by 6 min read
Blogging, when done correctly, serves as a highly valuable source of information for internet users around the world. Whether they’re looking for a how-to guide, an in-depth tutorial or they simply want the answer to a burning question, people turn to Google and other search engines to find what they’re looking for quickly. If they like what they read, then there is a good chance they will share a piece of content.
With this in mind, if you don’t have a blog on your company website, you’re ignoring a vital element of any good online marketing strategy. To highlight why it’s important that you start a blog if you don’t have one already, we’re going to take a closer look at what the purpose of a company blog is.
The goal of a company blog
1. Drive quality traffic to your website
One of the main marketing goals for any business should be to increase website traffic. However, while it’s possible for customers to find your website by typing your business name directly into their browser, it’s also incredibly unlikely unless your brand is relatively well known. After all, visitors would have to already know about you to be able to do this, and really, you’re trying to attract new customers, not existing ones. As such, if you’re hoping to substantially improve traffic to your website, you need to be found by search engines, and the quickest way to do this is to have content that can be indexed.
Although landing pages can be indexed, updating your website regularly with high-quality content shows Google and other popular search engines that your website is active. And research from Hubspot proves this, as companies that regularly publish blog posts are reported to have 434% more indexed pages than websites that don’t! However, that’s not all. Blogging also helps to keep your social media presence going because every time you write a blog post, you’re creating resources that people can share on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, which exposes your business to a whole new audience.
2. Turn traffic into leads
Now that you have quality traffic coming to your site, you need to convert it into leads. The best way to do this is to add a call-to-action to every blog post. However, it needs to be something that is clear, will genuinely help them and which they are willing to exchange their personal information for. Some of the popular lead generation strategies among B2B businesses include offering a free checklist, templates or tools in exchange for their contact information.
It’s also worth remembering that even though blog posts should focus on offering valuable advice to the reader, there is nothing wrong with encouraging people to make a purchase, so carefully consider what it is you’re going to offer them. This might be a no-obligation quote, a free trial or something as simple as an eBook.
3. Build trust and become an authority figure
“All things being equal, people will do business with and refer business to those people that they know, like, and trust.”
The main benefit of blogging for your customer relationships is that it helps you to become an authority figure in your chosen subject. However, trust is everything in the online world, so you won’t become a leader by just declaring yourself as one, you need to prove it. Crafting quality blog posts that are accurate and reliable is the best way to do this, but it will take time. If people really believe what it is you’re saying on your blog, they’re more likely to do what you ask in your call-to-action.
However, it’s not enough to simply publish one or two high-quality posts. You need to give your readers a reason to come back, so make sure you have a regular content schedule and you are using social media to generate interest. You don’t need to go overboard, quality is better than quantity, but consistency is key here. Also, don’t be afraid to tease what your next post is about or even ask your followers what they would like to see.
4. Improve your search engine optimisation
We’ve touched on SEO briefly in our point about web traffic, but you need to bear in mind that while having a company blog can help your SEO, it isn’t a ranking factor in and of itself. In fact, blogging is good for SEO because it helps to improve features that are.
For example, if you run an online t-shirt store, you could write blog posts outlining the emerging fashion trends in the t-shirt industry, how to pick the right fabric and designs for your t-shirts, and so on. If this content ranks in Google Search, it will bring tons of prospective buyers to your blog who may then be channeled to your online store.
One of Google’s main priorities is providing searchers with the information they’re looking for, so if they click off a website within a few seconds, this tells Google they weren’t happy with the first result they were given. Informative blog posts will encourage readers to stay on your website for longer, which will tell Google your website is very helpful. This could result in a better ranking position for your website on the SERPs.
5. Get valuable feedback
Another great reason to maintain a company blog is to gain feedback from your customers. After all, blogs help to build trust, so customers may feel comfortable enough to share their opinions with you. You could ask them to fill out a short survey as part of your call-to-action or encourage them to leave a comment. Any feedback they give you can then be used to find out what it is your audience actually wants or needs. This often opens up a line of communication that you can’t achieve with PPC advertising, for example, because it’s easier to encourage responses here. However, if customers do interact with you, don’t forget to reply or thank them, especially if they’ve taken the time to reach out.
Don’t forget about the long-term results
If you get it right, blogging can produce excellent long-term results for your business. However, to do this, you’ll need to choose topics that will retain their value over time. While current industry news is important, content that is ‘evergreen’ can turn into hundreds of thousands of leads and views in the future. All you will need to do is make a few small updates to the copy over time so that it still stays relevant.
If you’re not sure where to start, content agencies such as Copify can help you to source quality blog content from a network of approved writers.
Main image credit: Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash
Internal image credits: Denys Nevozhai, Chris Liverani, Adam Jang
Jess Thistlethwaite
Jess is Content Director at Copify. Her main interests include writing, copy editing, and social media marketing. Holding a journalism degree from the University of Chester, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 2016. With a passion for both art and music, Jess enjoys playing the clarinet and sketching or painting when she’s away from her desk.