Hands up if you remember when beauty blogs were all the rage? In a time before TikTok, Instagram and even YouTube being a mainstream influencer platform, blogs were where it was at.
Fun fact: I ran a relatively successful beauty blog back in the day that probably has a big part to play in why I do the job I do today. I made some great connections, had some fantastic experiences and worked with hundreds of brands to create content. I also credit it with the fact that I have 400,000+ followers on Pinterest.
But enough about me, back to blogs. Blogs aren’t really a standalone thing like they used to be. Social media has taken over as many an influencer’s main platform, and blogs have been relegated to the depths of brand websites. They’re often forgotten and left as a last priority. After all, those social media platforms are hungry for daily content, right?
Why do you need a beauty blog on your website?
In a world where daily content feels like a must, you might feel like something’s gotta give. Social might feel like it’s more of a priority for you, and if that’s working for your brand then it makes sense to focus on that. Especially if your time is limited or you just want a short term solution.
But when you start looking, you’ll see some huge beauty brands – particularly those who have grown quickly or have a super-strategic marketing plan – have a blog on their website. I’m talking Huda Beauty, Glow Recipe, Olaplex and a million other successful beauty brands out there.
So, does your beauty brand need a blog? Let’s take a look at why a blog makes sense on your beauty brand website:
SEO
SEO (aka search engine optimisation) is basically the process of setting up your website and content so that it gets picked up and ranked more highly in the results that come from search engines like Google and Bing. All of these search engines use algorithms to search the internet and find what they see as the most relevant content to put in front of people who are searching.
A well-planned blog that’s kept up to date with content can help you to rank when it comes to SEO. This will help search engines connect your target audience with your content, meaning new website visitors along with the opportunity to turn them into customers.
If you have a blog on your website, don’t just think that writing any old thing on there is going to help you with traffic. You need to research topics, use keywords and write your blog content with SEO in mind.
Evergreen content
Evergreen content basically means “content that lasts for ages” in marketing-speak. It isn’t trend or date-driven, but people regularly search for it online. This means a steady stream of traffic for your website, and a page that could continue to generate content for years as it doesn’t go out of date.
While search engines love fresh content and blogs that are regularly updated, they also love evergreen content that people continue to visit and consume over time. This signals to the search engine algorithm that this content is useful, interesting and relevant to the audience.
That’s why taking the time to create content that can be useful and have longevity can really help your brand to thrive. It also means that you’re not constantly having to come up with trends led pieces that quickly go out of date.
Content can be repurposed
Writing a blog post can feel time-intensive compared to a social media caption (although getting a caption exactly right is a skill in itself), but what if you take your full blog post and look at ways to repurpose that content elsewhere?
By this, I mean if you’ve created a blog that talks about the ‘the 5 best ingredients for acne’ then there’s no reason why you can’t take that content and run with it. Link to the blog on your socials, turn it into an Instagram swipe post, make a TikTok that runs through the points.
It’s not always about reinventing the wheel with content – you can use the same idea across different channels – but you can repurpose it for different things. This also means consistency across your brand messaging.
Can cross promote to other channels and products
Like the rest of your website, you can link to your social feeds, embed imagery and link to product pages on your website in a blog. This has benefits for SEO, but also helps your audience to find what it is they’re looking for. It can also help you to build your reputation and following across channels.
Your marketing strategy should all be linked together, even though different channels need different types of content. It makes sense to link everything together for coherent, consistent messaging for everyone who follows you (wherever that may be).
Helps you to connect with your audience
If you’re familiar with micro-influencers and the idea that they command the fanatical respect of their relatively small audience, then you’ll understand the importance of niche content and communities. This is the same with your website.
If you have a specific audience for your products, a clear USP or a problem that your content solves then a blog is a great way to place relevant content for your audience. You become a trusted resource with your target audience which can lead to brand loyalty. It can also humanise your website and make it easier for your ideal customer to build a brand connection with you.
How to build a blog into your content strategy
Like any other part of your marketing strategy, research and planning is key. You need to plan in and write about the right topics that your audience want to see. You also need to use the right keywords and structure your blogs appropriately.
If that all seems like a lot of work, let a freelance beauty writer help you out. Drop me a line to see how I can help you write blogs for your brand and check out my portfolio to see blogs that I’ve written for other beauty brands.