10 reasons to target your 2018 blogging strategy

In the drive to exploit the latest trends in the dynamic world of digital marketing, it is easy to overlook the importance of more traditional parts of the content mix. Like the good old blog, which seems to have been around forever… well almost. The phrase ‘weblog’ was first used by Jorn Barger in 1997 before Peter Marholz broke it down two years later into ‘we blog’ and transformed the way we think about communicating forever.

‘Blog’ may not be the most beautiful of new words, but it displays a fundamental marketing benefit – it does, like a trusty pot of Rustin’s varnish, what it says on the tin. There is no shortage of content types to exploit today, from the infographic to the video, but we think it’s important all businesses ensure their 2018/19 blogging strategy is spot on.

For starters, if you have an active website blog, you have a 434% higher chance of being ranked highly on search engines, according to Tech Client, and B2B marketers using blogs generate 67% more leads than those who don’t. Compared to expensive banner ads, which so few people click these days, a blog is an amazing value. As AJ Agrawal, an entrepreneur and marketer who helps start-ups and Fortune 500 companies optimize their growth channels, declared in Forbes: “Marketers who prioritize blogging are more likely to have a positive ROI than those who don’t.”

Here are ten more reasons.

The brand story

The power of the word is undeniable. We are brought up on stories. As part of an integrated content strategy, blogs are an excellent way to communicate all your brand values and your company philosophy clearly. What’s your company’s story? What are your company’s news and views? It’s time to make your voice heard.

Audience reach

It’s simple. Blogs provide bedrock content that can be easily shared on people’s social media channels, which boosts brand awareness. Good blogs – relevant, engaging and delivered at the right frequency – will be shared and shared alike. This will not only drive traffic to your website but, it will also build client trust in your product or service.

Organic traffic

SEO needs words, and the blog is a great place to post your words on a regular basis. Each blog post – which will be written to pack an SEO punch – also becomes another indexed page on your website. Each blog is not only providing good info for readers but is also creating more ways to show up organically in search engines. Active websites are checked more often for updates by Google and the other engines.

Lots of links

By creating authoritative industry news, you build your reputation. You can also build links. Other websites will see the value in your carefully crafted words and want to share them. Their visitors will click links and end up on your site, which is a perfect opportunity to start a relationship. Backlinks also boost your website’s ranking. Companies that blog receive 97% more links to their site than those that don’t, according to Hubspot.

Symbiotic social media

Blogging used to be for longer and relatively important content, while social media was snappy and less serious. Today, the two should creatively co-exist. Firstly, you can promote your blog on all your social media platforms; secondly, the blog can feed your social media and enrich the experience of all your followers. It’s amazing how many snippets of interest you can pull out of one blog post. So remember to configure your social media icons effectively.

Research tool

A blog can help you discover what your readers are interested in as they are more likely to click on posts that cover issues of interest to them. This information also allows you to measure the response to your posts and refine your strategy on an ongoing basis. You will build a more in-depth picture of who your potential customers are and hence build loyalty.

Build relationships – CRM

Similarly, you can also use blogs to ask your readers questions. You will start to build stronger relationships by responding to all the comments that are posted on the blog. As blog comments stay in a static position on your site for longer than Facebook comments, this is also a great opportunity to give an insight into how you relate to your customers or clients.

Flexibility

Want to reveal your in-depth knowledge of your industry? Write a blog. Need to announce the launch of a cool new product? Try a blog. Want to invite potential customers to an event? You guessed it, write a cheery blog. The length of each blog type will vary, which is a good thing. Blogs that give industry insights will be long, perhaps 2,000 words, so Google will give it marks for detail. Shorter pieces will be quicker and easier to write, and they’re great for sharing on social media. Variety is the spice of life in content marketing.

Be the boss – leadership

Even CEOs can blog. In fact, we think CEOs should blog. It’s the perfect way to motivate and inspire employees with a vision or explain what is happening at the company. It helps to reflect a CEOs personality, demystify what senior management is doing and help with team-building. In fact, our CEO blogs often, which beat big one-off speeches at work conferences.

The e-newsletter

Now you’ve got a content calendar packed with blogs revealing the news and views of stakeholders in the company; you can start using them to populate a regular e-newsletter. A pop-up subscribe form will enable potential customers or clients to register for regular emails delivered straight to their inbox. It’s a great way to communicate and acquire new leads.

Would you like to know more tricks and tips to create a successful blog post? Get in touch and let us help get your content in check.