These days there’s a lot of hype around video content, but don’t underestimate the value of blogging. Your 2019 content strategy should still include ‘blogging as usual’. Here are 10 compelling reasons why.
1) A critical content marketing tactic for 2019
In a recent content marketing survey, 52% of respondents agreed that blogging is their most critical content marketing tactic. Both email newsletters and social media content were rated as second by 40% of respondents. And video? Only 30% of respondents consider video to be vital.
2) Blogs are still tops for in-depth material
While no-one can argue that video is engaging, when it comes to drilling down into a subject for depth, long form content (2000 words or more) still performs consistently well. This is substantiated by Google who say that 10% of users still consume topics of depth as part of their daily information source.
3) People trust blogs
Besides the overload of information available, users also must filter out the plethora of fake news online. Blogs are perceived as the 5th most trusted online source of accurate information. Your blog is an opportunity to share the humanness of your brand and to exercise your brand voice. It’s also where your topics can address your audience’s interests and concerns. Blogging showcases your business personality and in turn increases brand like-ability and loyalty. Importantly its an opportunity to differentiate your brand from competition.
4) They drive traffic to your website
Driving traffic to your website is the goal to get users to purchase or inquire about your product or service. Your blog is a rich repository of articles, expertise and keywords that search engine optimisation (SEO) demands, to rank your website favourably.
Interestingly research indicates that 75% of users don’t scroll beyond the first page of a search.
It is therefore vital for any company to improve their search ranking and aim to feature on page one of Google and other search engines. The more you feature in search engine results, the more traffic you get to your website. And you get there by using keywords and blogging. A lot.
You have a 434% higher chance of being ranked highly on search engines if you feature a blog as part of your website (Tech Client).
5) Blogging encourages inbound links
The more inbound links (hyperlinks that go back to your site) and backlinks you achieve, the better your website is ranked by search engines. Links are the currency of the internet. Companies who blog receive 97% more links to their website than those who don’t. This is a statistic you simply cannot ignore. The more you blog about all things useful, the higher the chances of you getting those inbound links.
6) Blogging gets results
According to statistics almost 55% of bloggers report that they get positive spin-off from blogs and 30% indicated strong marketing results. This indicates that bloggers can measure a positive return on investment. Being able to demonstrate ROI is very valuable when motivating for more marketing budget and justifying time and resources spent on blogging.
Businesses using blogs as part of their content marketing mix get 67% more leads than those who don’t (Hubspot).
7) Blogs start conversations
Engagement with your customers is paramount to the success and longevity of any brand. Your customer engagement doesn’t have to be exclusively via social media. Integrating both social and blogging is more favourable.
These are some ways you can encourage conversations in your blog:
- Include an open comments section.Here your audience can comment and give feedback on the blog posts. These comments could also share some valuable insights on your brand direction.
- Encourage your readers to share a post they like. By including social media / email sharing buttons, your brand could amplify its reach to new potential customers.
8) Essential for successful social
Initially blogging and social media where considered two different and separate types of content. Typically, the blog was your long-form, serious content and social media your less formal content. Best practice now indicates that your blog should inform and shape your social media posts. You can use social media to promote your blog. This enriches your social media followers with useful information and drives traffic back to your website for further engagement with your blog and potentially with your product or service.
9) Blogging trumps advertising
Research shows that people are so averse to internet banner ads that they’re more likely to climb Mount Everest than click on a banner ad. Most people search company blogs to find out more about your brand. If you have a relevant cross-section of brand information within your blogs, they serve as subtle advertising sources for your customer. Your blog functions as your advertising, only better as they are considered more trustworthy.
10) Stretch your comfort zone.
Traditionally blogs were a company mouthpiece serving a marketing agenda and strategy. As blogs have evolved, customers are now expecting to read transparent candid stories, and valuable information that enriches their knowledge. This means that as the blogger, you are required to stretch outside of your comfort zone in search of high-quality content.
Not sure where to start? Don’t have the time to create regular blogs? Creative Imagineering are specialists in developing original and engaging content. We’ll ensure your website ranking improves with quality content. Let’s start the conversation.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: https://blog.hubspot.com/