Did you know blogs and blogging have now been around for over 20 years?
Why are you not Blogging?
How many times have you asked yourself this question: Do we still need a company blog? I figure I have myself that question nearly everytime I get writer’s block..which is about every day.
Google Plus, Twitter and all the other social media platforms I actively use feels like I’m connecting with my target audience, creating great content, and building communities the same way I used my blogs. So, do I really need to keep cramming blog posts into my already jam-packed editorial calendars?
In my opinion: I do. Why? Here are three reasons why.
1. Blogs Sit on My Website
The main purpose of using social media platforms is to drive traffic back to my website, right?
In order to do that, I create a ton of content each week for those platforms. The idea is hopefully that content is exciting enough to entice my community on Google Plus, Twitter, and LinkedIn to visit my website.
My blog, on the other hand, sits directly on my website. So if I do a great job of keeping the content on my blog compelling and updated, people will access it directly. Not only does this increase the chance that people will hire me but it also increases the amount of time people spend on my website, which is an important metric for enticing advertisers .
2. Long-Form Blogs Are Good
Let’s be real: If you log in to LinkedIn and see a post that is more than three or four sentences long, are you really going to read it? Probably not.
Unfortunately, some topics need more than a few sentences to be fully explored. Since I work for a company full of interesting expertise, personalities, and views on video-centric digital marketing I probably should be dedicating a place for Long Tailed blogs on digital marketing.
3. SEO
A few years ago, I would have been telling you to stuff your blog with keywords and meta tags.
However, those old methods of SEO do not work anymore. Google has caught on and now, the most effective way to increase your search ranking is to give your community relevant content that they will engage with on your blog and then post a link for that blog on Google+. It is simple to do and not that hard.
What better way to offer up great content to Google than through a blog? It doesn’t necessarily have to include more content or even keyword-heavy content—just content your readers will want to share with their own community.
What you have to remember about blogging for your business site is to update regularly so people who are checking back are rewarded for their efforts. Ask your readers a question and always have a call to action at the end of your post to entice your audience to share their opinions and experiences.
Then, pay attention to the comment section and make sure you jump in on the conversation. Take every opportunity to engage one-to-one with your community about the things they really care about it, which is the whole point of blogging isn’t it?
Then, of course, let me know how I can help.
