5 reasons why your business might need a blog

How content marketing can attract new customers and nurture leads 

When I was younger, I used to blog about Mariah Carey songs and bad dates.

My mom still thinks that's how people use blogs. Previously a synonym for an online journal, blogs are now a core channel of a business marketing strategy. They will be the second most leveraged marketing channel this year, according to HubSpot. Businesses, big and small, can benefit from a blog. But like my mom, many business owners think blogs are the purview of recipe creators and angsty teenagers and ignore this profitable channel. 

A blog will help your business to:

1. Drive website traffic

Using SEO and boosting on social media, blog posts are a great way to drive new users to your website. If your blog content is binge-able, leads can connect deeply with your brand in one sitting. They'll get to know who you are, what you do, and if your service or product is a good fit for them.

2. Nurture leads

Blogs are a great place to share educational content that keeps your brand in front of potential customers. Maybe they aren't ready to buy from you yet, but a blog will keep them thinking about your business, so you're top of mind when they want to purchase.

3. Create brand loyalty

Just like my love of Mariah Carey extends beyond any music download, a blog can grow your customers' love of your brand. Unique and authentic blog posts will make them fall in love with you over and over again. Potentially they'll turn into repeat customers or brand advocates—the best/cheapest business is referral business.

4. Amplify content 

The beauty of a blog post is that it is generally long-form. Once you create a post, you can use components for your newsletter or social media. One blog post can become 3-4 social media posts and at least one newsletter with little additional effort. 

5. Maximize your marketing budget

Many businesses are grappling with a smaller marketing budget this year which makes blogging a great option. Typically blogging is less expensive than traditional and digital advertising. Even if you're paying a freelance content writer, your blog will continue to drive traffic for years, while paid ads stop generating traffic as soon as the ad goes away.

How to make the most of your business blog

If you're ready to start a blog for your business or tweak an existing blog, here are a few tips:

• Google* penalizes content that is written by AI, so please write it yourself or hire a real, live human writer.

• Create high-quality content that is valuable to your audience. Often the more specific, the better. HubSpot says one of the main reasons why blogs fail is bad content.

• Post consistently. You should publish 2-4 blogs a week (spaced out throughout the week) and amplify each post on social media. This cadence might not be feasible for everyone—doing less will still show results; it will just take longer.

• Repackage your blog content. Turn the blog summary into a newsletter, shorten it into a tweet, and repost on LinkedIn to save time and align messaging on all your company platforms.

• Give it time. Content marketing will gain momentum over time, but it takes a while to see results. If your business' offer is time-bound, like a one-time event or super zeitgeisty T-shirt, you probably shouldn't blog. But everyone else will see benefits if you commit.

Ready to create a blog? Let us save you time and money with content strategy and freelance writing support. 

*Is there another search engine besides Google? If so, I don't know her.