In Episode #40 of Blog Your Way to a Business Profit I talked about Blogging -vs- Posting Which is Better for a Business
A blog post is most effective when you have an existing audience and building an audience for a blog takes time and careful cultivation, however, once you have that audience they are loyal and can become advocates. Sharing a blog post is more exciting and rewarding to most than simply sharing a Facebook post.
Once the audience is established, posts become more effective. It however, may be more difficult to get a blog post in front of a viewer verses a social media post seen by the same person which is why you still should use social media platforms to drive people to your blog, website or brick and mortar and the time and effort used to do so will pay off in the end and help to grow your business.
Blog Content is Evergreen
Simple and fast: content on social networks is lost within a few minutes, those on the blog will always be there and they will have even more value after some time. When someone does a Google search, blog content with keywords will be found, not a Facebook post or Twitter Tweet.
The Attention Span on the Blog is Higher and Keeps the Reader’s Attention Longer
As humans, who have the attention span that less of a Goldfish about 7 seconds, our attention span is very short. People are scrolling through their feeds only stopping long enough to like, thumbs up or share content. When someone finds a good blog post or has searched for a solution to a pain point, they are more apt to give it more attention, reading with more intent (albeit skimming through the article) but reading more of it nevertheless and possibly even sharing the content on their social media feeds as well. A great incentive and benefit to those who manage a blog, as long as it does so consistently.
You Can Connect all your Channels Through the Blog
The relationship between social channels and blogs can be cemented and connected and literally streamlined all together in a blog. Using back links and or referring to previous blog posts and content whether it was on another social network; podcast or video can be referenced and linked to giving even more credibility to the blog post content and you as a blogger.
Blogging Builds Relationships
Whether your business is food, travel, beauty, marketing or construction, being present on social media will allow you to build relationships with other people and with companies potentially interested in your services and what you offer. However, creating consistent content about your industry in a blog is going to build a better and stronger relationship with those who are already following you on social media.
Blogging Builds a Bridge Between Your Audience and Your Brand
The key to a successful business blog is to create interesting, educational, and even entertaining content that people actually want to read. If a blog post feels too much like an advertisement, your audience is more likely to bounce. Interesting, shareable content gives your audience an opportunity to get to know your brand or company and gives you an opportunity to build and nurture relationships. Engaging with potential customers via blog content allows you to build trust, and engaging with current customers allows you to build loyalty.
Blogging Shows Your Expertise in Your Industry
Your blog content needs to be interesting and clickable, but it also has to relate to your business or brand. Sharing memes about the latest celebrities isn’t going to convert readers into customers. Give them content that provides answers to their questions and solutions to their problems—questions and problems that relate to your business.
Show your audience that you’re the expert in your field or industry. Build trust with them so that in the future, when they have a question or problem related to your product or service, they’ll come to you first and trust you over all of your competitors. Plus, establishing yourself as a thought leader in your industry or field can garner attention from your competitors, potential industry partners, media, and more.
Drives Traffic to Your Site
Internet users spend over 450 minutes consuming media every day. That is a lot of potential for your business to get in front of customers via your business blog and building a strong business blog is an inexpensive way to do it. Getting organic traffic from good SEO and by creating clickable and shareable content for social media can bring users to your site who think they’re just getting some interesting info. Then, once they’re on your website, you have the opportunity to build a relationship with them and capture their information to advertise them later.
Generates Leads
Once you’ve built a level of trust and loyalty with your readers, they’re more willing to take action when asked, even if it’s signing up for your mailing list. Catch them with a great blog title, hook them with great content, and then reel them in with a solid call to action (CTA).
Generate the leads by making sure that every blog page has opportunities for readers to provide their email address for you. Ask them to sign up for your email newsletter at the bottom of your blog or in the form of a pop-up. Tell them that by signing up, you’ll keep them up to date on your latest and greatest content. But remember that you won’t build trust and convert readers to customers unless you can first invest your time and resources into producing quality content.
To listen to the entire episode of the Blog Your Way to a Business Profit Podcast, click this link and if you found it of interest, please make sure to subscribe and share.
