The pros and cons of having blogs on business websites is a much-debated topic. Some say that it’s the most important part of your site, others argue that it’s a waste of time and money.
Being that having and maintaining a blog can be somewhat time-consuming, it’s an important question for LASIK practice owners with websites to consider.
In short, the answer to the title question is yes, you should have a blog with regularly published blog posts on your LASIK site.
Blogging provides a number of great benefits, from supplying leads with useful information (and therefore building trust) to ranking better in search engines, from providing fodder for your social media accounts to establishing yourself as an authority in your area of expertise.
But that yes doesn’t come without some stipulations… and the benefits don’t come automatically. Let’s take a closer look.
Stipulation 1: Quality is a must.
Having short, poorly blog posts isn’t going to get you anywhere. They aren’t going to rank in Google, they’re not going to represent your brand well, and they’re certainly not going to build trust or authority with your audience.
What does quality mean, exactly?
- Well-written. Make sure your posts are free of typos, mistakes, and awkwardly written sentences. Messily written blog posts can give readers a sense that your business is messy in general.
- Original. Your blog posts must be unique, original publications. Don’t rip off other websites, even if you aren’t directly copying and pasting. This is particularly important for ranking well.
- Useful. Make sure you’re writing about things that your leads actually care about. Showing them that you understand their concerns and challenges and then helping them solve those problems is a great way to build trust.
Stipulation 2: Post regularly.
Have you ever stumbled onto a business’ blog page only to find that their most recent post was from 2012? It really makes you wonder if they’re even still in business…
Remember, everything you do with your marketing reflects your business as a whole.
If you start blogging but then quit and leave it, it’s simply a bad look for your business and destroys the point of having a blog in the first place.
In other words, do it right, do it consistently, or don’t do it at all.
That doesn’t mean that you have to publish every single day or even every single week – but having at least one post a month is a good place to start if you’re strapped for time or resources.
Stipulation 3: Don’t forget to promote.
Part of why some people decry the value of blogging is because they expect miracles to happen when they hit that publish button.
But then… nothing happens! How could this be?
Well, usually it’s just a matter of no one finding it. You don’t rank for anything yet, and you’re not promoting the content. If a blog is published in the woods and nobody hears it….
That’s why it’s so important to put just as much time into promotion as you do writing and publishing.
The most basic form of this right now is sharing on your business’ social media accounts, which is a big first step. If you have an email list of past, current, and/or potential clients, you can also send out email blasts to share your content with these audiences.
Beyond that, get creative! Are there local organizations, such as a chamber of commerce, that have active social media accounts? See if they’ll share your content. Find other social media groups that regularly share the type of content you’ve written, and get readers’ eyes on your post.
This also gives you the opportunity to ask for honest feedback that will help you improve your presentation going forward.
Need Some Help with Your Blogging? Get in Touch with Patient Pipeline.
Frankly, blogging can take a decent amount of time and effort. From generating topic ideas to the actual writing, to distributing and promoting your post, the whole thing can be a lot of work.
Since it’s really only worth it when done right, why leave it up to chance? Contact us at Patient Pipeline today and let us help you get your blog in shape so that it can accomplish what it’s meant to for your practice.
