Let's be honest. If you have a business, whatever its size, you may already have asked yourself this question: What are the benefits of creating a blog for my business?
Maybe your competitors already have a blog brimming with information. And rightfully so!
Companies that blog get better marketing results. How much better? According to HubSpot, a company that blogs gets about 55% more visitors on average!
Still not convinced? Here are some of the benefits you can expect to see in a few months. Because yes, blogging is a long-term strategy.
- 1. Stand out from the competition
- 2. Showcase your expertise and build your reputation
- 3. Improve your Google ranking
- 4. Become a go-to resource for customers
- 5. Increase traffic to your site
- 6. Get qualified leads
- So now what?
1. Stand out from the competition
By creating a blog for your business, you’re able to set yourself apart from your competitors. Let's take the example of two companies in the beauty industry and compare their marketing strategies.
Company A
- Has a banner with the name of the business displayed outside. Potential customers who pass by will see the display and hopefully tell their neighbors or friends about it.
- Appears on Canada 411.
- Doesn’t appear on search engines or social networks.
Company B
- Has a website where a web editor creates blog posts about twice a month.
Customers doing a Google search will obviously find Company B first. Since Company A is quasi-absent from the web, it will be much harder to find given all the other similar companies in the region. It’s that simple!
This is one of the reasons why a company that publishes articles on a regular basis will set itself apart from competitors. But there’s more!
2. Showcase your expertise and build your reputation
Being an 'expert in your field’ makes you or your company very attractive to future clients. But you have to prove your expertise!
By writing articles on a company blog, you’ll be able to showcase your expertise and establish a good e-reputation.
Building brand awareness is increasingly difficult and complex, given the amount of content and businesses already on the web. While writing a blog may not be the fastest strategy, it is one of the most effective ways to get there.
Remember that all the content you put on your blog will have a long shelf life. So we encourage you to create evergreen content, timeless content that will always be fresh and up to date.
3. Improve your Google ranking
Inbound Marketing is becoming increasingly popular; in fact, it’s now the main way to attract customers. In both B2B and B2C, people prefer to learn about the various opportunities available to them on their own. It’s, therefore in companies’ best interests to focus their strategies on inbound marketing. One of the best strategies to do that is content marketing.
Writing blog posts is one way to do this. But writing a great article with relevant information is not enough. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is improved by writing optimized articles. That may just be how you found and got to read this article!
Of course, improving your ranking on Google - or on any other search engine - is long term work: you will not appear at the top of search results overnight. This requires a combination of meticulous keyword research, writing and optimization. Not to mention targeting the right topics for your community.
The more optimized your articles are, the more search results will be in your favor. However, remember that a good article has the reader in mind, and isn’t just pandering to Google.
4. Become a go-to resource for customers
A blog filled with relevant articles, covering a variety of topics related to your business, will save you time. Say goodbye to sending a string of endless emails, all answering the same questions over and over again!
You may be asked the same questions repeatedly by different customers. By writing articles addressing those very questions, you can direct your customers to your blog. Just make sure the answers are actually there and easy to find!
5. Increase traffic to your site
How do you do this? It's very simple. A well-ranked blog on Google will encourage those people who land on your article to browse other pages in order to get to know you or to find more information that interests them. It is, therefore an excellent tool for driving traffic.
Also, the more articles you have, the more you can share them on your social media platforms or in a newsletter. This way, subscribers and followers will quickly find their way to your website.
6. Get qualified leads
Let’s not kid ourselves. One of the reasons you're thinking of starting a blog for your business is to get new customers and eventually increase your revenue. However, you need to attract the right people to achieve these goals. By creating a blog with articles relevant to your field, you’re adding quality content for Google to find, which will likely attract future customers to your site.
For example, let's say you sell handbags online. You could write articles about the different materials you use and how these impact the final price. People shopping for handbags are much more likely to visit your site if you have articles that contain keywords from their searches.
Customers will be more inclined to buy your products when they come across your article about the different materials and discover that you have an online store. They will more likely be drawn to the diverse and informative content you have provided on your blog.
So now what?
Now that you know the benefits of having a blog for your business, you're probably wondering where to start. WordPress is, without a doubt, the best and quickest way to start a blog… after purchasing your domain name and hosting from WHC, of course!
Finally, don't hesitate to visit our WordPress section to learn more about this platform, or you can check out how to create your website with WordPress in 8 easy steps!
