Okay, now, so let’s talk. I have to say, I am being asked all the time: “What can I really expect if I start blogging for my business?”
It turns out blogging for business is not just throwing words around on the page haphazardly. I mean, drive some tangible results. And let’s face it: we all probably want to have those results yesterday. However, blogging isn’t a miracle overnight worker. In reality, if you do it right, it might be your best game for long-term play.
So, what’s in it for you if you’re willing to commit? Let’s take a look.
Image Source: https://clickfirstmarketing.com/the-real-purpose-of-blogging-for-your-business/
Traffic to Your Website
The top of the Funnel Just Got Bigger.
Do all businesses just wish for more traffic? Consistent blogging brings search engines more to index and show to the world. Every post is another “door” that will let potential customers in. And more doors mean more potential opportunities.
Okay, so you’re writing for your blog twice a week for six months. At the end of that, you’ve now got about 50 really good posts, and each one of those is a keyword opportunity. Now imagine each of those brings in 100 visitors a month.
At the end of six months, you’re seeing 5,000 visitors a month. And don’t forget, this is a conservative estimate. This compounds over time.
| BLOG FREQUENCY | ESTIMATED TRAFFIC AT 6 MONTH’S ENDING |
| One post per week | 2,500 visitors a month |
| Blogging twice a week | 5,000 visitors a month |
| Blogging three times a week | 7,500 visitors per month |
But hey, isn’t paid traffic so much faster?
Okay, so you are going to get a lot more traffic with advertisements, but here’s the thing: The day you stop paying, your traffic goes away. Blogging sets up an asset that keeps working for you, even when you are not actively marketing it.
Better Rankings in the Search Engines (SEO)
Google Loves New, Fresh Content
The Bottom Line: Google wants to serve the most relevant answers it can possibly give those in search of information. So, if your blog continues to put out quality, well-researched, and provocative content, you’ve got a much higher shot of climbing search engine rankings.
And so the search engines crawl and index new content. If one blogs regularly, that is essentially saying to Google, “Hey, I am here, and I’ve got some fresh, valuable stuff for you.”
Pro Tip: Long-tail keywords. These are actual phrases your ideal customer is searching for. Yeah, they have a lower search volume, but the intent often comes through, which means they’re more likely to convert. And since fewer people are targeting these phrases, you have a better chance at ranking.
For example, “where business blogging” is too vague. Try to find something much more specific, like “how to use blogging for lead generation for B2B.” That’s a long-tail keyword, and it stands an exponentially much greater chance at ranking better.
Establishing Authority in Your Niche
Become the Go-To Expert People
One of the absolute and most significant benefits that come from blogging is establishing you as an authority in your niche. Over time, as you continually give value, people start considering you an authority. Maybe they just think, “If they’re writing about this so often, they must know their stuff.”
And but, that influencer effect trickles down into everything:
- People trust your recommendations more.
- Your products or services are taken more seriously.
- You even start getting media mentions or speaking opportunities.
The Bottom Line: People called me over the years because of my blog. They didn’t give a rat’s booty about my pitch, my pricing, or even my competitors. They wanted me because they trusted me to be the expert.
Autopilot Lead Generation
Your Blog as a Lead Magnet
How Much Time Are You Spending Generating Leads? I’m going to ask you a simple question. How much time are you spending trying to generate leads? What if I told you that your blog could do it for you on autopilot?
That’s how it works. You’ve got a blog post that speaks to your target audience. Frequently at the bottom of the post-or halfway through-you’re offering readers a valuable free resource; perhaps an eBook or guide, webinar, or whatever. To obtain that free resource, readers need to submit their email address. Boom! You just captured a lead.
And here’s the cool part: That blog post can keep producing leads for you weeks, months, and even years later.
Example: One of my five-year-old pieces of work generated leads for me today—no joke. And the leads were highly qualified because they found me through content that spoke directly to their needs.
More Customer Engagement and Loyalty
More than Traffic – It’s Relationships, Too
It is not just the traffic generation to your site. It is to keep them there and, above all, coming back. That is where steady, useful content keeps your audience so hooked. It gives them a reason to keep you in their orbit.
Blogging can indeed start a conversation, and most would agree with it. There will be more clicking because of bonding to the brand. And it leads to loyalty.
One of my favorite activities to get participation going is your commenters’ comments. Get those commenters commenting on your blog posts. Engage them and ask for their opinion and experiences. When they feel involved and that they make a difference, they’ll hang around.
Long-Term ROI
The Gift That Keeps on Giving
One of the few marketing channels whereby you earn money over time is blogging. Oh, yes, sure, there’s that investment up front. Now, here’s the deal: it’s only when it’s live that you can count on it working for you day and night, 24/7. It doesn’t punch out ort get tired. It just keeps driving traffic, leads, and sales-over and over and over again.
It’s entirely dissimilar to a post on social media maybe, where possibly your post totally goes viral for three hours and then is altogether forgotten. Blogging, however, rewards cumulative results.
| MARKETING STRATEGY | LIFESPAN OF IMPACT |
| Social Media Post | Hours to Days |
| Pay per Ad | So long as you pay it |
| Blog Post | (Evergreen) Months to Years |
Increase Your Conversion Rate and Revenue
It’s Not About the Content, Really. It Is the CTA
And don’t forget the bottom line. Either a product or service, an idea, a philosophy, etc., your blog can be and should be a conversion machine.
All posts must have an overt call to action. What are you driving them to do? Sign up for your newsletter. Buy your product? Schedule a consultation. Make it crystal clear.
Pro Tip: And so we are clear, there’s no rule that it has to be a hard-sell CTA. Sometimes-as in the case of “If you are willing to get started seeing these results for your own business, let’s talk.”-it is the best nudge.
I have one client whose conversion rate increased by 30% simply from adding CTAs to the contents in their blog posts. It was content people were interested in but didn’t know what next action to take. An adequately positioned CTA fixed all that.
Leverage Similar Content Across Multiple Channels
One Piece of Content, Multiple Applications
Content marketing can work like magic: large parts of it because repurposing is part of the secret ingredient. That’s not just a blog post, literally, anyway. And this, at the very least, as a social media series or video, podcast episode, or email newsletter.
That means you squeeze every last drop of value out of the time you spent writing that blog post. And guess what? People want content in different formats. Maybe they love to read your blog, or maybe they love hearing your podcast. Repurposing lets you reach all of them.
Example: A 2,000-word blog post equals ten social media posts. Convert it into a downloadable guide and a YouTube video. And voilà – you have one blog post to generate content for a month.
The Value of Blogging for Business
Now, if you are truly interested in growing, well then, blogging for business is undoubtedly one of the most effective strategies out there. It is fascinating and sustainable until the very end, of course, in due time and effort. Rewards! I mean, let that speak for itself.
Blogs are the key to long-term success, from lead generation to establishing authority and building it all the way to traffic. Well, at least up until now. If you haven’t started already, what’s holding you back? Your target audience is searching out there, finding just what you have to offer.
Now, go write!