s starting a discussion with you about your digital services or a physical marketplace where they can buy your goods.

For charities a blog can be particularly beneficial by sharing case studies about individuals or projects supported by the funds raised. Sharing this information not only shows supporters the impact their money made and makes them more likely to donate again in the future, but it allows them to understand the effect of their donation on a personal level.

For example, if a reader can see that a woman around their age who also has two children has been able to start her own business and send her children to school as a result of the charity’s work, they will feel more closely connected to the charity’s beneficiaries as they can relate to someone who shares some similarities to them. Likewise if they can see that a school they helped support now has clean and safe toilets for the students to use, they might consider this in contrast to the amazing facilities their own children already have in their home country and be able to appreciate the difference they made more than if they just heard that a school somewhere benefitted without knowing any details or seeing photos.

While this will make them more likely to want to donate in the future and ask their friends to as well, they will also be excited to share the case study with others as they feel responsible for improving someone else’s situation, thereby increasing traffic to the website and improving the charity’s exposure.

Conclusion

There are a multitude of benefits to having a blog on your business or charity’s website, ultimately making its online presence more relatable and approachable, reaching a wider audience and increasing your organisation’s chances of success. 

Starting and maintaining a blog can feel like a big task, especially if you’re unsure where to start or how to keep it engaging and relevant. But you don’t have to go it alone! Whether you need help brainstorming ideas, writing posts, or managing your blog, I can work with you to create content that resonates with your audience and helps your organisation thrive.

Ready to start your blogging journey? Send me a message and let’s chat about how I can help you bring your vision to life!