{"id":3610,"date":"2022-07-26T14:17:47","date_gmt":"2022-07-26T14:17:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marketingdirection.com\/?p=3610"},"modified":"2023-12-28T17:22:39","modified_gmt":"2023-12-28T22:22:39","slug":"why-your-business-blog-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marketingdirection.com\/.website_ef101ba0\/why-your-business-blog-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Your Business Blog Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><strong><em>A company blog can drive business to your website and attract new clients<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>To blog or not to blog, that is the question. As a business leader, you may wonder what the point of having a blog is. Is it really worth all the time and effort? In a world filled with digital influences, does anyone really read all of the stuff written in a typical blog?<\/p>\n<p>Yes, they do!! In fact, a recent HubSpot study shows that businesses who prioritize blogging are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hubspot.com\/marketing-statistics\">13 times more likely<\/a> to see a positive return on investment when it comes to their marketing efforts. Furthermore:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>B2B companies with blogs get 67 more leads than those without.<\/li>\n<li>61 of US consumers have made a purchase based on a blog post.<\/li>\n<li>37 of marketers find that blogs are the most important method of content marketing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Business leaders who want to grow their companies and increase conversion rates have come to rely on blogging as an essential marketing tool. Blogging\u2014when done correctly\u2014is a relatively easy, inexpensive way to <a href=\"https:\/\/openvine.com\/small-business-internet-blog\/5-benefits-of-blogging-for-your-small-business\/\">drive traffic to your website<\/a>, establish you as an authority in your industry, attract new clients and increase sales.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3612 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.marketingdirection.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wordpress-265132_1920-600x400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Benefits of having a blog<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/forbesbusinesscouncil\/2021\/04\/28\/eight-reasons-blogging-is-a-worthwhile-investment-for-businesses\/?sh=3f4a31d4bdce\">Forbes Council Member James Parsons<\/a>, \u201c\u2026blogging is of critical importance for a modern business, whether online or brick-and-mortar.\u201d Parsons cites the following benefits:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Blogging drives traffic<\/li>\n<li>Blogging builds authority and trust<\/li>\n<li>Blogging gives you social media content<\/li>\n<li>Blogging builds individual thought leadership<\/li>\n<li>Blogging opens up networking opportunities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cFrom an SEO standpoint, having a blog can dramatically increase your company\u2019s visibility online because Google sees it as new content,\u201d explains, Lori Piencykoski, Digital Marketing Specialist, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marketingdirection.com\/\">Marketing Direction<\/a>. \u201cBlogging gets your site listed in search results, which is a great way for people who have never heard of your brand to find your site.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When you highlight the products and services you provide, you are positioning yourself as an industry expert. Posting articles that resonate with your audience and showcasing your knowledge go a long way toward establishing a relationship of trust. Simply having a blog illustrates the effort you\u2019re putting into your business, which signifies trustworthiness.<\/p>\n<p>Blogging can also help build your email database. In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marketingdirection.com\/email-marketing-still-a-powerhouse\/\">Marketing Direction\u2019s April newsletter<\/a>, we talked about how email marketing is still a powerhouse among the many forms of marketing available today. However, getting people to sign up for your newsletter isn\u2019t always that easy. A blog can help with subscriptions, as long as you\u2019re providing informative, relevant and engaging content.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Tips to successful blogging<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>\u201cProvide them with content they want to see, and they\u2019ll find it when they go looking,\u201d says Parsons. While there\u2019s no fixed formula to creating the perfect blog post, there are some things to keep in mind.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Write for your clients.<\/strong> Remember, the purpose of your blog is to engage, connect and ultimately inspire a purchase. The content should aim to either solve a problem or provide fresh insights relevant to your industry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPosts that help visitors solve problems or include tips to make something in their life easier or better are far more interesting to potential leads than in-your-face ads,\u201d states a small business blog published by <a href=\"https:\/\/openvine.com\/small-business-internet-blog\/5-benefits-of-blogging-for-your-small-business\/\">OpenVine<\/a>. \u201cOf course, your products or services will be part of the solutions you provide in your posts, but in a subtle, helpful way.\u201d Be sure to avoid self-promotion and outright sales pitches.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWrite a blog about answering the questions asked most frequently by your existing clients,\u201d suggests Lori. \u201cYou\u2019re establishing yourself as an industry expert so advise readers with valuable information from which they can benefit.\u201d For example, if you\u2019re a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rgcocpa.com\/news\/\">CPA firm<\/a>, explain what changes in tax law are going to affect their taxes next year.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Write compelling titles and catchy subheads<\/strong>. Don\u2019t\u2019 be afraid to get creative with your titles in order to get attention. That being said, titles should be a description of what your content is about. Make sure that when a user finds your link on Google search and clicks on it, it delivers exactly what it says it does.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbove all else, do not resort to clickbait tactics,\u201d Lori emphasizes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Write how you normally speak.<\/strong> Blogs are meant to be informal and conversational. Use layman\u2019s terms instead of lingo that requires the use of a dictionary. \u201cIf you must use a technical term,\u201d says Lori, \u201cinclude a link to the definition if you feel it might be too ambiguous for general readers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Write for SEO.<\/strong> Fresh and relevant blog content provides a multitude of benefits. \u201cBlogging is good for SEO because it helps with a number of things that are important ranking factors,\u201d according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/\">HostGator<\/a>. \u201cWhen you have a blog that\u2019s updated regularly with blog posts that are high quality and on topics relevant to your audience, it can make a huge difference to how your overall website performs in search engines.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lori adds that blog posts should be broken down into sections with subheadings and one or two paragraphs under each. Include at least one photo and\/or video in order to break up the text. \u201cBe sure to embed videos through YouTube or Vimeo, never auto play,\u201d advises Lori. Why?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Aim for a frequency you can maintain.<\/strong> Opinions vary on the ideal frequency of blog posts. Lori says her clients post once or twice a month on average. The key is to be consistent so aim for a frequency you\u2019re sure you can maintain. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/small-business-network\/2013\/apr\/30\/how-to-write-a-business-blog#:~:text=Ideally%2C%20your%20blog%20should%20aim,fresh%20insights%20into%20your%20industry.&amp;text=Lack%20of%20time%20and%20ideas,for%20not%20having%20a%20blog\">Search engines like fresh content<\/a> and the more frequently you update your blog (and simultaneously, your website) the more likely your website will climb up search engine rankings and gain greater visibility.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><strong>If you blog it, they will come<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The beauty of a blog is that it compounds over time. \u201cA blog might not have much return on investment in the first year, but by the third, it might be responsible for more than half of your sales,\u201d Parsons says.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.hubspot.com\/marketing\/blog-lead-generation-analysis#sm.0000atacqo1t6cp9xvx1rqpuytfs7\">HubSpot reports<\/a> that more than three-quarters of their blog views are from older posts. Although it\u2019s important to create new posts, older posts can remain relevant to your readers for a long time. And, as long as they continue to bring in a reasonable amount of organic traffic, old blog posts can be easily updated to suit current campaigns.<\/p>\n<p>Starting a blog requires preparation and planning, and maintaining one is a bit of work, but it can be a highly effective marketing platform. \u201cAs long as you can speak the English language, you can write a blog,\u201d states Lori. \u201cMake sure you know what you\u2019re writing about, check your facts and write for your target audience.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A company blog can drive business to your website and attract new clients To blog or not to blog, that is the question. As a business leader, you may wonder what the point of having a blog is. Is it really worth all the time and effort? In a world filled with digital influences, does [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3610","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marketingdirection.com\/.website_ef101ba0\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3610","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marketingdirection.com\/.website_ef101ba0\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marketingdirection.com\/.website_ef101ba0\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marketingdirection.com\/.website_ef101ba0\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marketingdirection.com\/.website_ef101ba0\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3610"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/marketingdirection.com\/.website_ef101ba0\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3610\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5350,"href":"https:\/\/marketingdirection.com\/.website_ef101ba0\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3610\/revisions\/5350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marketingdirection.com\/.website_ef101ba0\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3610"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marketingdirection.com\/.website_ef101ba0\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3610"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marketingdirection.com\/.website_ef101ba0\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3610"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}