Are you still deciding if you should start a blog or not? After you are finished reading these 6 blogging benefits you will be starting a blog today.

People ask me repeatedly, “Do I need to have a blog to sell art online?”

Another general statement I get is, “I know I should blog but I just don’t have time to.”

My answer to the first question is always, “Yes, you will need a blog if you would like to sell art online successfully.”

There is no gray between operating an online business and blogs. It is as black and white as you needing food to survive.

To address the other statement, when someone says that they do not have enough time to blog, they are making an excuse. There will always be a chance to do something that needs to get done.

If someone is so busy that they can’t find a few minutes here and there to write a blog post, they have no business starting an online art business.

That might sound harsh, but it is the truth. Starting an online art business is a business.

There will be things that you will need to do that you will not particularly enjoy doing, but those tasks will need to get done if you would like to see your business grow.

To help reassure you that you will not be wasting your time blogging, I am going to provide you with a list of blogging benefits for businesses.

6 Blogging Benefits You Can’t Ignore

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• Traffic
• Generate Leads
• Build Authority
• Long-term Traffic
• Email list
• Social Shares

Traffic

I want to start the list off with traffic.

Most people who I talk to are always trying to build more traffic to their site.

It does not matter how much traffic your website receives. It will never be enough. You will always want more. It is like eating one potato chip. You will never be satisfied with just one chip. You will always want more.

Let’s talk about how people can land on your site. One way is for someone to type in your website URL (the URL is a website’s address, example www.nevuefineartmarketing.com) in the search bar.

When someone reaches your site using your URL, it is known as direct traffic.

The only way that someone will be able to find you with your URL is if they already know about you.

Receiving direct traffic is a good thing. That means that you are building a loyal following. You want your direct traffic to increase.

Another way to receive traffic to your site is with paid ads.

Have you ever noticed when you do a search there will be a couple of listings that marked as an Ad?

Companies purchase ads from Google’s AdSense, and when someone clicks on the ad, they will be directed to the company that bought the ad. Purchasing ads will increase your traffic, but you are not guaranteed to land a sale. You could easily find yourself losing a lot of money if you are not careful.

There is some good news. There is a way for you to generate traffic to your art gallery without having to pay for ads.

The solution is blogging. Every time that you write a post, you are creating an indexed page for your art gallery.

Every indexed page that you create provides one more opportunity for your art gallery to show up in the search engines.

There is more good news about writing blog posts. Your indexed pages will always be there.

A post from a year ago is still indexed today. That means if someone is searching for that content, it can still be found on the search engines. Think about it, posts from a year ago will still generate traffic to your site.

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Blogging Benefits – Generate Leads

Have you heard of the term generate leads or lead generation?

Wikipedia defines a lead generation as,

“The initiation of consumer interest or inquiry into products or services of a business. Leads can be created for purposes such as list building, e-newsletter list acquisition or for sales leads.”

What does this mean and how will it help you?

You can create a call-to-action for every post you write.

A call-to-action is when you instruct or direct your reader for an immediate response. You can lead your audience to other content they might be interested in, or sign up for your newsletter.

As you write, your posts keep your end goal in mind. You want to sell art.

Provide call-to-actions that will guide them to your ultimate goal. This will take some time and planning. You will first have to build your readers trust before they will consider any call-to-actions your are proposing.

Here are the steps for lead conversions that will work for your posts:

• You write a post.
• Your visitor finds your post in a search engine and reads the content.
• Your visitor will read the call-to-action, which will direct them to sign up for your email list.
• Your visitor will sign up for your newsletter.
• You will provide newsletters where you will include a call-to-action for purchasing your art.

The steps above is one way that you can create lead conversions. The plan will differ based on your goals.

Blogging Benefits – Build Authority

Many people use search engines to find a solution to a problem they have.

Have you every looked up a recipe or instructions on how to fix something?

The posts that you found are solving a problem for you.

If the information that you gathered provided you with the results that you were looking for, the writer has succeeded in building your trust. You will already trust any new information that you stumble upon from the same author.

Eventually, you will remember the name of the site, or you will bookmark the site to your favorites. The writer of the posts that you have written is now an authority in your eyes.

As you continue to read the blog posts from your favorite sites, you will be more likely to buy an item that they suggest. Why? Because they have built your trust. You know that anything you buy from them will be something of value.

Your blog posts will provide the same experience for your audience.

When you are writing your posts, take a minute to think about what you would like to read and what information would help solve a problem that you might have.

Every article that inspires motivates or solves a problem is a winner.

Blogging Benefits – Long-term Traffic

How many times have you written a blog that you were excited to publish only to hear crickets?

The next day you look at your statistics, and you are nothing less than disappointed. You thought this one post would bring you a tremendous amount of traffic to your gallery and land you new sales.

Don’t be disappointed about the daily statistics of a blog post. Blog posts are different from social media posts. Social media posts are here today and gone tomorrow, never to be found again.

Blog posts are different. Think of your posts as being the tortoise: slow, steady and focused to reach the finish line. Your posts will generate traffic weeks, months and even years from today.

Evergreen content (content that does not change over time) can produce thousands of clicks.

For instance, if you created a post that averaged one hundred clicks a month, in one year that one blog post will have produced 1,200 clicks to your site.

What if you had two, three or even four of those evergreen posts? Four posts would generate almost 5,000 clicks to your site. Now the numbers have meaning.

Can you see quickly how important high-quality evergreen content is?

When you are writing your posts, do not think of what it will do for you today, think of how it will benefit your business in years to come.

You do need to understand that not every post that you write will be evergreen and produce large amounts of traffic. What you want to do is strive to write better material every time you sit down at the computer. Your efforts will be paid off in the long run.

Blogging Benefits – Email List

You have probably heard someone say, “You need to build your email list.”

There is truth to that statement.

Your email list will help you to increase your conversion rate by continuously providing content to your target audience.

You already know that the people on your contact list are interested in what you have to offer. If they were not interested, they would have never provided you with their personal email address.

Blogs and blog posts are the best way to build your email list. All you have to do is produce content on a regular schedule that your audience will love.

Presto, they will sign up for your newsletter because they will not want to miss one article that you write or any new art that you are promoting.

Your blog is building your email list while increasing your conversion rate.

Blogging Benefits – Social Shares

People love to share things that they like or make them look intelligent. Posts that include information about your artwork will do well with social shares and help build your brand awareness on social media.

Providing helpful and motivational content will also increase your social shares.

Your blog and social sites work together. By creating great blog posts, you are creating great content for your social media sites.

Your followers will help you by engaging and sharing your posts that will drive traffic to your site.

Conclusion:

Now that you know all the blogging benefits for your art business, get started. Start your blog today.

You might also be interested in:

• Blogging Basics – Sell More Art Online
• Blogging Made Easy Grow Your Art Business
• Blogging Basics – Sell More Art Online

Content Marketing For Artist Course.

Are you interested in learning more about content marketing?

Are you ready to reach a larger crowd and attract your target audience?

Do you want to rank higher in Google’s search?

I created the Content Marketing For Artist Course to help you to implement a content marketing strategy that will help you to save time and see results. There are over 40 videos, a downloadable eBook and PDF’s packed with easy to understand and follow tactics that will help you grow your art business and start separating yourself from the competition.

Complete the course at your own pace. The material will always be available for you to go back to.

To find out more visit, Content Marketing For Artist Course.

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If you are interested in learning more about growing your art business, visit Nevue Fine Art Marketing Courses. New material is being added regularly.

The Productive Artist How to Live Your Dreams The right mindset and time management skills are essential for any business. These topics are often not talked about but are key elements for your success. You will learn how to have a winning mindset and time management skills necessary for operating a successful art business. Available at Amazon or Download today.

Are You Struggling with Your Writing Skills?

If you are struggling with your writing, you might want to consider reading Ann Handley’s book Everybody Writes: Your Go – To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content. (Amazon Affiliate Link)

When I first started writing posts and content for my art businesses, I struggled. Writing posts was never one of my strong points. I would sit in front of a blank screen for hours. I knew how important writing content was in order for me to grow my business but I had a difficult time writing even four hundred words.

I remember hearing someone recommending Ann’s book, so I decided to give it a try. Ann’s book has helped me in so many ways and was one of my best investments. Not only did she show me the best means to write for my audience but she also gave me the confidence I needed to write great content my audience would love.

I enjoyed the book so much I also purchased the audio book and periodically had it on while I am in the studio drawing. I will never claim to be a great writer, but Ann has helped me to get my points and views across to help my audience.

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