Blogging

Blogging – Generate New Leads and Industry Clout!

Company blogging is an increasingly popular element of content marketing. Businesses that have a blog generate 67% more leads than businesses that don’t. If you don’t have a company blog – for all the usual reasons you manage to find – you should reconsider.

Once a company dips their toe into the blogging waters, it’s essential that the blog is given the chance to do its work and realise its phenomenal return on investment.

How do I make my blog work for me?

  • Share share share…

    By regularly sharing a blog on social media you can reach an audience far beyond your original target. With likes, shares and retweets your words are hitting social media accounts and email inboxes belonging to potential clients, or associates of those that need your services.

  • Links and call to action

    For fully optimised exposure, the blog should be linked to your website which increases your web traffic. To maintain the momentum, the blog should carry a very clear call to action so it needs to be written with a particular purpose or target in mind. The call to action will generate new leads that would break your budget through other marketing channels.

  • Build rapport

    If your blog is reaching the same accounts on a regular basis, you are building a rapport with your audience, drip feeding them with information. By way of literary osmosis, you are breaking down barriers and constantly reminding your potential clients that you are there if they need you. No sales pitch required.

Voice of authority – a blog positions you as an industry expert

By commenting on industry matters and sharing company updates you establish yourself as an expert, an ambassador for your field. When it comes to competitor combat you need to be seen as the strongest source of information, knowledge and insight.

A regular blog positions you ahead of your competition, and your company as a natural choice for new or repeat business. It builds confidence, and therefore trust, which is possibly the most powerful sales tool of all.

Does a blog help my SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)?

Quite simply, yes! By using keywords and keyphrases you can become great friends with Google algorithms, sending you higher up the Google rankings. As long as you don’t overdo it. Companies should remember that they are blogging for the reader, not the gods of SEO. And frankly, the algorithms get the hump if there is a blatant over-use of keywords.

Original content is much preferred by Google rankings to copying and pasting other blogs. Using images, videos and links increases the SEO of a blog even further, and if a company is serious about SEO, the title should be SEO friendly, choosing SEO substance over being hilariously witty.

Companies in my industry don’t blog

Company blogging is a fundamental part of the future of content marketing. If it is not commonplace for a particular industry to blog now, it will be very soon so get ahead of the competition!

Online presence and company turnover are increasingly going hand in hand. With 3.5 billion social media users worldwide, companies can’t afford to ignore the opportunity to share blogs and attract new clients in such an organic, cost-effective way.

 

Paula Ludley writes blogs on behalf of a wide range of businesses. Get in touch to find out how a regular blog can help you increase your online presence.