It seems like blogs are more prevalent than ever with company websites utilizing the casual but informative format to connect with readers and potential customers through witty, targeted, and informative content. But a blog is more than just a fun way to provide information about timely or interesting subjects. Blogs are a vital piece of an effective marketing strategy if the content is crafted to connect with the right people and is timed correctly to complement the business. Let’s look at the 10 reasons why you need to develop a blog content strategy to get the most out of your blog.
1. Lead Generation
Most types of marketing have one overriding goal: to bring in new business through lead generation. Brand awareness and other marketing strategies are important of course, but with no new business or leads, a company stagnates. Blogging is surprisingly good at providing new leads. In fact, HubSpot’s research determined that when companies increase their blog content from 3-5 times a month to 6-8 times a month, their new leads almost double.
2. SEO Results
The opportunities for ranking high in online searches grow exponentially when blog content has a defined SEO or search engine optimization strategy. When relevant keywords are included in blog content, searchers will be directed to the site’s content. An SEO strategy should include short-tail keywords (single content-specific words) and long-tail keywords (commonly searched phrases connected to the content topic) within the blog content. Including both types of keywords will increase the likelihood that the blog will rank high on searches, increasing website traffic.
3. Increased Organic Search Results
All search queries include paid and non-paid or “organic” results. Blogs with content that includes strategic SEO keywords are four times more likely to show up in these organic results, making it a very cost-effective marketing strategy to use.
4. Social Media Connection
Blogs provide a perfect opportunity to connect content with social media to create a larger audience for your business. Blog content “previews” on social media channels drive those social connections to visit the website to read the rest of the teaser, answer an intriguing question to be answered in the blog post or read the bonus content promised on the social media post. Both platforms can work together to increase traffic to the website.
5. Consistent Content Possibilities
Let’s face it, coming up with content all the time can be challenging especially when multiple platforms are used. But using a blog provides a constant opportunity to provide up-to-date content that users will enjoy and will rank high in Google. Old content can be updated with fresh, current statistics or a new photo or video to drive up search engine rankings. Blog topics can be refreshed or rewritten over time without only writing new, unique content.
6. Honest Communication
One of the best outcomes of social media or blog post content is the honest connection that potential customers can develop with a business. When blog content is real and reflects the ups and downs of a company or even the sharing of best practices, potential customers will understand and appreciate the transparency.
7. Demonstrating Core Values
Creating a blog content strategy can help you develop a strong brand awareness that also demonstrates your core values as a company. With a strategy that includes content revealing what the company stands for, how you do business and the values it holds, blogs can be the front line of an effective brand marketing strategy. Integrating this type of content is key, though. Blog content that includes sincere, humble examples of corporate values goes a long way. This is a perfect opportunity to showcase your company’s “why” through thoughtful content revealing the company’s passion, leadership views, customer spotlights or even employee interviews.
8. Google Ranking
Using a well-crafted blog ranks high in Google search results since the company specifically chooses to return high rankings for blogs for multiple reasons. The first reason Google ranks blog content higher in searches is that blogs are able to provide evergreen content. Google recognizes that web pages with long-lasting content will be relevant for more time than other types of content pages where things like pricing or time-sensitive information may quickly become outdated. In addition, the lengthier content of blogs requires readers to be on a page for longer periods of time, so Google determines sites with longer content to be reliable more quickly resulting in higher search rankings. High Google ranking can go up even further when backlinks to other sites are included on a blog connecting content from one site to another as well as inbound links when another site links back to the blog content. So creating content specifically to attract the consumer of choice through blog content is a smart strategy since high-ranking search results are likely.
9. Time-Proven Strategy
People love to read, and blogs provide an excellent outlet for online or mobile access to interesting, compelling stories. Blogs are a place to build up brand credibility and express thought leadership in the marketplace. Over time, the combined use of shorter and longer blogs will add up to create a trusted place for customers to turn to for an interesting, compelling and market-specific read.
10. Affordability
Budgeting for a marketing strategy is expected. But blogs can be a low or almost no-cost addition to a strong marketing strategy. Creating SEO-friendly blogs that support a business may cost a little time, be repurposed content found elsewhere, or the content creation process can even be delegated to a marketing team. No matter how it is created, a blog that utilizes a content strategy will deliver excellent marketing, branding, and lead generation over time, proving to be an effective and viable tool for businesses.
If you find yourself lost and needing assistance with your blog content strategy, contact the professionals at NOVA Advertising.