what’s the point of a business blog
DESCRIPTION
What's the point of a business blog? Reasons for using a blog to market your business. What key benefits are there to having a business blog.TRANSCRIPT
REASONS TO BLOG 1,2,3
WHAT’S THE POINT OF A BUSINESS BLOG?
REASONS TO BLOG
1. Drive traffic to website2. Generate leads3. Stand out from the crowd
DRIVE TRAFFIC TO WEBSITE
Companies that blog 15 times or more per month get 5x more traffic than companies that don’t blog.
Companies with 51 to 100 pages generate 48% more traffic than those with 1 to 50 pages.
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Monthly Blog Posts / Traffic*
None 1 to 2 3 to 5 6 to 8 9 to 15 over 150
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
B2BB2C
DRIVE TRAFFIC TO YOUR SITE
How?From your social media channelsEmail communicationsShares and links from other sitesSEO (search engine optimisation)
Social Media Channels
Use your blog to create content your target audience does want to click on.
Make your blog the core of your social media strategy.
Promote blog posts on your social media providing relevant and interesting info on your social media channels and driving traffic to your site.
Use your blog to generate leads.
Email Communications
Share your blog posts through email.Feature recent posts in newsletters (creating
additional content for this platform too).Include your latest post in your email
signature.Target specific contacts with an interest in
the post’s subject – segment your email lists!Include a sign up form on your blog.
Shares and Links
Create content that other people will want to share.
Provide relevant guest posts on other sites (those where your target audience visit).
Ensure that social sharing buttons are present on your blog.
Encourage your readers to share your posts by telling them to!
SEO
Write about subjects your target audience are searching for.
Do some keyword research and use your findings in your content.
Use long tail keywords “how do I….”Blog consistently about your subject using
your primary keywords.
GENERATE LEADS
Companies that increase blogging from 3-5 to 6-8 per month almost double their leads.
B2B companies that blog only 1-2 times per month generate 70% more leads than those which don’t blog at all.
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Impact of Total Published Blog Posts on Leads*
10 or less
11 to 20 21 to 50 51 to 100
101 to 200
200 or more
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
B2BB2C
Generate Leads
How?Use your blog to build authority in your field,
and become a trusted expert. Link from your blog to other areas of your
website – without overdoing the sales pitch. Include a CTA in your posts.
Become an authority
Remember you are the expert!Identify the problems and issues your target
audience are interested in.Provide excellent advice and opinion via your
blog, addressing their concerns.Build you blog (or part of it) into a useful
resource for your target audience to visit again and again.
Include a CTA.
Links to Other Pages on Your Site
Remember no SPAM!A blog should never be a sales pitch for your
products or services, readers expect value not spiel.
However you can subtly point readers in the right direction.
Link key words in your post to relevant pages of your site.
Invite readers to look at other pages, or your products when relevant to your content. Be transparent.
Include a CTA
Call to ActionTo generate leads you need to be clear what your goals
for your blog are.Do you want to start a conversation and build a
relationship? Then invite comments, or suggest the reader contacts you to discuss further.
Do you want your post to be shared with a wider audience? Ask readers to share on their social media or email.
Do you want to sell a product? Direct the reader to your online shop, but only if the content of your post is relevant to the product. Link to specific products or categories rather than the homepage.
STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD
People like to buy from other people.
61% of US consumers have made a purchase after reading a blog post.
70% of consumers learn about a company through articles rather than ads.
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STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD
People like to buy from other people.Provide a personal insight.Look at what your competitors are up to.Get inspiration from other blogs.
Provide a Personal Insight
Use your blog to give readers some insight into you, your business and your employees.
Identify what key attributes you have that your clients and customers engage with: likeability, passion, influence, knowledge, professionalism, style, eccentricity…
Reflect these in the tone you use.Invite posts from other members of your
team.
Look at what your competitors are up to
Learn from them – what do you like? What don’t you like?
What makes you different from them?What can you do better?
There’s no hard and fast rules for blogging.
Not just text!
Behind the scenesInterviewsReviewsCase studiesStory tellingSurveys and
researchGuest posts
VideoPresentationsPicturesInfographicsPhoto diariesFunny, serious,
frivolous…
Get inspiration from other blogs
photo credit: David Blackwell. via photopin cc
SEO – THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM
Search Engine Optimisation
A blog is not an overnight SEO fix.Search engines look for good quality relevant
information.Google algorithm is refined to minimise
“black hat SEO tricks”.The accumulative effect of blogging
consistently about your services or product will benefit your SEO overtime.
I Love 2 Blog 4 You
I provide a ghost blogging, blog strategy and blog management service to business.
Find out more about my services at www.ILove2Blog4You.com
Or email [email protected]* stats from HubSpot, from their
comprehensive study into 7000+ customers.