As you may have noticed, more and more businesses have started their own blogs. Financial planners have them. Doctors and dentists have them. Marketers definitely have them. And small-business owners — like septic installers — should have them, too.

Blogging yields a number of benefits for business owners — and those benefits cut across all industries. In fact, some of these benefits are especially valuable to the owners of small service companies.

Build trust
Consider this: Blogging can actually help your customers trust you more. And trust is invaluable.

The way blogs help cultivate trust is simple. Through your company blog, you can prove that you know what you’re talking about, perhaps explaining how a system works and why homeowners need to schedule regular septic pumping — anything that could be of value to your potential customers. Through your blog, you can provide real, nitty-gritty advice that makes it clear you’re an expert in your field.

Not only does a blog allow you to showcase your expertise, it also lets you give it away for free — suggesting to potential customers that not only do you know what you’re talking about, you also want to help. That’s how trust is formed — and when someone is considering hiring you, trust is critical.

Support your customers
Something else to note is that blogging doesn’t just allow you to cultivate trust among potential customers, but it allows you to stay connected to previous customers, as well, and to show them your support.

Here’s what we mean: Customers are going to want to know that, if they work with you, you’ll have their back should something go wrong. Through a blog, you can provide ongoing insights into septic system maintenance — showing that, even once the deal is made and the system is installed in the backyard, you’re there to help and to advise. This can be powerful in boosting your customers’ confidence.

Build your brand
Of course, blogging also has some more technical implications for your business. For one thing, it’s a vital tool in the SEO toolkit. If you want to improve your website’s standings on Google, creating regular content is the best way to do so — and what is a blog if not a platform for regular content creation?

Additionally, each blog post you write is fodder for your company’s social media pages: truly valuable, useful information you can distribute, helping to build your brand’s name and reputation.

Blogging is an investment in the relationship you have with your customers and it can pay big dividends over time. Whether you blog yourself or outsource it to a content marketing company, it can have some truly positive outcomes for your business. Start brainstorming some potential blog posts today, and take a big step forward in your online marketing endeavors.

About the author
Amanda E. Clark is the president and editor-in-chief of Grammar Chic Inc., a full-service professional writing company. She is a published ghostwriter and editor, and currently under contract with literary agencies in Malibu, California, and Dublin, Ireland. Since founding Grammar Chic in 2008, Clark, along with her team of skilled professional writers, has offered expertise to clients in the creative, business and academic fields. The company accepts a wide range of projects and often engages in content and social media marketing, drafts resumes, press releases, web content, marketing materials and ghostwritten creative pieces. Contact Clark at www.grammarchic.net.