Doing online blog marketing is among the most effective content creation strategies: here are all the main reasons why you too should harness the power of blogging to achieve your business goals.
What if I told you that there is a digital marketing strategy. at no cost that would allow you to gain new contacts, increase the awareness of your brand, establish yourself as thought leaders in your niche -- and so many other good things that are fundamental to success?
No, nothing too technical or brainy.
If you have a flagship website for your business (which I take for granted), you are already halfway there.
What you lack is to do online blog marketing.
Excuse me?
You've already thought about it, but of all the digital promotion and advertising opportunities you already invest in, don't you think it's so worth it?
Do you perhaps think that writing articles for a blog is a bit "old-fashioned" and obsolete?
Well, let me say this.
You are so wrong!
I imagine you are aware of how digital marketing is now necessary for the success of your business (ergo: you must have an online presence to be competitive), but also of how saturated the Internet has become with promotional content-that's why one of the best ways to strengthen your authority and distinguish yourself from competitors is precisely to share value.
And, among the most often overlooked and undervalued content marketing techniques nowadays is him: the blog.
I know, social has taken a big chunk of our time-both as creators and as users...
But trust me, blogging is still an important part of an online marketing strategy-it is a very powerful tool and will be one of the most viable options for supporting your business for years to come.
By creating quality blog content, you can reach a wider audience, engage potential customers, and build trust and credibility in your target market. Blogging brings in more traffic, help you build brand awareness and authority, acquire leads that will turn into consumers, sales, and higher earnings.
But let's delve right in: if you're not sure how it can benefit you, here are the top 7 reasons why you too should do online blog marketing.
7 reasons to do online blog marketing
We always assume that you already have an active, functioning website: enriching it with informal articles allows you to showcase knowledge and expertise on various topics, strengthening the public's perception of you as an authoritative expert.
This alone is a very good reason why doing online blog marketing pays off....
But I want you to be 100% sure, so here are 7 reasons why blogging can become your best ally in the race for success.
#1 Increase visibility and bring traffic to your site
We all want as many people as possible to come to our site, right?
Okay, so think for a moment about the ways in which they can find your...
They could type your name directly into Google, but it means they already know you or you are "on their radar" anyway; you might pay for paid ads, which can be quite expensive; and so on.
The fastest and cheapest alternative? Let a page on your site rank among the top search results.
By regularly publishing quality articles on your blog, SEO-optimized (keywords, meta description, backlinks, etc.), you will acquire a higher ranking; and the higher your ranking, the more visible your website will be and therefore the more people will come to you.
Not only that, your site will appear active and your users will find fresh and interesting content to interact with.
#2 Creates long-term loyalty and trust
Marketing is all about the trust and online blog marketing is one of the best ways to build it.
How?
By writing articles on topics related to your business, you can slowly "cultivate" your audience and demonstrate your expertise in your field; by providing reliable advice and information that consumers can use, you will establish your authority on the issues you propose.
The best business blogs answer the most common questions of their readers and customers; by building trust with them, they are more likely to become loyal customers, so as to increase sales and improve brand recognition.
Take care, though: it's not enough to just write and post random things; you need to know and understand your audience, what they are interested in or what hesitations they might have about doing business with you. Then you can use your blog to meet those needs or address those concerns.
#3 Gives you authority
If you know me, you know how much for me everything revolves around her: authority.
Nothing can beat a solid reputation as an expert in your field, and blogging is an essential investment in this process because it allows you to share your perspective with your audience in a new, fresh and fast way.
From your site, you can then promote your articles through email, social media or other channels; you begin to become a thought leader in your space, and people will return to your site to get their questions answered.
If they perceive you as authoritative, of course, they will be more likely to get help from you.
#4 Strengthens your brand identity and awareness.
According to various studies, most people say they feel more connected to a brand after reading content that represents it.
Why? Because people are always looking for a connection with you before they trust you: sharing your story, your experiences and your know-how makes your brand less "fictitious" and more concrete.
The contents give a face and a entry to your brand, they personalize it, and this allows readers to relate to you more easily, creating an emotional connection that is essential in today's consumer journey (it's the power of the storytelling).
New and original content can also make your brand more visible among your competitors, increasing awareness: when someone is looking for answers to their questions, they know they can turn to you.
Being a useful and knowledgeable source of information serves you well in building and strengthening your brand's identity and authority.This means, however, that you must always reflect on what you are writing about and the degree of value you are offering to your audience.
#5 Helps convert traffic into leads
The more people you bring to your site, the more likely you are to generate leads: if optimized, your blog has all the potential to convert traffic into leads for your business.
If people like your content, they will be happy to read more of it, but more importantly, they may want even more: so here's your chance to offer them added value in exchange for their contact-which you will then use for all your email marketing.
It is definitely a good strategy, more effective and less "intrusive" than the classic ad, because it relies on that emotional connection I mentioned earlier.
With this in mind, you need to produce content that is useful, valuable, and attracts the right people, but most importantly, you must always spur them to action by including the right call to action guiding them to where you want them - for example, to the end of the article, or using pop-ups and banners.
These can lead to offerings such as free ebooks, pdfs, webinars, free courses, or any other type of valuable content that people would exchange for their information.
Oh, and of course don't be afraid to leverage your blog within your other digital marketing campaigns, for example by sharing on social media or in the newsletter.
#6 Drives engagement and improves relationships
One of the goals for most of the content creator Is to continue to build relationships with new and existing customers.
Doing online blog marketing is a great way to educate readers, provide them with suggestions or instructions, and establish a trusting relationship, which converts them into long-term buyers.
The blog helps you drive interaction with them: you can ask them to comment on your articles, click on other links, share on social, and so on. In this way you also stimulate the creation of a community made up of a loyal and trustworthy audience.
In addition, through user feedback and data analysis, you can have a better understanding of your target audience, what they think and what they need, so you can revise your offer and improve it according to their needs.
Finally, doing blog marketing gives you another advantage: that of having content ready to share on social media. Whether it's a Facebook post or a Instagram story, you can use a sentence or paragraph from one of your articles to intrigue people and bring them back to your site.
Or you can ask the readers themselves to share your article on a platform, through a special button (which is super convenient considering the effectiveness of the referral and word of mouth as a method of promotion).
This also helps you keep your social media presence alive by saving your time, using content you already have available to you, and without having to constantly create new content.
Some tips for successful online blog marketing
I have mentioned it before, but I would like to reiterate: doing online blog marketing is free!
Starting your blog doesn't cost you anything (again assuming you already have an active Web site, but if not, the investment to start it from scratch is super feasible anyway) - the only things you have to put into account are time and patience.
Yes, because if you are not used to writing, you may have to spend a few extra hours on it at first, and because then it may take a few months to see the first results.
That said, you might wonder if there is any secret to creating a successful blog?
There is no magic formula, but there are a couple of quick tips I want to give you to get you started.
- Offer value: Your goal should always be to provide a solution to a search query-this means that the title and keywords should be consistent with the content of your article;
- Choose topics accordingly: you should choose topics that are interesting to your audience, but also on which you have expertise and that are relevant to your industry;
- Stick to a routine: when you understand your writing and publishing schedule, try to be consistent in sharing new content so that you keep readers' attention and encourage them to follow you;
- Insert visual content: images, infographics, short videos, can better highlight what you write, simplify difficult concepts and engage readers, as well as break up the text and lighten the reading;
- Aim for quality (rather than quantity): Finally, remember that it is not enough to simply put in keywords and write what you think Google wants to hear; make sure that your articles are well crafted and that your online blog marketing activity is always part of a long-term content strategy.
Conclusion
Doing online blog marketing therefore has a lot of benefits: more traffic, authority, leads, brand awareness...
That is why an effective blog is an essential part of any web marketing strategy.
Remember: your online blog marketing should always be based on the objectives you intend to achieve; start with that, focus on providing value to your audience, and I'm sure your efforts will pay off.
What do you think?
What is the biggest difficulty you fear you will face if you jump into creating your own blog - or that you are already facing if you have an active one?
Let me know in the comments!