Blogs have been around for a while – believe it or not, since 1994 when a college student started posting a log of his activities to the web. If you’re not already blogging, you may feel a little late to the blog party, but you know what they say… better late than never.
Despite the growth in video, blogs are still extremely beneficial for businesses. According to Hubspot®, B2B Marketers who use blogs get more than half (67%) more leads than those who do not.
How a Blog Can Help Your Dental Business
1. Keywords Help SEO
Ever wonder how your competitors show up on the first page of a Google® search while you show up on page five? They’ve mastered SEO. One of the ways to move up the ranks is to use keywords and phrases that your customers typically search for (for example: quality dental lab or affordable dentist). The keywords and their synonyms are placed throughout the text. Just be careful not to go overboard or it will sound unnatural and will distract the reader from your message.
2. Get Backlinks
Basically a backlink means that somebody thought your post was worthy of sharing. It’s a link back to your post or website. Backlinks are a great way of helping to strengthen your standing in Google® searches. Google® views your site as having more authority if people are sharing your posts.
3. Show off Your Industry Smarts
Ok, so you can’t really brag about how much you know, but you can show them that you are a subject matter expert. For dental labs, it’s an opportunity to discuss how you solved tough problems through case studies. Dentists can explain the benefits of certain procedures over others. It’s a great way to demonstrate your knowledge and experience in a very subtle, non-sale-sy manner.
4. It’s great Content for Social Media
Ever run out of things to post on your Facebook®, Twitter®, or Instagram® account? Post your latest blog entry. Make sure to track the results so you know which ones are the most popular with your audience. (Hint: when your have a limited number of characters available, use a site like www.bitly.com to shorten the link. It also tracks how many people clicked on the link).
5. Show Your Clients that you Care
Empathy is a very trendy term right now (makes you wonder when exactly empathy went out of style?). A blog gives you the opportunity to let your clients know that you “get them”. You understand their problems and frustrations and here’s how you’re going to help make their lives easier.
Hopefully, this post has inspired you to consider adding a blog to your marketing mix. With a little effort, blogs can help to build brand awareness, increase your visibility online, and strengthen your standing in the industry. So join the blog party – it’s not too late.