Benefits of blogging: do businesses really need to blog?

Many businesses don’t see the benefits of blogging. There’s a common misconception that blogs are just for sharing recipes, silly lists, and the ups and downs in the lives of “lifestyle bloggers” – nothing to do with real business.

What these businesses don’t understand is that blogging is essential for improving your online visibility, bringing traffic to your website, and, ultimately, meeting the goals set out in your digital strategy.

Five big benefits of blogging:

1. Content marketing just doesn’t work without content. Seems obvious but this can’t be overlooked. Your target audience needs a reason to pay attention to and interact with you. Enter regularly-published, relevant, interesting and original blog content – think videos, infographics and more.

 

 

2. Your blog is the “hub” of your digital strategy. Your content needs a place to live and needs to serve a purpose. An effective digital strategy is built around a “hub and spoke” model, where your blog and website are the focal points of your online efforts. Of course, people won’t know when you publish something unless you share it with them. Enter the “spokes” – your social media channels. By sharing your blog posts via these spokes, you’ll lure viewers back to your site where they’ll hopefully consume more of your content and explore your site, as long as they like what they see.

 

 

3. You control the message. Your blog and website are considered owned media. That is – content produced and controlled by you. Also, you retain the audience you attract to your blog, and you get to moderate their comments. On social media both the audience and the conversation are beyond your control. When myths and inaccuracies are being spread online, you can mitigate your risk and counter those untruths by sharing factual, well-crafted information through your blog. Basically, owned media provides a level of control and security that social media does not.

   “If Facebook disappeared tomorrow they would take your account, content and audience with them,” says Kelly Ferrier, managing editor at Communicatto. “The difference is that content on your blog and website is created and owned by you.”

 

 

4. You’ll establish authority on the topics that matter to you. According to Moz, a leading SEO service provider: “Your blog should be used to help establish authority through content that adds value to your industry as a whole”. By displaying thought leadership, you can become a trusted source of information; in the long run, you might even become one of the “go-to” blogs in your field. When viewers search for opinions and information on relevant and timely topics, you want to be the blog that they look to first for insight.

 

 

5. Tell your story before someone else does. Every business and industry has a story; your blog is an opportunity to share your story in your own words. After all, the online world is full of competitors and detractors – insert your voice by publishing your blog early and often. In a nutshell, blogs increase your credibility, help to engage your target audience and, ultimately, bring more traffic – and hopefully more conversions – to your website. With all the benefits blogging has to offer, the real question is “Why not blog?”

 

Want to know more about blogging? Check out our video on the weird web words of blogging. Problogger also has a great post on “How to start a blog in 5 steps”. Or you might want to check out the treasure trove of blogging resources on About.com. Or possibly Social Media Examiner’s “How to Write Blog Posts People Love to Read”.

It’s not hard to get started with all the online support and training out there. Here’s hoping we see you in the blogosphere!