- September 3, 2015
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If a Blog Is Such a Slog, Should Your Business Even Bother?
In recent years, countless companies have jumped on the business blogging bandwagon, posting regularly as part of their larger content marketing strategy.
But as blogger and blog-book author, Aaron Orendorff puts it in a piece written for the Content Marketing Institute, creating and nurturing a stream of useful, search-friendly content is “damn hard.”
One reason is the difficulty gaining and keeping team buy-in. From the honchos upstairs to the writers, designers and others down in the marketing trenches, everyone must be committed and willing to contribute time, energy and content. Otherwise, your blog is doomed from the get-go.
Successful business blogs also require a well-organized content calendar clearly listing posts’ subject, author, word count and first-draft due date. Orendorff even recommends including some keywords and title options that use targeted terms or phrases, to help reap benefits such as higher search results rankings and greater authority bestowed by King Google.
So if blogging for business is such a difficult and painful time-suck, can it possibly be worth the effort? For many integrated marketers, the answer is a resounding ‘yes.’
Big Task. Bigger Payback.
Blogging is hands-down one of today’s most traffic-boosting, lead-generating content delivery platforms, Orendorff says. Companies should blog, because when it’s done well, business blogging can:
- Build trust: Eighty-one percent of consumers trust blog content more than banner ads, search engine ads and other forms of marketing; blogs have been rated as the 5th most trusted source for accurate, online information, according to one Hubspot report.
- Boost traffic: developing even a modest article archive can increase traffic to your site by up to 30%.
- Generate leads: Compared with those who don’t, B2B companies who blog generate nearly 70% more leads
We agree that most businesses should blog, even if it’s just once a week. You can up your blogging game by working with an established creative services company. Or by reading our 30 Minutes to a Better Blog Post and Tips for Giving Your Posts a Title. Realtors can learn to blog smarter by going here. What should you do after writing a post? This infographic offers some interesting ideas.
