You’re probably well aware of the importance of good content marketing for your company. The majority of businesses use it today to communicate with current customers and help convert new ones.
The public’s interaction with business content is also evident. In fact, approximately 70% of consumers prefer to learn about new products through online content. This means a great opportunity for businesses to harness that interest and attract new customers.
An excellent way to increase your exposure using content is a company blog. Blogs offer an easy way to get content online in a number of informative, authoritative, and entertaining ways.
If your company relies solely on a website to market yourself online, it may be time to step it up. A blog could be just what your company needs to expand its reach.
Let’s drill down into how a company blog will help your business grow.
1. Build Closer Relationships Through Interaction
Your company’s website is a great platform for providing information and services to customers and attracting new business. It’s the flagship element of your online presence. However, the communication between your website and the consumer is one-way.
A company blog offers a different mode of communication. Because the consumer has the ability to comment on your blog articles, you open up a line of interaction. Doing this forms an instant relationship with the consumer.
The nature of blog content facilitates this interaction. You have the freedom to interject your own personality or expand on your company’s principles through the persona you take.
Because blog articles are typically more conversational in style than website content, people feel more compelled to interact with you. You’ll also have the opportunity to express more comprehensive ideas about your industry. This shows a consumer that you’re more than just a product.
Readers of your blog will also appreciate the ability to voice their opinions. Interacting with them through their comments provides feedback and is a useful tool for collecting information concerning the response to your products and services.
2. Help Improve Search Engine Rankings
Quality, keyword-rich content helps your website rank higher in search engines. In the past, a good keyword strategy alone would be enough to get the rankings you desired. Now, search engines place more emphasis on relevant and authoritative content as well.
Search engines also like fresh content. That’s why a website with the same, stale content will inevitably drop off in the rankings.
A great technique is to connect your company blog to your website. This means each time you publish a new article, you’re providing new content for the search engines to digest. This increases your chances of showing up closer to the top search results.
When thinking about content for your company blog, try to write articles that answer consumer’s questions. Doing so will give you a great platform for inserting relevant keywords and also establishes you as an authority in the industry. This is great for SEO rankings along with the company’s reputation.
Keep in mind that SEO is a tricky and time-consuming process. Starting a blog doesn’t mean you’ll rank well overnight. But keep at it and you should start seeing a jump in rankings and conversion.
3. Provide Great Content for Social Media
Social media is a great way to reach the public and potential clients. It also provides another way to interact with and engage your customers.
However, many businesses have a hard time producing relevant content to distribute through their social media accounts. Unfortunately, this often means regurgitating the same ads and simply promoting links to their website. This often leads to driving away customers.
Blog articles, on the other hand, provide fresh content that enhances your social media presence. When you distribute your articles via Facebook or Twitter, you’re providing something more than just an ad. You’re providing new information and opinions.
This is another perfect way to form a connection with potential customers. Because social media is interactive, people have the opportunity to react, thus creating a dialogue with you. It also shows the public that your company is tuned in to the current methods of online communication.
Social media is also a great way to spread your articles quickly. When people read something they like, they share it with others. Think of it as free promotion.
Another benefit here is that search engines are now taking social media into account. Spreading well-written, authoritative content throughout the social media landscape only helps your exposure.
4. Get to Know Your Audience
Knowing your target audience intimately is essential if you want your company to thrive. Your customer profile helps you develop new products and market effectively. It’s what drives your initiatives and helps develop your company’s guiding principles.
You most likely have a basic customer profile, but a company blog helps you expand that knowledge. There are a number of ways it will help you understand the way potential customers think and what products and services they want.
Paying attention to comments people make on your blog posts provides invaluable information. You can pick up on likes and dislikes about a product. You can also get a better understanding of what consumers want in the future.
Blogs provide a great opportunity to distribute surveys and get firsthand information about your industry from the customer’s perspective. This insight helps you better serve your current customer’s needs and grow your client base.
Paying attention to the articles that get the most views and garner the most comments also helps expand your knowledge of your customer base. A big part of succeeding as a business is knowing what people want. The reaction people have to certain topics could be directly connected to what they seek in a product.
Grow Your Business with a Company Blog
For a company, a blog is more than just an online journal. It’s a way to reach a wider audience and grow your reputation. When used correctly, it provides valuable data that helps you understand your customer and grow your business.
If you’re a marketer and want to explore content marketing solutions, Yoobly can help. Get in touch today to learn more.