Blogs are no longer just an expression of an individual or a platform to share one’s ideas and thoughts. Blogs have now become one of the most influential and useful tools in the market space. They are an excellent way to showcase thought leadership as well as keep consumers updated on what’s happening in the company and the brand/products/services. It is important to note that in business blogging, the blogs must be related to the key area of the business and need to be engaging for the readers. That being said, there are still a lot of brands and businesses that are not very active in this sphere in spite of their inherent benefits of some of which I have highlighted below:
~~ Bring new visitors to your website
A website is a great asset to any company and anything that brings traffic to the site only doubles the asset’s value. This traffic is very crucial as it helps achieve the objective of the site. One of the main reasons people don’t return to a brand’s website is because it is idle and inactive. Blogs give the users a great reason to visit your site and increase the traffic. According to a HubSpot survey , 67 per cent of brands that have constant blogging on their website acquire more customers than the others. Blogs help people or potential customers discover your website amongst a million others. This happens when the blogs are informational and also related to what users would like to read from your website. It is also said that blogging shows a professional approach for the brand business. Providing useful information attracts people to visit the site, sometimes even repeatedly. Who wouldn’t like more visitors to their website, anyway?
~~ Increases search engine traffic
To appear #1 in search results is a dream! And to get there, you need to really work hard. There are more than 200 aspects which determine your rank in Google. But there’s nothing like some good content! Blogs are now a vital part of Search Engine Optimization and can be leveraged in two ways. One, include it as just an additional index page to your website which Google then identifies, and eventually it will garner organic search results. Another way is to include targeted keywords and links which will help in increasing the ranking of the site by getting you noticed more in the search results.
Research shows blogging increases inbound links by 97 per cent — the most important factor in Google’s ranking algorithm. Quality content and regular updates are an indication to Google that the website is active with a routine content flow. Explore some of the latest SEO hacks here .
~~ Customer acquisition and lead generation
The ultimate goal for every business, big or small, is to generate revenue, and blogs help you do that. Regular blogging increases the traffic to your website. Small businesses with blogs are said to generate more leads by 126 per cent. The increase in traffic will result in more people taking note of your business and eventually exploring the rest of your website, where all your business services are listed. This is a great way of acquiring customers without bombarding them with self-promotional content. While creating content, you should keep in mind that every person who visits your website has the potential to be a customer. When your target audience finds your blog interesting, they may be more interested in your business than they were before, and the chances of conversion are higher. For example, have a look at the blog of this self publishing company which offers fantastic advice to budding authors.
~~ Content creation for social media platforms
Another reason why blogs are important to your business is that they create a huge content bank for Social Media Marketing. It is almost mandatory for brands to have an identity on social media and the only differentiation is content.
Content defines your brand identity and helps you stand apart from the rest of the crowd. Creating quality content in the form of blogs and sharing them on the social media channels can help get more reach. The number of likes, shares and retweets will testify for your content. Here’s a blog post on how to amplify your content online .
~~ Helps in building the brand
Branding is the core element to develop your business. Every business is striving hard to create a brand for them and to make people see them as “The Brand” and not just any brand. Blogging is a huge opportunity for you to build a brand for your company; it is, after all, the most organic method of getting people to notice your brand online. The key is to create a blog which adds value and is unique in its approach to content and style. By creating specific, targeted content, you may focus more specifically on your target audience leading to increasing your exposure among people.
~~ Establishes authority and expertise
A good blog always answers a question, solves a problem, or gives a valuable takeaway. When a brand constantly shares blogs that are useful to the customers, it develops an authoritative image in their minds. For example, look at Chennai Angels, who create content around topics such as ‘Tips for entrepreneurs’, ‘How to grow as a start-up’, and the like but also has content that will be of some value to their readers (i.e. entrepreneurs), such as business strategies . The ultimate aim is that when a user reads your blog, they should finish it with some value addition. When people find answers or solutions on your blog, they are more likely to become your follower and will start seeing you as a source of information. Here are 10 ways to create better content for your readers .
In a world where content speaks for itself and does half the job of a brand, blogs are the most crucial thing to look upon as a marketer. When blogging becomes a strategy in your marketing plan, you get a powerful tool to fight against your online competitors. If your company hasn’t started blogging, this piece is an indicator that it should!