The word “blog” is the shortened version of “Weblog” and is described as “ a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries ("posts")."
With its origins in the late 1990s the popularity of the blog rose throughout the 2000s and today the word is now very commonplace in our lives. But why blog and what are the benefits to your business? I have compiled a list of the best reasons your company regularly needs to blog:
1: The main purpose of "blogging" is to establish what is termed as an "in-bound marketing" strategy - using marketing to attract customers to you. This is in contrast to the traditional "out-bound" marketing approach, involving paid adverts to attract business. Through creating and sharing content which is relevant and of interest to your potential customers you will attract them to your organisation. You can develop content which is specific to their interests or discuss issues within their industry and providing solutions to these will strengthen your attraction.
2: A blog will drive traffic to your website. Each time you add a blog post to your website there is more opportunity for your company to be visible in search engines, driving more traffic to your website. This is a cheaper alternative to paid adverts. According to www.wearegrow.com companies who blog more than 10 times a month get 5 times as much inbound traffic as those who don’t blog at all.
3: Your blog content can be shared on social media which enhances your social media presence AND drives traffic to your website. The secret here is that your content needs to be GOOD. The more, original, relevant and engaging it is the more likely it will be shared.
4: Your staff: for any organisation, the staff are the key assets, the brand “advocates’. Getting staff involved in writing blogs show how much you as an employer value your staff and their opinions. Asking your staff to blog is a great way to engage them with the business and share content
5: Showcase your employer brand: your blogs can highlight individual or company achievements or make people aware of any social or charitable activities connected to the company. Blogs can reflect your company culture and help you attract the right kind of talent to your company.
6: Be the expert in your field. The content and regularity of your blogs can establish you as “experts” in your industry – a useful tool for sales professionals. According to www.hubspot.com 57% of businesses have acquired a customer through their company blog.
7: Build your company’s network: be consistent in delivering good quality content and try to post between 1 and 3 blogs a week to establish your reputation as “GOOD” content bloggers. Remember the style of a blog is to be more informal so don’t alienate readers with complicated language. Once you have established this people will return to read your content.
Do you work for a company who regularly blog? Have you had success in attracting potential customers?
For further information or tips on how to write a blog please contact Joanne Lea on joanne.lea@bps-world.com