The past few years have proven that local delivery businesses are on the rise, gaining momentum every day from the support of their community. But just because people are realizing the great things about shopping locally doesn’t mean digital strategy is any less important than in-person interactions with your customers.
This is especially true with the amount of people that are online now. Every day. For hours a day. Like, it’s kind of a problem. You can look at it any way you want, but that’s the truth, and because that’s the truth, local delivery businesses must think about their online presence more and more.
Think about it - the people you want to deliver to are probably on their phones right now. And if they’re considering supporting a business like yours, what do you think is the next thing they’ll do?
Go to google.
About half the time, they’re going to look up businesses near them. This is why having a strong Google Business Profile is crucial (but we’ll get into that another time). The other half of the time, they’re googling questions related to the topic.
“What is local delivery service?”
“How long does local delivery take?”
“What products or services can I get delivered locally?”
Guess who should be answering these questions for them? You!
How? By building a blog that caters to both your current customers and target audience.
Here’s a quick summary of the steps we’ll be going over:
Create your categories
Research short-tail and long-tail keywords for each category
Come up with 5 blog post ideas for each category
Outline the blog posts
Write the blog posts
Format them on your website - add pictures, meta data
Create a posting schedule
Add your subscriber list to receive emails when you post
Add a form to your website for new subscribers to sign-up
Step 1: Create Your Categories
I always like to say that starting with a strong foundation is the best way to build something powerful. Start by thinking about the main topics that your business falls under. Is it fresh produce? Okay…what kind? If it’s a mobile food catering business, what types of events or people do you usually serve? Any specific season that’s better than the others?
Categories set the tone for your entire blog, and your readers will use them to navigate your blog - hopefully with ease and clarity.
Here’s an example of what the categories could look like for a company called ABC Microgreens:
Product Spotlights
Behind-the-Scenes
Customer Stories
Cooking with Microgreens
Step 2: Research Short-Tail and Long-Tail Keywords
Now that you know the general topics you’ll be writing about, you’ll want to make sure each post is advantageous in terms of ranking on Google. Otherwise, you’ll really just be writing them for yourself to read.
Here’s a crash course on SEO:
Short tail keywords are amazing to rank for and can bring in a lot of traffic, but since they’re short, they’re super competitive, and hence take a while to rank well for.
Long tail keywords are easier to go after, but also require standard SEO best practices to make sure you’re using them right, and in a way that google likes (it’s very picky!)
You won’t rank on the first page of google over night. Or even the next day. Or even the next month probably. SEO is a slow burn - one that can become a huge portion of your customer acquisition strategy if you do it right.
Need help? Book a time with me to talk about your blog.
Step 3: Come Up with 5 Blog Post Ideas for Each Category
Think of what you want to start each category with. Remember, these will be your first posts, so they should do a good job of welcoming new comers to your business and services. I suggest starting with thinking of the top 5 questions people ask about each topic.
Here’s what ABC Microgreens’ blog post ideas could be:
Product Spotlights
The Ultimate Guide to Different Types of Microgreens
Exploring the Nutritional Benefits of Sunflower Microgreen
Microgreens vs. Sprouts: Understanding the Differences
Unveiling the Beauty of Radish Microgreens
Growing and Harvesting Pea Shoots: A Product Spotlight for Microgreens Lovers
Behind-the-Scenes
A Day in the Life of a Microgreens Farmer: Behind-the-Scenes on Our Farm
From Seed to Plate: Our Microgreens Farming Process Unveiled
Behind-the-Scenes: How We Package and Deliver Fresh Microgreens to Your Doorstep
The Science of Microgreens: Unraveling the Growing Techniques
BTS: Our Sustainable Farming Practices for Eco-Friendly Microgreens
Customer Stories
Meet Our Valued Customers: How Microgreens Have Impacted Their Lives
Success Stories: How Microgreens Have Enhanced the Health and Wellness of Our Customers
From Seed to Success: Stories of Our Customers' Microgreens Journey
How Microgreens Have Become a Staple in Our Customers' Culinary Adventures
Real-Life Testimonials: Customers Share Their Love for Our Fresh Microgreens
Cooking with Microgreens
Culinary Delights: Creative Recipes Using Sunflower Microgreens
Adding a Nutrient Boost to Your Dishes: Cooking with Pea Shoots
From Farm to Table: Delicious Recipes with Fresh Radish Microgreens
Elevate Your Salads and Sandwiches: Cooking with Broccoli Microgreens
Tasty and Nutritious: Easy Recipes Featuring our Vibrant Sunflower Shoots
Step 4: Create Format Templates for Each Category
You’re over halfway done! Now it’s time to create template outlines for each category. This creates consistency across your blog. Maybe people won’t be able to point it out right away, but they will feel the consistency - and most importantly, they’ll appreciate it. This is because you’re setting expectations for what they can expect to see from your blog. It also makes it much easier on you when you’re drafting these posts up and creating a strategy for SEO.
Some great types of blog posts to start with are:
Listicles
How-To
Case Studies
Step 5: Outline Your Blog Posts
A lot of people skip this step, which means a lot of people spend way too much time writing their blog posts.
Having an outline for a post saves you a crazy amount of time and energy because you don’t have to make things up as you go. This post you’re reading right now? Yeah, I have the outline pulled up to the right of my screen. Be easy on yourself - create direction and a sense of purpose for each post, so you don’t have to do much thinking when you’re writing it. Aka, you’ll be in a flow state. And that’s when the magic really happens.
Step 6: Write the Blog Posts
Speaking of magic, here it is! Now that you have the outlines done and you know what each paragraph will discuss, you can follow the outline as you write. If you (the owner of a local delivery business) are the one writing the posts, you probably don’t even have to do any research in order to write something strong and interesting to read. Let your own experiences, resources, skills, and interests guide you as you write. People like authenticity! Just remember to use a some-what consistent tone of voice and style of writing throughout the posts. There needs to be some sort of base for each post to grow from.
A big part about writing for your blog is making sure people like looking at them. Photos, stylized fonts, and hyperlinks all help to make your posts more visually appealing.
Steps 7 - 9
Creating a posting schedule, alerting subscribers about new posts, and allowing new ones to sign-up are going to be your next focuses after you're done writing the posts. We'll save these more technical steps for a later date. Stay tuned for when that post comes out!
Update: It's out! Click here to continue reading and understand the last steps of building out your blog.
Tips
Running a successful blog isn't easy, but the juice is definitely worth the squeeze. Not only do you get to find and connect with new customers, but you’re exercising the muscle that is search engine rankings, online visibility, and organic traffic - all of which lead to more sales and more people benefiting from your delivery services. A blog isn’t just a great marketing tool, though - it’s an educational resource for people!
Have fun with it, make it your own, and let me know if you need help along the way. I’ve developed this blog creation strategy not only for my own business, but for many clients, including local delivery businesses. I would love to see how I can help you bring your blog to life!
Cheers,
Chandon