How blogging can help your business.
Introduction
When effectively marketing your business digitally, you need to have your finger in many different pies. The internet has opened up many different avenues for marketing, and for many small businesses, it can be an effective way to boost branding, reputation and attract new customers.
One of the most effective forms of digital marketing that can be often overlooked is content blogging for your website. While you might not think it necessary to have a blog attached to your website, search engines say otherwise. In fact, having a blog on your website regardless of your business and what you offer can be an invaluable way to support your digital marketing efforts.
74% of people consult the internet and quickly search for both products and companies they plan to purchase from before making the transaction. If a potential customer can't find you online, then chances are they will go to a competitor who they do find and whose website does answer their queries. If you need any more confirmation on how effective this is, look at your own habits. When you want to know something, what is the first thing you do?
What Is Content Blogging?
Content blogging is essentially writing informative blog posts for your website. Regardless of your industry, people will always need questions answered, especially if you try to sell them a service they don't know they need. Effective content blogging and content writing is writing informative and engaging content related to your industry and, in particular, your company.
Say, for example, you run a small chiropractic surgery. You want to be found in the search engine results pages relating to chiropractic care. Long-form detailed content about all topics related to why people need to visit a chiropractor will help boost your visibility and create a more thorough and complete picture of your company and services and help people need to book with you. You can write blog posts pertaining to what a chiropractor does, why you need to visit a chiropractor, the benefits of chiropractic care for people with Fibromyalgia and so on. So when people search for terms relating to these, well thought out, SEO optimised content can help you to support your marketing efforts.
SEO and Content Blogging
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation, and it can be a complex thing to get right. Many small businesses will outsource their blog writing, and content needs to third parties specialising in SEO services to create enhanced copy and articles on the blog. The more optimised your content is for SEO, the higher in the search engines you will appear. You can also further boost your SEO efforts by obtaining links from relevant websites in your niche to support your content writing. You can also create blog posts for third-party sites that link back to your website via guest blogging services.
Boost Reputation and Credibility
We have already touched upon how informative content can help you in the search results. However, the more content you have on your website, the more favourably visitors will look at your brand and be persuaded to stick around and find out more about you and even make a sale if applicable. You can use blog content to showcase your knowledge and highlight how you are evolving with changes in the market and solidify your authority in this area.
Support Your Social Media
Blog posts can help you to create content you can use on your social media pages.
While social media is a great way to help you develop and nurture your brand voice and authenticity, it can become difficult to find new and original content to share. Content blogging can be reused many different times and in different ways to share with your social media followers, allowing you to support your digital marketing efforts and open up to your users to share as much as possible.
Increases Traffic
Businesses that have a blog get around 55% more traffic than those without. And 59% of marketers who have websites with blogs find them to be of value. The figures clearly show that if you publish frequent and consistent content that is both informative and entertaining, you will see an increase in the number of visitors to your website.
More traffic equals more leads for both B2B and B2C businesses, regardless of whether you're marketing SEO services or the latest footwear or whether you have a news-driven website that relies on more visitors to generate more advertising revenue for its advertisers.
Comparing organisations that frequently blog to those that blog occasionally or not, companies who actively blog experience huge benefits. It follows that having more visitors visit your site will increase the likelihood of receiving reservations or bookings, as well as more submissions to your contact form and more possible customer queries.
Increased internet traffic is beneficial to any business – and it is especially beneficial to visitors who discover your material while looking for a solution to their difficulties.
Effective Marketing Messages
According to research, almost 80% of businesses would prefer to have an advertisement in the form of a series of articles rather than the usual "buy now" agenda to promote their products. Additionally, people are becoming increasingly tired of the traditional methods of commercials and advertising, making the use of innovative ways to market your services essential in today's competitive business environment.
Blog content allows you to show consumers why they need this product or service and the benefits they can gain rather than just telling someone to buy. Internet users are becoming savvier and with a wealth of information at their fingertips, no longer are they swayed by traditional messages.
You need to give buyers a complete picture, and content blogging is an excellent way to do this.
Done correctly, content writing for a business website can be massively beneficial and worth the time and investment to get it right. Whether you choose to create the valuable content personally or outsource it to a social media management company to create for you, focusing on a business blog will have many benefits for your small business.