Blogging might be the easiest marketing strategy that most companies get wrong. And by wrong, we mean ignore. Most businesses are so busy managing their day-to-day business affairs that they neglect to blog. Even worse, some businesses view blogging as unnecessary to a successful sales strategy and even an unserious endeavour. Simply put, those businesses that neglect their blog are shooting themselves in the foot. Every company needs to devote some energy and resources to a blog. And here’s why:
1. blogs are Increasingly becoming the premier go-to source for those looking for information
Your blog is a place for you to nurture your prospects by giving your readers the helpful information they need. By doing so, you are building trust, strengthening your credibility and positioning yourself as a thought leader in your industry. Overwhelmingly, people search the net for information way before they are ready to invest. The information-gathering period could be concentrated or quite lengthy. Almost three-quarters of all Internet users indicated that they read blogs in a recent study. Do you seriously want to avoid catering to 75% of the market? Your business blog should offer relevant, timely, interesting and, above all else, helpful information to your prospects. Turbo boost your blog and you will turbo boost your website visitors. It’s elementary.
2. Increase your organic search rankings
Search engines comb over your website and will assess it via an ever-changing algorithm which will result in your search engine rankings. Fully understanding the algorithm can be elusive but some of the foundational elements are known. Things like spelling and grammar matter in getting a good ranking but engagement also matters. If folks leave comments, like, or share your content you will boost your rankings. Why does this matter? Rankings matter because higher rankings mean you are more likely to be found during organic search. But not only that, each new blog post has a new and unique URL which presents as another new way to get *found.
3. Generate more leads
Consistent and quality blogging will result in getting more visitors to your website. Carefully crafted blog posts should be able to harvest this new traffic and convert it into new leads. Each blog post should be optimized with internal links and a relevant CTA (call to action) button. Offer your readers a little something more in exchange for a little bit of information about themselves. For example, a furnace company might write a blog post about the cost savings that result from adding additional insulation around your water tank and/or in your basement. Alongside this post could be a CTA offering a free download entitled “Top 10 Things You Should Know About Saving Money on Heating Costs.” If your blog post is well written and helpful, then visitors may fill out a form to get your free download. Presto, a new lead.
4. All the smart kids are blogging
According to HubSpot, B2B marketers that commit to blogging enjoy a whopping 67% more leads than those that who do not. Who would turn down 67% more leads? Not a smart kid. Those that commit to producing long-form blog posts will see even greater numbers of leads. Longform content is harder to produce but it will pay dividends over time.
5. Blogging is easier than you think
Lots of people think that they don't really know how to write a blog post but they are mistaken. If you can talk about your business/products then you can write a blog post. The first thing to do is to generate a list of blog ideas. Once you have your list of ideas, create a outline/structure for each idea/topic. Add to the structure over time. Once you have enough details in the outline, start to write your post. Don't think that you have to start from scratch and complete a post in a single sitting. Adding information and ideas over time is a much easier way to produce written content. We find that creating a number of different posts at the same time feeds creativity.
The way to successful marketing and sales has changed. The consumer demands more and more helpful information. If you don’t provide it, you will get left behind. Consistent, quality blogging to the right way to provide information and stay at the front of the line.
Inbox Communications is a HubSpot Solutions Partner. If you are interested in taking your marketing to the next level, we would be happy to provide a free 30-minute assessment to get you started on blogging. What do you have to lose? Give us a call.
Topics: Inbound Marketing
