Remember the good old days when blogs were all the rage? Well, maybe not, but blogging has lost its luster. Today, millions of people blog and the internet is flooded with articles on seemingly everything. After all, there's even a top 50 list of the best pest control and bug blogs.
So if everybody is doing it and there are already articles on everything available online, why is having a blog still necessary?
With every business decision, you have to weigh the benefit against the cost, which for a blog, includes the time to write and manage and/or money spent to have a professional writer help. Summed up nicely in a Wishpond article, there are four major benefits a blog brings to your website and business.
"Drive traffic to your website"
When you want to know something, you don't go to find your dictionary or call your mother; you search for it on Google. Each day, over 3.5 billion searches are performed on Google. Regardless of your industry and target market, there are people searching for what your business provides, and by having blog posts on topics that are important to your customers, you're driving traffic to your website.
"Increase your SEO/ SERP"
Content, whether written on your homepage or in your blog, makes your website sticky. That stickiness helps search engine bots that crawl your website looking for information that's relevant and of value to your target market. A blog provides a growing catalog of content that will bring visitors to your website and help your site climb the rankings for your targeted keywords.
"Position your brand as an industry leader"
We look up to what and who we learn from. Educating your target market is possibly the best and easiest way to earn their trust. By giving them information, teaching them, and caring for their success, you show that your company truly cares for them and that you have something of value to share.
Blogging also gives you a tremendous head start when working to market your business through content. You'll have writing examples to share with industry-related publications you would like to write for and plenty of content to repurpose and send out in emails if building a newsletter.
"Develop better customer relationships"
Mentioned in the Wishpond article, "Blogs provide another source to deepen the connection with your customer." Similar to how your blog helps position your company and the author of the post (likely you) as an expert, it also starts and builds a relationship with the user. Blog posts are a great first conversation that will lead to an easier future sale.
What They Missed!
There is one benefit of having a blog that is more valuable than anything else on the list and is the real reason you should always have a company blog. Your blog tells your story. When done carefully and with respect to your audience (don't waste their time telling them how great you are), your blog will explain who you and your company are, what you stand for, and why your brand and products are worth supporting.
Today's customers are more educated and careful about who they do and don't purchase from than even five years ago. They are willing to take an extra step or two to learn about a business before clicking "buy now." Your blog is a showcase of who you are and what your customers want and need to know. Don't neglect this opportunity to connect with your target market.
Good article. thanks for writing