Sara toyed with the idea of a blog for her home care business. She had heard it was important but let's face it time is a commodity for any business owner.

Time and money were both tight, Sara told me.So she hired an overseas company to write her blog.

" It was a disaster!" Sara cried " Though she wrote English she didn't understand how we talk. It sounded scripted and fake. I ended up having to rewrite most of the copy myself!"

Sara gave up on the blog idea for a while. She just didn't feel she had the time to devote to blogging and a quality blogger was not cheap!

But her competition was all over social media. Their blog was really good and Sara knew she had to come up with a new solution.

Reaching For Help

She turned to me for help. Consulting with Sara, we came up with a plan that would work. Hiring a local blogger with experience in her industry Sara purchased a series of 6 blogs to get going.

The Plan

The plan was to post one per month for the next 6 months. She also decided that she could devote the time to write one blog per month herself. This would give her 2 blogs per month for the next 6 months. This would add a lot of content to her website and give her a lot of information to post on social media.

Now she was starting to have some great content on her website! And the solution didn't break the bank. After the 6 months Sara would continue to write one a month thereafter. It was a plan that was doable!

The important thing to remember, however is that quality counts.Hiring someone overseas because they are cheap may not be a smart tactic. You want to be known for providing valuable information.

1. Brand Your Business

Who are you? What do you do? Why should I do business with you?

A blog helps to identify your company as the leader in your industry. It also gives you a place to share your story.

The more people see and read your blog the more they will become connected with your brand.

If you are interested in branding your business, (I am not sure why you would not be?? :-) you need to have a blog. Whether you add a new blog daily, weekly or monthly the key is to add consistently. This will help you to stay on top of your prospects mind.

2. Build The Know, Like & Trust Factor

Blogs are the 5th most trustworthy source of information on the Internet behind news sites, Facebook, retail sites and YouTube. Therefore, users consider blogs as a credible source of information. (Source)

Let's face it, people do business with people they know like and trust right? Blogging allows you to present to your prospects without the added pressure of a sales approach. Furthermore a blog can allow you to tell "your story".

Offering valuable, helpful and informative information puts a spotlight on your business.

81% of U.S. online consumers trust information and advice from blogs (Source)

3. Have Great Content For Your Social Media Channels

Do you wonder sometimes what to post on Facebook and other social channels? And who doesn't -right! A blog can give you great content.

Be sure to add some really good visuals to go with it to grab attention. One blog can be the source of 8 to 10 different posts or even more! Use snippets from the post with different pictures. You can even create a video out of your posts. Check out Adobe Spark and Animoto for easy video creation.

The best part is these posts can drive traffic right back to your website. Isn't that where you want them?

4. Fuel For Your SEO Strategy

Chances are search engine optimization is important for your business. More traffic equates to more business. Your unique content will always be at the core of your SEO.

Small businesses that blog get 126% more lead growth than small businesses that do not blog.

( Source)

Companies who blog receive 97% more inbound links to their website. ( Source)

As search engines become more intuitive offering valuable and unique content will be even more important. After all, Google's job is to satisfy their customer. That is the person who is searching. If they are happy with the content served to them they will continue to use Google.

5. Connect With Clients and Prospects On A Deeper Level

For those in the caring professions a blog will help you to touch the heart and soul of your clients and prospects. Your blog allows you to express who you are and how your business can help.

You will be able to help people through the information on your blog. After all isn't helping people why you went into business in the first place? The more people read your blog the more they will begin to feel as if they know you.

A well written blog will keep readers coming back for more. They may even begin to feel as if they know you.

Kathryn Watson is a Social Media Strategist. Her focus is on Content Creation, Facebook and LinkedIn Strategy, Training and Coaching.

Schedule a complimentary 30 minute consultation with Kathryn to see how she can help your business.