7 Reasons a Blog Strategy Needs to Be Part of Your Marketing Plan
In the past during the Wild West era of the Internet, many businesses struggled to connect with their audience.
They were forced to rely on non-digital methods such as print and radio advertising in order to get their name out there.
But, in 2018, the Internet offers more capabilities than ever before for entrepreneurs, and one of the most effective is blogging.
Having high-quality blog content on your company’s site allows people to find you on Google, and can lead them to provide you with their personal info or make a purchase. It’s simply too useful of a tool to forego.
Let’s take a look at seven reasons you need to incorporate a blog strategy into your business’s marketing plan.
1. Brand Awareness
While it’s important to always strive to deliver a quality product/service to your customers, it won’t mean much if nobody knows about your company.
But, having a blog that provides readers with relevant, quality content is a great way for people to learn about what your brand has to offer.
With proper keyword research and a solid SEO strategy, you’ll be able to ensure that members of your target audience find the content you post, at which point they’ll have the opportunity to explore the rest of your website and find out what you can do for them.
2. Establish Authority in Your Industry
Trust is crucial in all aspects of life.
People are much more likely to make a purchase from a company that they trust.
But, you can’t expect your audience to have this sentiment about your brand without offering them something first. That’s where successful blogging tips come into play.
When you share useful insights and information about your industry that your audience can benefit from, they’ll develop a respect for you and begin to see you as an authoritative source in the space.
As with brand awareness, this will lead to more interest in your brand, which will, in turn, lead to more sales.
3. Connect with Your Audience
People love to buy goods and services, but nobody likes to feel like they are being sold something. If your brand comes off as a faceless entity that only wants to move as much money into your pockets as possible, your audience won’t have anything to relate to.
However, a strong blog strategy will offer your readers an inside look at who you are as a brand and provide a level of humanization that’s difficult to achieve through other methods.
It’s also a great channel to convey your beliefs, interests, and even insight into who you (and your team members) are as a person.
To learn more about what’s working well for other brands and businesses, take a look at this Zappos social media case study. At the end of the day, it’s all about relating to your audience and giving them what they want, while also gaining their trust and business in the process.
4. Increase Your Site’s Google Ranking
As previously mentioned, you’re going to have a hard time making any sales if nobody knows who you are. The simple truth is that you’re going to have to increase your Google ranking if you want anyone to see you online.
Luckily, blogging is one of the most efficient ways to get your site on the first page of Google, which will drastically increase the number of people who come across your website.
As a business, this is invaluable when it comes to boosting your online presence.
Your ranking will also grow exponentially as your site generates more traffic and you post more content, as you’ll create more opportunities for people to find you on search engines.
If you need some help getting traffic to your site, businesses like Sweetgrass Marketing have all the tools you need to help achieve this.
5. Potential for Sharing
When it comes to getting content out on the Internet, there are few things more beneficial than having someone share your blog posts.
This is especially true if a business that has a similar audience as you share your content with its followers, as you’ll have access to a vast amount of people you may have not been able to reach on your own.
To help achieve this, you should make sure that it’s as easy as possible for your readers to share your content. A simple method is having one-click buttons to share with their social media followers.
The type of content you create should be shareable, too. Blog posts such as how-to’s and “listicles” are great options when looking to encourage your audience to share your content.
6. Increase Conversions
Having a blog that you consistently upload quality posts to will show your audience that you are active on your site and constantly generating topic ideas to write about.
If you bought something online, would you buy it from a brand that’s active every day or one that hasn’t posted in three months? If it looks like nobody’s home, don’t expect anyone to come knocking.
When you convey that your site has life to it, people will be more likely to make a purchase form your business. Your high level of activity will also show that you’re going to respond quickly to any potential your customers may have.
7. Gather Contact Information
Even if you can’t make a sale right away, you can still use your blog posts as a method to acquire your readers’ contact info.
When you get their email address, you can add it to your mailing list and send them specialized offers in the future. When backed by a carefully-crafted email marketing copy, you’ll see a nice upward trend in sales over time.
Efficient ways to get this information is to offer readers something in return for it, such as the opportunity to sign up for a weekly newsletter.
Offering free downloads, such as eBooks or guides, is another great method to get your audience to provide you with their contact info.
Developing a Blog Strategy Can Seem Difficult…
But it doesn’t have to be. The truth is, a good blog strategy all starts with knowing who your audience is and what they’re looking for. The rest will fall into place as you go along.
Not sure where to start? Feel free to contact us and see how we can help you.
