Earlier this week we discussed the six ways that blogging can benefit your business. Now that you know why your brand needs a blog, you may be wondering where to start when it comes to creating engaging and interesting content for your readers. In today’s post, we will discuss the importance of using your blog to educate your prospective customers, and share some advice from marketing experts for doing so.

With all of the information prospective customers could want at the click of a mouse, readers are, more than ever, looking for interesting, quality content that will add value to their lives and assist them in making informed purchasing decisions.

In addition to establishing your brand as a trustworthy authority in your field, providing relevant and educational information via your company blog is an easy way to bring value to your customer’s life-a very important factor with the barrage of information available to readers today.

Informative blog posts lead to consistent readership

By creating a blog that is brimming with informative content, you will keep your readers coming back for more. However, developing a following of consistent readers can be easier said than done. So let’s turn to the experts for some tips on how to make your company blog a treasure trove of useful and informative content that will attract loyal readers.

Huffington Post blogger, William Morrow, suggests asking yourself two key questions as you develop each and every blog post for your business:

  1. “Do I find this useful or informative?”
  2. “Will the reader find this useful or informative?”

These simple, but useful, questions make a great starting point for creating content that will add value and turn readers into repeat customers. If you don’t find your content useful or informative, chances are, your readers won’t either.

Taking it a step further, marketing entrepreneur, Roger Bryan, suggests that every piece of marketing content your company publishes, “ should teach [the customer] at least one or two things or answer at least one question they have.”

This is a good rule of thumb to keep in mind when developing new content. It will help keep you on track and ensure your content is brimming with useful and relevant industry information.

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Providing educational content establishes your trustworthiness in the eyes of customers

According to Hubspot, educating your potential customers through your blog content establishes your brand as a trustworthy source to prospective buyers. Afterall, if your blog has helped them figure out or solve a problem in the past, why would they not trust your services in your respective field?

In the past, businesses could rely on making a face-to-face connection with clients in traditional storefronts to build trustworthiness and make sales; however, Kissmetrics points out that this is no longer the case in the wild and wonderful world of e-commerce. Instead your business needs to find new ways to build customer trust and to establish itself as an authority in your industry.

With much of the public worried about being scammed or ripped off by online business, Kissmetrics suggests the best method to establish this necessary trust and build your reputation as a legitimate brand is to, “teach them first, and sell them second.”

Want to learn more about some examples of businesses that are executing this strategy successfully? You can read some specific case studies, here.

Educated readers make savvy customers

Good news! Building your reputation as a trustworthy brand also pays off when it comes to the sales process.

Why is this? Having educated prospects results in customers that are entering into the sale from a much more informed place regarding your industry niche. This background information leads to more effective sales conversations and purchasing results at the end of the day.

Your company blog is a valuable marketing tool. In the era of e-commerce and information overload, taking the time to establish your brand’s online presence as an informative, educational and trustworthy source is a valuable investment in your business.

Building this trust leads to a loyal following, customers that value and trust your opinion, and educated consumers that know what they want.

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start creating some informative content for your readers today!