Use Blogs as a High-Impact, Low-Effort Strategy for Launching Your Business: Insights from Two Successful Founders

Use Blogs as a High-Impact, Low-Effort Strategy for Launching Your Business: Insights from Two Successful Founders

In the dynamic world of entrepreneurship, figures such as Tori Dunlap and Alexa Curtis stand out for their innovative use of blogging to expand their brands. These entrepreneurs have not only recognized the importance of blogs in building a company but have also mastered the art of leveraging them effectively. Their experiences provide key insights into effective search engine optimization and the selection of the most suitable blog platforms, demonstrating how these tools can be pivotal in the growth and recognition of a brand.

How Blogging Helped Tori Dunlap Discover Her Voice

In 2016, she began posting weekly to build a community of women in their 20s, and she quickly developed a passion for providing financial advice to her audience.

Her blog generated income through affiliate links and brand partnerships and led to opportunities such as speaking engagements, financial literacy courses, and a best-selling book.
Now, Dunlap is the founder of Her First $100K, a multi-faceted financial guidance platform that generated $4 million in revenue in 2022, according to documents viewed by Insider.
Though blogging has evolved since its inception in the 1990s, entrepreneurs still consider it a vital stepping stone for building their businesses.

“The blog supports your mission, continuing to prove your credibility and value to people,” Dunlap explained.

Alexa Curtis, who started a blog at age 12, shared this sentiment. Over nine years, her blog became GrasshoppHer, a mentorship program for young women seeking career development guidance.

However, Dunlap and Curtis emphasized the importance of using blogs alongside other platforms due to the constantly evolving online landscape, saturated blogosphere, and shifting algorithms. To Dunlap, a blog is a “touchpoint” rather than a business model.
Dunlap and Curtis provided tips for launching a blog, including utilizing search engine optimization and selecting the appropriate platform.

Employ Strategic SEO Practices to Reach Readers

Curtis highlighted the importance of using blogs in conjunction with other platforms.
SEO is essential for bloggers, as it allows search engines like Google and Bing to identify, recommend, and rank your content for web users. Dunlap believes SEO should be incorporated into all aspects of a blog post, including browser title, post title, URL, blog copy, and image captions.

“Focus on long-tail keywords,” Dunlap advised.

Long-tail keywords help distinguish your search queries on popular topics. For instance, “how to save money” is a saturated keyword phrase, but “how to save money 20-something woman” is more niche, tailored to specific content, and better suited to what searchers want.
Curtis also noted that leveraging SEO can enhance your brand partnership value.
“When a brand pays me for a social media post, I offer a sponsored blog post for an additional fee,” she explained.

Most brands are willing to pay extra for increased SEO, as including their links in your blog posts boosts their search results.

 

Choose the Ideal Platform for Your Requirements

Curtis began her blogging journey on Blogger, then transitioned to Squarespace before settling on WordPress for her blog, Life Unfiltered. She found Squarespace to be user-friendly but found WordPress to be more monetizable.

Dunlap hosts her blog on Squarespace but concurs that WordPress offers effective plug-and-play SEO tools, which are helpful for new bloggers looking to build an audience.
She appreciates Squarespace for its ease of design customization.
Dunlap suggests including images with SEO-focused captions in all blog posts.

Once you’ve selected a suitable blogging platform, leverage external social media platforms to expand your reach. For example, Dunlap can repurpose popular blog topics into podcast episodes, TikTok videos, and additional resources on her website, creating a cohesive brand identity.

Leveraging Blogging for Business Growth

Blogs continue to be a vital tool for entrepreneurs aiming to establish and grow their businesses. The practical insights offered by Tori Dunlap and Alexa Curtis serve as a valuable guide for new business owners to effectively use blogs. This strategy not only enhances their credibility but also extends their reach to the target audience. Implementing strategic SEO practices, selecting the appropriate platform, and harmoniously integrating blogs with other social media platforms can significantly bolster your online presence, thereby nurturing the growth and visibility of your brand.

Read Next: Avoiding SEO Mistakes: Tips for Success.

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