A small business blog also helps you to build an online audience and your brand, while generating more business. In fact, blogs are becoming an essential component of doing business in the United States, home to 29.2 percent of the globe’s bloggers, the most in the world. Statistics show that 81 percent of U.S. online consumers trust information and advice from blogs, 61 percent of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog and 60 percent of consumers feel more positive about a business after reading custom content on its website

These additional three reasons are why you, as a U.S. small business owner, should be blogging:

No. 1: Connecting and communicating with clients. Blogging about your products and/or services enables you to connect with your clientele on an emotional level by conveying your unique and expert brand perspective. This leads to trust and customer loyalty, and helps your business stand out above the competition. Furthermore, if you are offering promotional material, are planning a renovation of your business and will be closed for a period of time or will temporarily be out of stock on a particular product, for example, you can keep your clientele informed via a blog post on your site.

No. 2: Lead generation. Lead generation is the process of inciting interest in a product or service for the purpose of developing sales. Of note, businesses that blog, according to Hubspot, experience a 165% lead growth, which is substantially larger than that of their non-blogging brethren. Furthermore, 57% of businesses that have a blog have generated a lead from it.

No. 3: Increased website traffic and SEO. Blogging is a proven and effective way to drive more traffic to your website, and more visitors means more sales. The key is to use carefully chosen keywords in your blog(s) that will show up in search engines, which are the top drivers of traffic to websites. Posting high-quality content to your blog will help your SEO efforts bear fruit, as Google’s algorithms will rank your site higher. Keep in mind, however, that search engines will place the utmost importance on your blog title, so ensure the keywords are there.

Blog by Dale Myers. the NALA's Head Writer.