Blogging has been a big buzzword for a while now. It has become an essential part of inbound marketing for small and big businesses. The catch is that writing blog posts requires time, skill, dedication, and effort.
That is a deterrent for many entrepreneurs.
If you are in the same boat, it’s time to rethink your strategy. Sure, it does require a lot of work, but it can also help you grow your business.
Still on the fence about business blogging?
Let’s take a closer look at the benefits that your business can get from blogging.
6 Amazing Benefits That Your Business Can Get From Blogging
Business blogging is all about attracting your target audience and providing them with content that adds value to their lives.
If done right, content marketing through your blog can help you win over new customers and expand your business.
Here are some of the reasons why you should start building your own business blog right away:
1. You Can Boost Your Website Traffic
When you publish posts that your people like to read consistently on your blog, you build a community of engaged readers. Every time someone clicks on your post, your website traffic increases.
Whether you are posting the latest industry trends or educating your target audience about your products, you’re driving traffic. All of this, without seeming intrusive.
When someone looks for information related to a specific topic and your post appears in the SERPs, you’re actually helping them find answers. Without having to spend money on paid ads, you can improve site traffic.
However, keep in mind that mindlessly posting content on your blog won’t guarantee you more clicks. When you are brainstorming topics to write about, think about your target audience’s pain points. Try to think of the kind of questions they are likely to search for.
In your content, try to answer all their questions. You can also curate content to provide them with more valuable information.
Also, make sure your headlines clearly state what your topic is about. At the same time, it should be engaging so that readers want to read your articles.
2. You Can Generate Qualified Leads
Once you get visitors to your site, you have an opportunity to turn them into paying customers. To encourage them to try out your services or to make a purchase, you should add appealing CTAs in your content.
You can also offer access to free case studies, ebooks, webinars, and more such content to convert your traffic into qualified leads.
Facebook Messenger marketing platform, MobileMonkey, maintains an active blog covering the latest topics that may interest their audience.
At the end of each post, they have a dedicated section listing the next course of action for the readers.
It’s a smart way of adding CTA in an organic manner.
Image via MobileMonkey
3. You Can Showcase Your Expertise In Your Niche
When you consistently publish content that is educational and valuable for your readers, you establish yourself as an authority in your field. Not only do you gain credibility, but also win your audience’s trust. It can go a long way in influencing their purchase decisions.
Think about it…
If your prospects can find answers to their questions on your blog, you have already won their trust to a certain extent.
These people are likely to move through the sales funnel more swiftly. Why? Because they are already acquainted with your brand and know what you offer.
The brand awareness stage in the sales cycle can be skipped entirely.
Again, the key is to know what kind of questions people would want to find answers to. You can use tools like Keyword Planner for keyword research to find the right topics to write on.
Next, address those topics in the simplest way possible.
Your goal should be to help people understand a concept. If you use jargon, make sure you clearly explain what it means. If you have any complex topics, you can break them down into smaller segments or posts.
4. You Have Content to Share On Your Social Media Channels
Do you find it difficult to feed the over-demanding content machine? Come on, it can happen to the best of us. You’re expected to keep producing new content to keep your social media audience engaged.
Creative block, lack of resources, less time — there can be multiple reasons why you can’t find content to publish on your social media channels. The good news is your blog posts can create a wealth of publishable content.
You can share your blog posts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other channels to drive traffic. At the same time, you can also repurpose your posts into infographics, quote pictures, videos, gifographics, and more.
Online list-making application, Trello, has a strong Twitter presence.
On their handle, they regularly share their blog posts. In the screenshot below, you can see that they have even included a meme with the post link to add an element of fun.
Image via Trello
5. You Can Build a Strong Email List
Content creation and email marketing are interlinked strategies. Your blog provides a great platform to get visitors to sign up for your newsletter. In addition to this, you can also offer lead magnets like checklists, case studies, or webinars to grow your email list.
It’s a marketing tactic for businesses that is quite common.
As you can see in the screenshot below, Moz’s blog has a quick popup to collect email addresses from visitors.
Image via Moz
6. You Can Boost Your SEO Efforts
Search engine optimization is a long-term game. To get to the top of the SERPs, you need to establish your credibility and get decent website traffic. The more clicks you get, the more Google trusts you to be an industry expert.
As we discussed earlier, blogging can help you increase your traffic and build your reputation. As a consequence, a blog can also help you win at SEO.
Engaging and relevant content that is written keeping user intent in mind has a better chance of ranking higher in the SERPs.
Remember that you need to publish your blog posts keeping the best practices for SEO in mind. If done right, you can get your posts to the top of Google.
Another added benefit of your posts appearing on the SERPs is that it automatically boosts your brand awareness. With the right optimization, your business can get more exposure and visibility online.
Are You Ready to Start Benefiting from Blogging?
Maintaining a blog for your business can help you attract more quality leads, grow your traffic, and subsequently, your sales. What’s more, well-written blog posts can help you foster a good reputation for your business and establish your authority.
By publishing valuable content consistently, you can solve your customers’ queries and move them more easily through the sales funnel.
Another underrated benefit of having an active blog is that you will always have content to publish on your social media channels. Additionally, lead magnets and pop-ups on your blog can also help you build a strong email list.
All in all, blogging does require work. But don’t worry, it all pays off in the end.
Do you have any questions about the benefits of blogging? Please feel free to mention them in the comments section.
Shane Barker is a digital marketing consultant for 15 years with an emphasis on Influencer Marketing in the last 5 years. He is specialized in sales funnels, targeted traffic and website conversions. He has consulted with Fortune 500 companies, Influencers with digital products, and a number of A-List celebrities.
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