Blogs have, in one form or another, been around for almost thirty years. They’ve evolved from being a personal “web log”, to being a medium that is diverse and engaging, now encompassing news outlets, businesses and more.

In some ways, the only things that blogs have in common are that they are updated regularly with fresh content, while the rest of your website is essentially the same for several years.

Blogs can be:

• Weekly news updates from your business
• Latest news in your industry
• Edutainment-style articles about your industry
• Showcasing products in different contexts
• Explainers that help onboard prospects
• Help or how-to articles for clients

While blogs may not be the hottest new trend, the reality is that they have been thriving for decades because they work. And, let’s face it, a core part of the internet – Google – factors in blogs to help it decide which websites are worth surfacing.

One of the strongest arguments for blogs is that they help your business with traffic and authority over time. The investment you put into blogs now pays off over years.

I’ve been blogging on my own site for almost a decade. Here’s why I love the medium:

Blogs drive traffic to your website

When you’re in the early stages of trying to learn about a topic or industry, if you google it, you’re much more likely to click on an educational article about the topic rather than a sales page from a business. So from the other side, as a business, we can provide that same platform for our audience to get in the door.

Blogs give your audience content that is engaging – and gives them a reason to visit your website. It’s because of this that businesses with blogs are 55% more likely to have visitors than businesses that don’t.

Blogging complements your social media marketing

Blogging and social media aren’t opposing marketing tools where you must choose “this or that”. They are both brilliant tools to educate audiences about your business. In fact, having a blog can make your social media easier because it’s a piece of content that’s ready to go. Sending out social media content consistently each week which highlights your blog is a solid way that your social media can support your blogging (and vice versa).

On top of this, having interesting, educational or entertaining content means that other people have a reason to share your content on social media, too, which means your audiences are doing the work for you of finding new prospects.

Blogs educate your prospects about your business

It’s much easier to get someone to buy from you if they already know that your product is fabulous. Blogs give people an opportunity to get up close and personal with your products or services before purchasing. Your blog can show how customers can integrate your product into their lives in a variety of ways over time.

Blogs can essentially be sales pages in disguise with sneaky blogs like:

• “5 questions to ask before purchasing x””
• 7 things you didn’t know x could do”
• “3 people whose lives were changed after they bought y”.
• “Your summer rundown of the must-have z”.

They are light and engaging headlines but can showcase your products in great detail and be more persuasive than a sales page.

Blogs can help you showcase your expertise

Blogging can be a great way to show industry expertise. This is particularly useful if you’re in a service-based industry where it can be harder to show off a ‘before’ and ‘after’ photo!

Sharing your perspective on industry changes, sharing tips and tricks or explaining how to navigate tricky situations in your work are really strong ways to set you apart from the pack. It shows how you think, how you solve problems and if people are researching a specific topic, showing that you’ve solved that for a client in the past is a great way to showcase your work. It’s a brilliant way to be seen as a thought leader and be the go-to for others in the industry.

Blogs help you get more leads

When people are on your website reading your blog, they are already in a prime position to take the next step: whether it’s signing up for your newsletter, checking out your products or submitting an enquiry.

Creating a blog that shows a case study of your fabulous work is the ideal place to lead into a call-to-action: ‘want these results, too? Get in touch!’.

It’s because of the ease of integrating calls-to-action that businesses with content marketing, such as blogs, get 3 x more leads than businesses without (and it costs 62% less than traditional marketing!).

Blogs help Google find you

One key approach to help Google find you is by having content on your website which features the keywords that relate to your industry, so Google knows your site specialises in that topic, so when someone Googles your industry, they are more likely to show your site.

While several sales pages are handy, having a stack of blog posts featuring those ideal keywords is a great big green flag to Google that your site is the place to go about your industry because, simply, there are more words about that topic on your site.

On top of that, if you’re consistently posting content over time, Google is constantly reassessing your site’s value in its search rankings which means that every time you publish a post, Google is checking out your site with fresh eyes to see if it should rank you higher.

Blogs keep working over time

A social media post reaches the most people when it originally is posted (unless you recycle the content!). However, blog content can be ‘slow burn’ where it pays off over time. It might get a consistent trickle of traffic – but it gets that traffic for years. Once it’s created, it is reaping returns long term.

From my own blog, I know that a post I wrote five years ago is still my highest traffic driver! And, even though it’s older content, nothing is stopping me from updating it, so it stays relevant even as times change.

Conclusion

Blogs are a brilliant tool in your digital marketing toolkit, which can be created once, but keeps working for you for years.

A quality blog helps drive traffic to your website, showcase your expertise, educate prospects and convert leads.

It also ties in really neatly with your social media marketing and gives you some SEO love, so Google finds it easier to find you.

Blogging might not be the latest new trend, but it does have a lot of benefits that pay off in the long term, so it’s a medium that I will keep using for years to come.

If you’re looking for help with starting a blog or creating content ongoing for your business, I’d love for you to get in touch. I love working with purpose-based businesses to help them connect with their customers.

Happy blogging!

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Want to work with Rachel?

Rachel Beaney is a writer and social media content specialist, helping businesses connect with their audiences.

She’s worked with local, national and global companies, in addition to not-for-profits and government bodies. She loves helping businesses tell their stories with creative and data-driven solutions.

She is based in Sydney, Australia.

Want to work together? Rachel would love to hear from you. Get in touch today.