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From SEO value and thought leadership to brand awareness and customer nurturing, blogging is a fantastic way to get your brand out into the world.
In fact, blogging can increase your lead generation by 55%. It also costs 62% less than other marketing mediums while generating three times as many leads. It’s why more than 75% of Fortune 500 companies have blogs.
Despite these benefits, many small businesses are resistant to adding a blog to their website. Many worry about the time commitment and cost. Others are doubtful about the impact blogging can have on their business.
However, we’re here to tell you that you absolutely need to be blogging. Here’s why.
Take what you know about your current and target audience and just have fun with your blog. There are many benefits including:
Blogging makes sense. But don’t take my word for it; let’s look at some data about how blogging impacts the bottom line.
So logic and data support that you need to have a blog for your company. So let’s dive into the best practices that will put you ahead of the competition.
Blog post structure: When someone is new to blogging, even if they have a background in writing, the first thing to learn is the structure of a blog post. Blog posts need to be easy to digest. Use short sentences and short paragraphs. Break all of your content up with headings, and use bullet points often. And don’t forget to provide a CTA at the end of your post.
Post frequency: Find a delicate balance of keeping your audience engaged without sucking a ton of your time. The average blog post takes 4 hours to create, so utilize this benchmark when planning how often you should post. My rule of thumb is 1-2 times per week.
Quote experts: Identify and reach out to experts to quote in your blog posts. You can do this through HARO or good old-fashioned research. Link to their website and tag them on social when you share your blog post. This is super effective because people will share on their own channels a post that positively shines a light on them, bringing in more traffic.
Citing data: Who doesn’t love a good statistic? Reputable data can really drive your thoughts home and resonate with readers. Much like I cited data at the beginning of this post. Identify relevant data and link to the source.
Mix up the voices: You likely have different buyer personas so it makes sense that different voices on your blog will engage with different people in different phases of the buyer's journey. Incorporate your co-workers and if that doesn’t work, hire freelance writers on UpWork to keep your content interesting and engaging.
Keyword research: Since blogs have so much SEO value, make sure you are incorporating the right keywords. Google has a free tool here. Basically, you need to identify the phrases your target audience is plugging into Google so that you can up the chances of your blog posts being discovered in organic search.
Add subscribe functionality: If you publish great blog posts, your audience is going to constantly want more. Add a subscribe button so that your readers can opt-in to receive your blog posts as they get published. This will increase your audience size as well as engagement.
You can create the most incredible blog posts ever. But if no one reads them, what’s the point? Promoting your blog posts is crucial. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
As we’ve discussed, having a blog can be super beneficial for your brand. If you follow the best practices above, you should be on your way to reaping the rewards of blogging in no time.
If you don’t have the skills or the time to write weekly blog posts - don’t fret! There are many talented freelancers out there who can help you. In addition, most freelancers are willing to be “ghost authors,” letting you publish their work under your own name.
So, there’s no excuse not to start harnessing the power of blogging for your business.
Marketing.biz is your source for all marketing education and resources.