Yes, this is a blog about blogging. I know it is redundant, but I often get business owners who ask if blogging is worth the time and effort. The short answer is a resounding YES! Blogging frequently (I do it once a week) is a relatively easy, inexpensive way to enhance your inbound marketing efforts, drive traffic to your site, enhance your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and attract more potential customers.
Statistics from Expresswriters.com highlight the importance of blogging. According to the study, 57% of companies who have a blog reported acquiring a customer from their blog. In that same study, a survey of marketers revealed that 81% of businesses say that their business blog is useful to absolutely critical for their business.
Why Should You Blog?
- Boost SEO– Search engines love fresh content. What better way to provide frequent content than with blog posts. By blogging consistently, you give Google and other search engines new content to index and you create opportunities to plug in those all-important keywords to increase your visibility on search engine results. All of the major search engines are looking for fresh, relevant content and blogging is one of the most straightforward and inexpensive methods for offering this content.
- Develop Relationships with Potential & Existing Customers– Blogging allows you to connect with your site visitors. This can be accomplished by asking your readers questions at the end of your posts to get the conversation going or by simply allowing comments and feedback. By reviewing and responding to readers’ comments, you can create a rapport with your audience, build trust, and gain valuable insight into what your customers are looking for.
- Establish Your Business as an Industry Leader– You can build trust and expertise within your industry by providing valuable, expert information in your blog posts. Over time, you become a “go to” resource for helpful, informative content, which can ultimately lead to higher customer conversion rates.
- Connect People to Your Brand– Blog posting shows a personal side of your business that perspective and current customers won’t see through outbound marketing techniques. Blogging gives others a sense of the corporate standards, vision, and personality of your company.
- Blogging Drives Traffic To Your Website– Take a look at your own website. When was the last time you updated a page? I’m going to guess it’s not very often. When you post a new blog, it becomes one more indexed page on your website – that means that you’re creating one more way to show up in search engines organically. This cues Google and additional search engines that you have an active website and that it is somewhere to check back more often for updates.
So, as you can see, blogging just makes sense. With minimal effort and expense, you can build credibility, boost SEO, increase website traffic, and build relationships with potential and current customers.
If you have any questions or assistance starting a blog for your business feel free to reach out to me. I would be glad to help. Spence.johnston@soffornt.com