In the end, we are responsible for ensuring our clients are educated about the value of the tools that we get paid to build for them. However, it can be difficult to communicate a one-size-fits-all strategy for blogging over a short meeting, especially because one doesn’t really exist.
We’ve found that when clients understand the benefits a blog can provide, they are eager and ready to apply the tool’s application to their business. If you are considering whether or not you should blog on your company’s website, ask yourself if these potential benefits appeal to your business.
Improve your company’s online presence in organic or local search
Major search engines use many ranking factors when evaluating your website’s position in results pages. A freshness factor does exist among these highly secret algorithms.
When was the last time you updated your company’s website? Updating your website on a regular basis gives search engine spiders a reason to revisit and crawl your site so it can be better/further indexed.
We aren’t just talking about changing headlines and reorganizing the existing structure of your site, we’re talking about expanding the actual footprint of your site through the creation of original content. Blogging can give your business many opportunities to be found in major search engines for valuable keywords related to both your industry and local geographic area.
Another potential SEO benefit of blogging is that it gives other sites a reason to provide backlinks to your own site. If you focus on creating compelling original content, it can attract the attention of another person or brand that feels compelled to direct their followers to your posts via social media referrals or backlinks on their actual website.
Increase brand awareness and curiosity in your company’s story or message
What do your customers think of you? What do you think your customers think of you? If there is a disconnect here, analyze how you can make your approach more authentic and memorable.
Blogging offers a golden opportunity for brands to start a meaningful conversation by speaking directly to potential customers about the things that really matter to them. Finding your company’s online voice will take time, and will require the help of your entire team to refine a tone that really works for your audience.
Generate leads, capture email addresses, and grow newsletter subscriptions
Blogging is also a great way to continue an ongoing discussion with potential customers and keep them coming back your site. A blog post could spark their curiosity into the way your business is run or the features your product has to offer.
While your blog posts might not encourage an actual purchase, such content could drive your potential customers’ curiosity into another action that is still beneficial to your business’ success. Capturing email addresses and growing newsletter subscriptions are just two actions that allow brands to continue the conversation with their customers long after they have visited your site and read your blog.
Educate and transform casual, prospective buyers into loyal, long-term customers
Have you ever watched a brand video or read an article about a company that you identified with so completely you couldn’t wait to do business with them or buy their product? This kind of interaction with content happens every day and reflects the powerful and immediate nature of shopping on the web.
Ultimately, the practice of educating consumers to make better decisions through the sharing of information is creating a better online experience for everyone and driving sales for the businesses that do it well.
Capture and entertain the attention of massive online audiences with viral, real-time marketing pieces
Social media has opened the floodgates for digital marketers to accomplish some incredible feats in real-time. People naturally flock to social platforms for sharing during sporting events, television premiers, political debates and much more — shouldn’t brands as well?
According to a 2015 study by Accenture.com, “87 percent of consumers are also using their smartphone, tablet, game console, ebook or laptop whilst watching TV. In other words, the second screen is firmly established as a key element of the value proposition for all media companies.”
When you consider the magnitude of online users you can reach with social media, it really pays to be monitoring and responding to trends by composing and sharing timely blog content. However, consistently pursuing real-time marketing campaigns may be unrealistic for the advertising budgets of most of the local businesses we work with here in Omaha. Luckily, our content team can help craft realistic solutions for businesses of any size or industry.
Looking to find guidance or direction for your marketing messages? Discover what original content and creative copywriting can do to enhance your existing strategies.