When you’re a business blogger, you’re a content creator, a brand builder, an industry expert and more. You sit down to draft a short-form piece, or post, written on a topic relating to your work. Then, you generate something that will live on your website forever. 

Is all the writing worth it? Absolutely. 

As it turns out, small businesses with blogs generate 126 percent more leads than those without blogs. In fact, 61 percent of U.S. consumers have made a purchase based on a blog post. So that means if you’re actively blogging, you’re actively introducing yourself to potential policyholders. Can’t you just hear the clicks coming your way?

Additional benefits of a blog include: 

1. It gets more people to your website. Most independent insurance agencies have relatively small websites – a couple pages, as opposed to a couple hundred. But, the more pages your website has, the more chances you have to rank in someone else’s search results. You see, every time you add a blog post to your site, you create one more indexed page. And at the end of the day, that means you create one more opportunity for your site to show up in a search. Still need convincing? Consider this: Websites with blogs tend to have 434 percent more indexed pages than websites without one. 

2. It gives you more social media content. As a business, you know social media is beneficial. But sometimes, it’s hard to come up with something you could share. Instead, picture this: If you have a blog post going live on a Monday, you also have social media posts for Monday (and maybe even another tweet or two on Wednesday and Friday). 

3. It helps more people find you on social media. Of course, blog posts give you content. But they also give others content. Every blog is something individual users can stumble upon, then share with their friends and family.   

4. It positions you as an expert. Creating a blog for your business will make you look like you have some authority in your industry (and rightfully so). Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, it will make you seem trustworthy. When asked, 81 percent of U.S. consumers said they trust advice and information from blogs. So, if your blog is offering useful advice or assistance, you’ll start to become a valuable resource for the future. 

Before you invest the time and energy, digest an example. Find inspiration at fmins.com. (And if you’re not yet ready to create your own blog posts, feel free to share any of ours!)