Why Do Small Businesses Need to Write?

It’s not enough for your business to just have an online presence through directory listings, a website, and digital advertising campaigns. You’ve got to develop a full-fledged content strategy. Your business needs to write compelling content to push out online. Why should your business write articles, you want to know? Three simple but crucial reasons:

1. When you write compelling, relatable stories about your business or your customers, you foster a relationship with the reader. (This reader could become your customer!) Make sure your business’ literature and/or blog posts aren’t blatantly advertorial. Tell a story illustrating what makes your business stand out and give the client a convincing reason to pick you over others. Make it interesting. Then share it across as many platforms as you possibly can – social media, your website, trade publications, and blogs. It will make a difference.
2. If you write articles and publish them online, people will share them. Think about it: when is the last time someone cut out a newspaper or magazine ad and said to you, “You’ve just got to do business with this place!” This has probably never happened. On the other hand, when was the last time someone forwarded an article about a business or local product to your email inbox? You probably get these daily! Take advantage of the Internet’s opportunity for efficiently sharing information. Write articles and distribute them to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc. People will share them, and they might even go viral. More eyeballs to your content is ALWAYS a good thing, no matter the medium you used to get them there. If you’re providing quality content, it will get people talking about your business – it’s the “word-of-mouth” you’re striving for.
3. Because the options are endless for where to do business, you need to stand out. Customers are practically begging to read your content! Potential customers do nearly all of their research online now. Make it easy for them to find you by writing multiple articles that link back to your site’s URL. When writing articles about your business’ goods and services in a story format, include relevant “key words.” Pretend like you’re a potential customer – what kind of words might you type into Google’s search box? Ensure that those key words make their way into each article. Then, your articles will show up in a client’s organic search results. With key words, there is a greater possibility that your business’ article(s) are ranked higher organically and a better chance your content will be read and shared.

For more information about developing a content strategy for your business, read “Get Content, Get Customers” by Joe Pulizzi and Newt Barrett.

Sarah Griffith

Sarah Griffith is Executive Editor of BubbleLife.com, an Advice Interactive Group product. She’s worked with BubbleLife since 2011, transitioning to Advice during BubbleLife’s acquisition in 2017. Sarah has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism-Public Relations from Baylor University and has a passion for all things related to content. She has formerly served in multiple roles at BubbleLife, including Digital Marketing Consultant, Account Executive, Business Editor, and Neighborhood Editor, helping expand the company from eight community websites in Dallas-Fort Worth to more than 250 nationwide. When out of the office, Sarah can typically be found listening to live music and engaging in a never-ending hunt for the best queso in Dallas.