Blogging is arguably the most critical component of content marketing when it comes to generating organic traffic and being found by online search engines. Today, blogs are one of the primary ways that research is conducted and that information is consumed on the web.
By: PRISCILLA SALMASI, Digital Marketing Manager, Veugeler Design Group
Cranking out content on a consistent basis is key, but just remember: while blog posts do not necessarily need to be lengthy, they do need to be relevant and serve as an informative source that your potential customers will find valuable. Here are four reasons why blogging needs to be part of your marketing strategy:
1. Blogs Are Inexpensive
Blogging is an inexpensive way to interact with current or potential customers. Most likely, you have already invested in a website and are actively engaging in social media, two things that are necessary to get your content in front of the right audience. And, if your website is built in WordPress, it will come with the capability to start blogging right away – as WordPress is the largest blogging tool in the world.
2. Blogs Help Drive Traffic to Your Website
Think about how many pages you actually have on your current website. How often are you actually updating those pages with new content and on a regular basis? The answer is probably not that often. Users regularly visit websites for new content and search engines consider a website that is regularly updated as a more valuable source to show in the search results page. Well, blogging tackles both these issues! Each time you update a blog post, it typically shows up as an indexed page on your website. This means that with each blog post you have the opportunity for your site to show up in more search engine results, in effect driving more traffic to your site. Blogging also helps to drive traffic to your site through the use of social media. Every time you create a post, you are creating content that can be shared on social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Twitter, which exposes you to yet another audience, widening your reach.
3. Blogs Can Convert Website Traffic into Leads
With all this new traffic coming into your website you want to make sure you’re capturing those visitors and converting them into leads (actual, potential customers.) You’re probably wondering how? One way is by adding a lead-generating-call-to-action to every blog post. A “call-to-action” is a button for a free offer such as an e-book, a how-to-guide, free trial, etc. By placing a call-to-action button on your blog page, visitors will read the great content (wanting more valuable information from you) and click the button, which will send them to a landing page where you will request information such as their name, phone number and email address. They will then hopefully fill out their information to receive your offer, in the process becoming a lead for your sales team to follow up with.
4. Blogs Drive Long-Term Results
After a blog post is published, it may generate a hundred views and a few leads in the first month, but as it becomes more popular, is shared through social media and begins to rank on the search engine results page, leads will continue to grow. If the content does not age – or is not time sensitive information, you may continue to generate leads for many months to come. Blogs serve as an important way to offer information and answers during the initial awareness and consideration stages in a buyer’s journey. It is important to identify who your target audience and customers are before you start blogging. By identifying your target audience, you’ll have a better understanding of what type of content to create, what tone to use, what your customers’ pain points are and how your business helps solve them.
It can be difficult to start the blogging process and know how to create relevant content. Consult with a marketing professional to come up with a content marketing strategy that targets your individual goals and needs. For more information about improving your marketing, contact Veugeler Design Group at 678-482-2270 or VDGatl.com.
