18 Awesome Benefits to Blogging

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Whether you are just starting out, or running a seasoned online business, the benefits to blogging are significant. The Internet is becoming more crowded by the second, and publishing your own content on a regular basis will help you stay relevant.

In today’s day and age, blogging and SEO are highly intertwined activities. If your business isn’t blogging, you could be leaving money on the table. It’s that simple. The benefits to blogging should be apparent to anyone looking to grow their business online.

Make sure you are taking advantage of these 18 Benefits to Blogging

More Windows into Your Website – When you have a static website, with five pages, each page serves as a potential way to find your business, depending on how the search engines rank them. Well, the same rings true for a blog. If you have a blog with 100, 500 or 1,000 posts, each post can serve as a window into your website as well. This offers a business a tremendous advantage with the search engines and with your readers.

Better Rankings – With the additional content, you have the opportunity to rank higher for more search terms. It used to be that an entire website could maybe stay relevant with a handful of keyword phrases. Now, each blog post has the opportunity to broaden that reach. For example, my keyword phrase for this post is benefits to blogging. That is not a phrase I would spend time on if I was only ranking a few. A blog allows you a broader reach.

You as the Expert – Your blog is the perfect place for you to showcase your knowledge. It’s the perfect place for you to add value to the customer experience. When someone is doing basic research about your industry, your blog is where you can provide a deep level of help.

Stay Relevant – Your customer may be looking for factual research about your industry before they begin the process of a purchase. A blog gives your company the opportunity to be seen in that process. They may not be looking for a hard sales pitch. They may benefit from a how to, or sales tips instead.

Education – You can use your blog to educate people about your industry before they make a purchasing decision. This positions you as a valuable resource. That will come in handy as a potential customer is looking to make a purchasing decision.

Strengthen Customer Relationships – A blog has potential to be a conversation. You can ask your customers questions, and they can do the same. When you help someone out with their problem, they are much more likely to stay loyal. A blog can be the place where that happens on a regular basis.

Keep People Reading Longer – The longer someone stays on your site, the more invested they are in the relationship. When you have a significant backlog of posts, your site becomes a trusted resource, and they will spend longer amounts of time with you.

Passion is Contagious – Let’s say you’re in the tech industry. You love everything about your product. You believe. Your blog is the perfect platform to convey that passion. When you are clearly excited about your topic, it’s easier to make your readers feel it, too.

Become a Thought Leader – There’s a lot written about becoming a thought leader online. A blog gives you a valuable platform to share insights about your industry. You can help customers make better decisions. You can share opinions about significant pieces of industry news. Your blog is the perfect vehicle for you to become a thought leader within your industry.

It Allows You to Get Personal – You may stay 100 percent professional in your other online or print marketing materials. You may stick to business. Whether you are b2b or b2c, your blog allows you the chance to get personal. People want to buy from people. The more relaxed you can make them, the better the experience will be.

Sales Pieces – If you run a company with sales reps, you can arm them with physical copies of the most significant posts. You can even write a “25 Questions Potential Customers Ask Most” post. Leave the post behind with potential customers, instead of just asking them to read.

Endless Possibilities – Whenever you publish a blog post, you never know what will happen with it. If people find it helpful, they may link to it, share it, tweet it, or in some cases, maybe even republish it. The possibilities to grow your business are endless.

Supports Your Social Media Platforms – Quality blogs on a regular basis can help your LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook presence grow. There is still a significant market and large demand for publishing useful information. This can be a great way to increase your relevance online.

Enhances the Conversation – Your customers may have questions they didn’t know they had. They may want to talk about certain aspects of your business. Your blog is a way to make them think about your industry in a way they haven’t to this point. What do you do differently than your competition? What makes you unique? These can be undercurrents running through your writing, that bring more to the industry conversation.

More Leads – This, of course, is one of the more significant benefits to blogging. Businesses that blog receive up to 67 percent more leads than those that do not, according to Hubspot. It’s easy to see why, as there is more content put out into the world.

Content Freshness – Google has hundreds of ranking factors, but one of the things they look for in a website is consistent, fresh content. They are prioritizing the most recent and timely content. Obviously, a blog can help you stay relevant. Potential customers are also looking for recent signs of life, so if you have a blog that is consistently updated, it’s a sign that your business is thriving.

Live Your Company Mission – It’s easy to say you want to help people do X, but how many chances do you get to live it? Your blog can be a place where your company mission comes to life. In addition to selling your product, the valuable information that you publish can be a true asset to your customers, and help you live out what you want to do.

The Only Cost is Your Time – Blogging increases visibility and relevance in the search engines. The other way to do this is through search engine marketing, or buying ads. Comparatively, blogging is a low cost activity. If you are blogging for your own site, the only cost is your time. You can also hire a freelance blog copywriter at an affordable rate.

Conclusion…

If your business isn’t blogging yet, why not? If your business is blogging, are you getting the most out of it? Publishing new material on a consistent basis is critical to taking advantage of everything digital marketing has to offer.

Make sure that your business is seeing the benefits to blogging.

Source: B2C