Why blogs can be an adviser's friend

Firstly let’s recap, what do I mean by a blog?

We all know a blog is a type of website that is usually arranged in chronological order from the most recent ‘post’ (or entry) at the top of the main page to the older entries towards the bottom.

But blogs are a great way to share your knowledge and if done right it can be a channel to become an authority on a subject.

It often takes several visits for a visitor to turn into a client, so by regularly providing them with new content you are giving that visitor more reasons to come back

There are plenty of good examples of advisers already doing this.

So what are the main benefits?

1)    Driving traffic to your website – in addition to good SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) blogs can help drive traffic to your website, which in its own right will help increase your website rankings. 

Every time you write a post on your blog, it's another page which can be indexed on your website, which means it’s one more opportunity for you to show up in search engines and drive traffic to your website in organic search. 

Posts also put a tick in the box for making sure the content on your website is updated regularly, with Google this is now a key matrix in its ranking algorithm system.

2)    Blogging also helps you get discovered via social media. Every time you write a blog post, you're creating content that people can share on social networks such as Google Plus, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Pinterest.

This helps expose your business to a new audience that may not know you yet.

Furthermore, these types of social shares typically appear faster and higher in search engines, in particular if you share the content on Google plus, you tend to find these shares rank very high in Google search results.

3)    It helps convert traffic into leads. Just like every post you write is an opportunity for another page to be indexed, each post is a new opportunity to generate new leads.

The way this works is really simple: Just add a lead-generating call-to-action to every blog post.

Often, these calls-to-action facilities are things like free whitepapers, free email subscription, free fact sheets, free webinars, free meetings.

Basically, any content or service which someone would be willing to exchange their information for.

4)    Creating authority. The best business blogs answer common questions their leads and customers have.

If you're consistently creating content that's helpful for your target customer, it'll help establish you as an authority in their eyes.

For example, with recent pensions regulations many clients have been asking questions about final salary pension transfers. If you could provide factual content that breaks down some of the jargon and provides clear explanations, you may just have someone give you a call to discuss further.

In summary these actions are not one-hit-wonders, as you need to keep posting and keep creating engaging content.

However, over time it can be like a snow ball, with new and existing leads returning to your website.

It often takes several visits for a visitor to turn into a client, so by regularly providing them with new content you are giving that visitor more reasons to come back and ultimately get in touch.

Ideas for blogs could be commentating on recent government changes, budgets, tax implications, pension regulations or views on current affairs.

Robert Lewis is director of operations for Heritage Financial Solutions.