Blogging. Everyone is doing it, and to this day it’s still the number one means of generating organic online results. Content marketing is truly here to stay, and blogging is only one small part of the umbrella.
Yet, if you were to look up even the words “benefits of blogging” on Google you would see there are thousands—no, millions—of blog posts talking about the exact same thing.
“So why bother?” you may be wondering. “What are the benefits of blogging for my small business, if everyone else is already doing it?”
Let us tell you, writing helpful and interesting articles, then posting them as blog posts on your business’s website, has many benefits you may not even realize.
First, we’re diving into the why of it first to give you an idea of what you’re potentially missing out as you read this right now.
So, why blog? What’s the big deal?
Back before content marketing became a standard practice for smaller companies, blogging was known best as a personal online journal for several purposes. Some of these can be found even on a business’s blog:
- The people who were writing were (and still are) passionate about their hobbies, what they do for a living, everything!
- People wanted to educate others on their life experiences, or maybe reveal the truth about some false claims.
- They wanted to gain more exposure as writers (honestly though, who doesn’t?)
- They wanted to share something of value, whether that was on their blog or their social media, or both (both are good!)
- They had a drive to become an authority figure on the things they said and wrote about online.
So, blogging is a big deal because it’s the number one way to get your unique voice heard online.
Whatever blog posts you create, they don’t belong to your competition. They also don’t belong to your readers. They are all yours.
The fact that these reasons still exist to this day only illustrate the power behind blogging’s genuine benefits, which you can now explore in full below.
Benefit 1: You’ll be Recognized as a Thought Leader
A “thought leader” is marketing lingo for getting your name or firm’s name considered as an authority in the field. This is done by creating content such as ebooks, infographics, videos, and you guessed it, blog articles.
The more content you create and the more worthwhile you make it so people engage with it, the more likely these people will recommend your content to others and even share it online.
Blogging is a good place to start becoming an authentic Thought Leader. Your name will gradually become associated with great ideas and solutions to your target audience’s problems, whatever those may be. Then, when a reader is ready to recommend a business to someone they know, your company name will be at the top of their mind.
Blogging can also lead to speaking gigs, both online and offline. You could even use your blog posts as the starting point for a book!
Benefit 2: Your Business Will Become More Visible Online
Online visibility has some real advantages! If you regularly blog and publish those posts online, existing clients at your company may be more likely to refer you. They might say things like, “I know that (your firm) knows a lot about retirement planning for small business owners, how to get new clients, etc. Why don’t you get in touch with them?”
Online visibility means you’re more likely to be on Google’s radar. You’ll be more frequently identified by search engines, which will then allow you to be more visible to other media such as industry publications.
You can even pitch your posts or be invited to write for authoritative blogs (called guest blogging) to increase your online visibility further. For example, a blog article published in the Huffington Post could get you a massive number of leads.
If your name is associated with an authoritative and credible source of information, readers are going to be far more likely to value your blog’s content, and then they’ll visit your company’s website.
Benefit 3: Blogging Helps Your Search Rankings
Blogging and guest blogging in particular can get you backlinks—links from reputable sites leading back to your website. Think of each backlink as a “vote of popularity” that helps improve your search engine rankings.
That being said, you’ll only see good results if your site is getting legitimate backlinks, not spammy ones. Google considers backlinks to be spammy if they come from a blog that’s out of your niche or the link isn’t reputable (for example, a link on a fashion blog in India that leads back to an accounting website in Canada). A legitimate backlink would come from a post related to your business’s industry.
For guest blogging, depending on the publication’s guidelines, you can place a link or two in the body of your guest post or in the author bio at the bottom of your article. Anyone who clicks on the link is likely interested in accounting or saving on taxes, so the traffic coming from it could definitely include potential clients. Be sure to publish on blog sites that allow “follow” links.
It’s usually worth knowing about how Google “thinks”. Google has several systems in place to compute how much the link is worth clicking on. The more “reputable” the website is that has the link to your site, the better the link value and the more likely Google will suggest it to others when they’re searching online. The results you could find by getting a link from the Globe & Mail in Canada would be pure gold!
Benefit 4: You Can Use Your Blog Posts to get New Email Subscribers
Email is still a valuable marketing tool, however you’ll need willing subscribers first. Be sure to have a simple email form on every page of your website—and also be sure to only ask for their name and email so you don’t overwhelm them. Also, it’s worthwhile to add a call-to-action to this form that offers something they consider valuable—for example, a free ebook to those who sign up.
A blog as part of your website presents an opportunity to get more subscribers, which you then add to your email list for delivery. You may need to do this in a two-step process for guest blogs:
- In your blog or in your bio at the end of the article published on another website, mention the offer with an email, phone number, or link to contact you.
- Once a prospect contacts you, you can ask for their contact details and provide them with the content you promised. Now you have a new subscriber and a potential lead to follow up on!
The call-to-action link could direct the reader to a landing page, where the reader will be asked to enter their email address.
By doing this, you can build an email list and then send your subscribers newsletters, tips, and notifications about new content or blog updates. With an extensive email list, you can market your business to a wider audience at very low cost.
So, at the end of the day, this is why you need to blog, even if everyone else is doing so as well:
By publishing regular blog content that gets read by your target audience, you can become a trusted advisor even before they contact you.
Need some help with your blogging?
Maybe you’re reading this and can’t help thinking “Well, this sounds great, but I don’t have the time to write.” Don’t worry, we can help! Content marketing is one of our main services at KIAI Agency. We can both provide you with the materials needed as well as train you and/or your team.
Contact us if you think we’d make a great fit for your marketing needs!
