It’s something that many businesses take for granted but as a business owner in today’s market place, it simply is not something that can be ignored-blogging.
It remains a common theme in discussions with new business owners as well as with colleagues that have established a presence in their markets. The number one reason most people are not taking advantage of this cost free content marketing tool is that they don’t believe it will generate that which is most important to them. Leads.
Quite the contrary is what I end up explaining during these discussions. Statistics show the ever growing importance of blogging, especially for B2B environments in order to generate leads as well as serve a number of other important corporate objectives.
I have been diligent in ensuring a consistent blog post week after week and have seen steady growth come from it. Taking a look through Google Analytics (a great tracking tool) it’s easy to see where traffic is coming from and the blog post is one of those key drivers. Now, as a business owner how can you dispute a CPL of $0?
Aside from the lead generation specifically, having a strong blog can also help to increase organic search. As I’m sure many of you are aware, the percentages of customers self-educating before making a purchase decision continues to increase year after year and they’re doing this with search engines.
Finally, blogging creates a sense of trust as well as authority amongst your target market. Along with content that you’re sharing on the corporate site, having a personal blog from the CEO, VPs or Managers that speak specifically to aspects of the industry that you’re in begin to create a story in the market and ensure readers that you and your company is the expert in the field and therefore, the best choice for their purchase.
Creating a blog may sound intimidating but trust me, once you’ve got a few under your belt, it’s no longer a thought!
Although there are a number of best practices with regards to writing an effective blog which I’m sure your Marketing or Content Teams can take you through, this eBook from HubSpot does a great job of highlighting some key points. In addition, I have found that these three key tips for me are a must.
- Keep the title clear and concise.
- Offer a value add to your readers that they can use in their day to day operations, life or learning.
- Be consistent with your posts.
Good luck and have a great week.
Frank.