Don’t be invisible: Why businesses must have a blog
In 1996 Bill Gates wrote an essay entitled Content is king and though he listed different kinds of content there, he still couldn’t be more right when it comes to blogging as a part of marketing strategy. You would think that in the age of video and audio content, people won’t have time, nor liking for reading – nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, according to HubSpot, businesses that decide to include blogging in their marketing strategy, generate 67% more leads than those who reject the idea. And it doesn’t really matter if you choose to learn how to write a quality blog yourself, hire a freelance copywriter or turn to a copywriting agency – as long as it’s well-written, accurate and relevant, good website content can help you not only gain an audience, but also make them stay. What’s important, if you already have a website, creating a blog is completely free – you can simply add a blogging page to your domain or use one of free blogging platforms, like wordpress.com (unless you want a domain with your brand name, which you should, but it’s still not too expensive – around $120 per year). Plus, it’s super easy to run – you don’t have to be an IT expert to have a good blog.
Are you still not sure if every business really should have a blog? Prepare to be convinced – here’s why:
A blog helps you gain online visitors
Isn’t that what your online presence is all about? With the help of a well-managed blog, you can be seen as an expert in your area and that builds trust among readers and potential customers. Normally, you don’t promote your brand and its products or services directly on your blog, but if you want to attract a whole new audience, you have to become a problem-solver. Let your posts be the answer to people’s questions and a call to action with free online consultation or some helpful materials. Think about problems, dilemmas and ambiguities in your industry that may confuse a regular man and try to resolve all of his doubts. Thanks to that, your brand name will be familiar and linked to trustworthiness. That’s how you turn readers into leads – they see you as a credible expert, so they’re more likely to sign up for a newsletter, contact you and eventually, choose your product or service.
A blog helps you improve your website SEO
There’s no online visibility without search engine optimization – that is all operations that lead to your page ranking high on search engine results pages (SERPs). Every post is counted as another indexed page on your website – and the more indexed pages, the better. That’s why most creative agencies focus on running blogs – it indicates that your site is active so that Google knows it can be helpful to its users. What’s more, Google looks for relevant content and accurate keywords as well – all of that can help you rank higher and drive organic traffic to your page. You can check words and topic that link to your industry and build your website content around them. That’s how you can be found by search engines and their users. Another important ranking factor for Google is linking. You can use your posts to refer to different, relevant texts on your blog to create internal links and include references to other, high-authority websites to gain external links. Google likes, appreciates and rewards it.
A blog helps you connect with people
Your blog posts contribute to building your brand’s image and personality. Through good, regular writing, you can gain a voice – it depends only on you what kind of voice it will be – and be a little bit closer to your audience, which is always appreciated. When you show what you care about, what’s important to you and how you can help, you allow people to connect with you, get to know you and eventually – trust you. It brings you loyal readers and potential customers, who will not only choose you while looking for a product or service, but they will also recommend you to others. Additionally, a blog is a place where people can comment, message you and involve in discussions related to you and your industry, which results in building strong relationships. Don’t be afraid to respond to comments and engage in conversations – everyone will see that you interact and you are willing to help. Plus, it allows you to learn about your audience so that you can modify your overall marketing strategy accordingly.
A blog helps you manage social media
You don’t have to worry about updating your Facebook, Linkedin or Twitter profile anymore – you can engage followers in discussions and convince them to click through by informing them and helping them solve their problems thanks to your blog posts. Later, the content can be shared by people on their social media accounts, allowing you to reach a whole new audience, and increasing your website traffic. It’s one of the best ways to promote your business on the web – spark up the discussions, create events, organize sales and giveaways of your products, services or discounts. It will pay off with time.
Is blogging dead in 2019? Definitely not. Whether you’re a small family business or an international company is irrelevant; as you can see, a blog can contribute to increasing your online visibility in a significant way. What’s more, it’s a long-term investment – it works not only at the exact moment when you’re putting an effort. A good marketing copy works for you when you’re asleep, when you’re on vacation or you’re simply focusing on something else – being present means being visible all the time. In fact, research shows that one out of every ten posts on your blog is compounding, that means it increases your traffic. And these are only a few of many advantages of creating and updating regularly your own blog. Content marketing is still a king and there’s no doubt it will continue to be in the future.
