By Sharon A.M. MacLean
We made some headway this week with business leaders; what a relief. They’re starting to see the light when it comes to establishing their company’s brand online where most people self-educate before talking to a salesperson.
It’s a big reason for having a blog that attracts potential customers to a website where a transaction might take place. The blog introduces that company writer as somebody who knows what they’re talking about.
Blogs are not the same as websites.
This type of content is a more comfortable space. Think of the family room or kitchen table where deeper conversations happen because of the relaxed surroundings. Compare this to the formal living room (think website) where the space is carefully designed but where exchanges might be stilted.
This really hit home for me recently when a veteran business owner launched a new program. They decided to promote the initiative on their website. Great, right?
But this particular business never blogs. The only time they promote something is when they have products to sell which is like having a one-way conversation. I see this quite often with businesses who don’t have the patience to blog or to develop potential relationships before going in for the sale.
HubSpot recently completed a study based on their 7,000+ customers where they researched relationships between marketing activities, the volume of traffic, and leads that correlate with those activities. Here’s a sample of their results.
- An average company will see a 45% growth in traffic when increasing total blog articles from 11-20 to 21-50 articles.
- B2C companies see a 59% increase in traffic after growing total blog articles from 100 to 200 total.
- The average company with 100 or more total blog articles is more likely to experience continued lead growth.
- Both B2B and B2C companies with 101 to 200 pages generate 2.5x more leads than those with 50 or fewer pages.
- Companies that blog 15 or more times per month get 5x more traffic than companies that don’t blog.
- Small businesses (1 to 10 employees) tend to see the biggest gains in traffic when they post more articles.
- Companies that increase blogging from 3-5x/month to 6-8x/month almost double their leads.
- B2B companies that blog only 1-2x /month generate 70% more leads than those who don’t.
Here’s 5 more reasons to blog.
- Build an audience
People take time to know, like, and trust you. They won’t buy your products and services just because you think they should do so. People like when you blog, but they also forget about you when you stop writing content.
- Build a community
I have a client who could hardly believe her renters wanted to regularly read about her business subject matter—self storage. We talked about how her customers left their most precious goods in her company’s care and likely would appreciate hearing from head office. That company gets a 50% opening rate of her content. People do care, if they detect you are being genuine—like a good conversation in the family room.
- Build authority
Blogs show off what you know. They let your readers and (potential) customers know that you are an authority in your field. Sharing ongoing knowledge convinces them you know what you’re talking about.
- Strive for reliability
Writing with regularity suggests that your audience can depend on you and trust the source. That you’re trying. If it’s October and your most recent blog post is two years ago, that’s a problem. It makes readers feel like you don’t care about your business.
5. Develop your corporate personality
Writing with regularity helps develop a style. Again, people cannot begin to know and trust you, if you show up late or when the mood strikes. Relationships are strengthened when your friends know they can count on you.
Your bottom line is counting on your blog.
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Need help with your strategic content? Contact me through LinkedIn or by email: sharon@worldgatemedia.com. You can also pick up more ideas from my website: www.worldgatemedia.com
Life-long communications strategist Sharon MacLean owned and published a traditional print magazine over 21 years for business people. She now applies her enhanced knowledge in digital marketing to the needs of her clients and believes in the value of combining the best of both worlds.
