No matter the size or target audience of your business, blogging can add a lot to your brand image. According to statistics, 53% of marketers claim that blogging is their top content marketing strategy. This percentage showcases that businesses are willing and able to blog in order to reach new audiences and stakeholders.
However, many are left unconvinced of the sheer benefit of having a blog present on your website. Let’s take a look at several ways in which blogging can bridge the gap between your business and the world in terms of communication and doing business together.
1.Competitive Edge
First thing’s first, blogging can help put your business on the proverbial industry map. Chances are that your competition already has blogs present around the web.
By introducing one to your own website, you will show the potential customers, partners and investors that you are ready to engage in conversation. Lacking a business blog in the ever-expanding marketplace can be very detrimental to your business’ growth and revenue.
2.Channel of Expression
Industry trends change every day and with them, opinions can shift drastically. According to data, 38% of bloggers expressed that they get very good results on articles which they spent 6+ hours to write. This time investment might not be to everyone’s liking, which is why outsourcing is more than a viable option.
Hosting a blog on your business website will ensure that you always have a place readily available for writing and discussion. This will ensure that people know exactly where to look if they are interested in your thoughts and opinions about hot industry topics or to simply engage you in professional discussion.
3.Product & Service Showcasing
Like any business, yours lives and dies by its product and service portfolio. What is also true is that many online customers are unconvinced of a product’s quality without some social proof attached to it.
A business blog can help you showcase your offering to the public through written articles, demonstrations and even testimonial showcasing. Introducing your products and services in a controlled, commitment-free environment such as your business blog can increase your traffic and conversion rates drastically if done correctly.
4.Increased Online Visibility
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) plays a big role in how your website is perceived by Google and other popular search engines. In that respect, your blog can only benefit your overall ranking and visibility. According to data, organic SEO is five times more effective than any form of paid advertisement.
Tools such as Google Adwords and SEM Rush are perfectly fitted to inform you of latest keyword and topic trends in each individual industry. Using that data to formulate your blog’s upcoming content plan is a great tactic in terms of raising public awareness of your business and blog in general.
5.Social Media Integration
In terms of online presence, social media pages can add a lot to your cause. Platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are enjoyed by billions of people across the globe. The same can be said about LinkedIn and Twitter, both of which are often used for B2B promotion and news updates.
Your blog’s content and business site in general is bound to be visited more often if it is present on social media channels in some form. In that respect, your blog can add some much-needed diversity to your social media feeds. You can link your newly-created articles to your social media pages and boost the performance of both as a result.
6.Networking Opportunities
One of the biggest reasons for featuring a blog on your website concerns B2B networking. Recent data has shown that companies with blogs generate 55% more traffic than those without one. Your blogging efforts and opinion pieces can open a lot of new doors for future cooperation and partnership with other companies.
Businesses and firms in your industry are likely to take interest in what you have to say about the state of the marketplace. Those that share your values and goals are bound to reach out and offer to work with you on upcoming projects. Lacking a blog which will showcase your mindset and general thoughts and opinions on popular industry matters will leave your site’s visitors with a confused final impression of what your brand stands for.
7.Customer Data Collection
More than anything, your blog can help you collect some much needed data about who your stakeholders really are. You can gauge their interest in the topics you feature on your blog, ask them for their opinions on the matter and discuss your products and services at length.
Research has shown that 42% of bloggers simply don’t use any form of analytics or data in their content planning. This can often lead to your being out of touch with your stakeholders which can lead to further disconnect between your brand and its customers. This data can then be used to refine, update and otherwise develop new offerings for your business’ portfolio. In that way, you will be able to collect tangible information about your visitors’ habits without coming off as pushy with surveys or questionnaires.
In Conclusion
The benefits of blogging as a business entity are numerous, but so are the obligations that coincide with it. Once your audience gets used to seeing new content on your blog, you will have to keep delivering on expectations.
This will help your industry standing and SEO optimization in the long run however, so don’t worry about the positive side of blogging. Make sure that you know what topics and discussions you want to tackle for the first several weeks of your blogging tenure. After that, new content ideas will come naturally and your business blog will soar throughout the web organically.
About the author
Elisa Abbott is a freelancer whose passion lies in creative writing. She completed a degree in Computer Science and writes about ways to apply machine learning to deal with complex issues. Insights on education, helpful tools and valuable university experiences – she has got you covered;) When she’s not engaged in assessing translation services for PickWriters you’ll usually find her sipping cappuccino with a book.
