Blogs. You see them on a high percentage of the websites you visit, linked in social media bios, and even shared via QR codes on business cards. They. Are. Everywhere. From blogs focused on product reviews to corporate blogs sharing breaking company news and recent product launches, blogs have become a popular medium for sharing long-format writing. While blogs can be purely entertaining, some of the most popular have established themselves as educational resources for readers to reference.
As a business owner, you may be wondering if blogging is something your business should be doing. You may have wondered if the time and effort are “worth it” or if you could sustain a blog and ensure it aligns with your brand. Today we are going to go through the history behind blogging, the potential and impact blogging can have and why the answer is yes – your business SHOULD be blogging.
Behind the Business of Blogging
When blogging emerged in the late nineties, most blogs were made up of personal musings or creative writing pieces and even local news while some were used as resumes or memory logs. But just a few short years later in 2002, certain industries quickly saw and took advantage of the potential in blogging and its potential to serve as a resource. Blogging sites like TypePad and WordPress began popping up and by 2005, YouTube was launched as a video blogging platform.
From there, things in the blogging industry moved very quickly from bloggers officially being recognized as press to companies such as Twitter and Tumblr emerging and marketing themselves as microblogging platforms. As they say, “the rest is history”. In their short life, blogs have served every industry under the sun in countless ways. They are used for op eds, product reviews, parenting support, political pieces, medical advice, lifestyle, educational resources and more. Their potential is unlimited.
Business Blogging in 2022
There are nearly 4 billion people using the internet today and while your small business may not be hoping to reach all 4 billion, there is no denying that the internet, in one form or another, is a business’s most effective avenue for reaching consumers. While a website and social media accounts should be your first stop on your business journey on the interwebs, a blog is a fantastic and effective comrade to accompany them.
Here are four ways blogging can work for your business:
#1 Google Likes Blogs, Blogs Boost SEO
When it comes to ROI, blogging is one of the kings of the marketing realm. Get this – by writing about stuff you already know YOU can earn your way right up the ranks of Google searches.
You know when someone types “Kitchen Gadgets in Hometown, USA” into that Google search bar and Google obliges them with pages and pages of links but everyone knows that first page is where the magic is? Yeah well, blogs greatly increase your chances of getting there!
We love how the team at SendInBlue broke this down, “Google LOVES updated content. And there’s no better way than to keep it fresh than with new blog content. See, when you publish a new post, you effectively “ping” the internet alerting them to new content. That action sends Google’s web crawlers to your website. Those crawlers make note of your content and “index” the post. Then, when potential visitors use the internet to ask related questions in your area, your blog post has the chance to turn up at the top.”
So while blogging can certainly serve your consumers with its content, that same content can also serve you by getting friendly with Google.
#2 Blogs Bring People to your Website
So now that we have established that it’s good to make Google your friend, let’s talk about the next reason your business should be blogging: It brings people to your website.
Sounds simple? It is. But hear us out.
When your blog is well-written, thoughtful, and provides your audience with real value, it will not only attract new visitors, but it also gives them a reason to keep coming back. And the more often they come back, the higher the likelihood they will convert into leads. Every blog post should be seen as an opportunity to reach new leads. This sole concept should be reason enough to get the ball rolling on your business blog!
#3 Helps Establish Credibility
When it comes to trust, consumers don’t pass theirs out lightly. For example, you would be hard-pressed to convince someone to pay you fifty thousand dollars to remodel their kitchen if you’ve never actually remodeled a kitchen. On the flip side, if you can show them you are in fact an expert, they may be more inclined to not only spend the money but trust you to do the job you were hired to do without much interference from them. A blog is just another point of reference to establish credibility.
Let’s say your portfolio isn’t all that vast and your years of experience are short – a blog is still a great tool and point of reference you can provide to put your knowledge and skills on display for potential clients. Blogging can be an outlet for you to show that while you haven’t been in business for long, your creativity, innovativeness, and passion for your industry is worth investing in.
#4 Blogs are Social Beings
You know that social media account you’re struggling to come up with content for? Blogs are the perfect inspiration. Within every blog, you can probably pull 3-5 content ideas to easily use on your social media platforms. Take this blog, for instance, each of the four points we are discussing could each be a reel or individual post creating a fun series of posts that feed off of and promote one another while also directing your audience back to, you guessed it, your BLOG; ipso facto – your website!
But in addition to being a built-in social media content generator, blogs are already in a ready to share format.
What do we mean? Sharing the link to your blog is easy and quick. It can be quickly shared to your social media accounts, email list, family and friends group chats and more. This is a great relationship builder as well as an effective tool for spreading brand awareness.
Yes, Start a Blog for your Business
In case you still are convinced here are a couple of quick facts from HubSpot that should only solidify your decision to start a blog for your business:
- Blogs can result in a 434% increase inindexed pages and a 97% increase in indexed links. (Meaning you have a much higher chance of showing up on Google!)
- Companies with blogs produce an average of 67% more leads monthly than companies that don’t blog.
- 70% of people would rather learn about a company through articles rather than advertisements.
- Businesses that blog get 55% more website visitors than businesses that don’t.
We know…You’re ready to start your blog! But now what? We are here to help you. Connect with us through our contact form today to get started.
