The Business of Blogging: Does Your Company Need It?

But it’s easy to ask the question – are people really reading this stuff? Is it worth my time to sit down, come up with topics, and push myself to write (even though I may not be a writer)? Is it right for MY company?

Well, Statistics show that over 23.6 billion blog pages are viewed by over 409 million users each month, so we know there’s still plenty of people reading blogs.

And in 2015, Facebook surpassed even GOOGLE as a worldwide source for news. No matter who your customers are, they’re on Facebook, and the news everyone is reading there includes blogs. That news could include your blogs – all you have to do is write and post them.

Considering only the above stats, the answer to the question ‘should I blog?’ is actually a yes. No matter who you are, you should.

But before you start blogging, you must know WHY to do it. It’s the WHY that will give you the benefits everyone is talking about, and it’s the WHY that might convince you to sit down and write.

So, here are 5 big reasons why you ought to blog:

Blogs build authority

Having an industry-relevant blog, whether that industry is fashion, hospitality, or office supplies, is a possibility for every business. If you are an expert in your field, it makes sense to share your knowledge with others. Not only does this set your audience at ease and let them know that they’re dealing with a company that knows their stuff, it also allows you to prove your authority in your field.

Let’s take soccer as an example. If you were to ask somebody for advice on how to play soccer, who would you rather ask – someone who you’ve seen kicking a ball around on a field every other weekend, or David Beckham? David Beckham, obviously, because he’s proven time and again that he is an expert in his field. He has years of experience playing soccer, and he’s famous for it, and so you would trust him to give you genuine, reliable advice.

The same can be said for you and your blog – the more you prove your expertise in your industry, the more your audience will trust you, and you will become their primary source of information for your specific industry.

Blogs improve your site’s SEO

In the Online Marketing world, barely a day goes by where the dreaded SEO monster doesn’t rear its head. What is Search Optimisation? How can we get it? We just want to be on the first page of Google! There are many ways a website can boost its SEO, and blogging is one of them.

By having a blog integrated onto your website that is updated frequently – a couple of times a month, for instance – you are letting Google know that you’re constantly producing fresh, up-to-date content, and if there’s one thing that Google loves, it’s fresh, up-to-date content.

So write frequent, relevant, engaging blog posts that are relevant to your industry, and your search visibility will thank you for it.

Blogs create a community around your brand

Over time, the trust that your audience base has built up for your business as a result of your blog posts can develop into a community. Reading blog posts is a solitary thing, unlike Tweeting or commenting on a Facebook thread, but by sharing your blog posts to social media websites, creating a mailing list for your audience, or even creating a Facebook group that your audience can choose to join, you can transition your audience from individual members to a larger community.

Creating a social space in which they can discuss their thoughts and opinions on your post both directly with your business and with other readers will make your audience feel valued, and encourage them to continue interacting with your business.

Blogging increases marketing ROI

Measuring the ROI (Return On Investment) from social media and blogging is always a point of concern for businesses. While you can track relevant metrics such as reach, impressions, views, click-throughs, and page-views, it can be difficult to track exactly how blogs have influenced conversions/sales on your website, as they are often only one piece of a longer journey for potential customers.

While it can be difficult to track direct ROI from blogging, we do know that marketers who prioritised blogging were 13x more likely to receive a positive return on investment, according to Hubspot’s 2014 State of Inbound Marketing report. That’s a pretty staggering stat.

Since then, blogging for business has steadily increased in popularity, so it’s safe to say that ROI as a result of blogging has increased along with it.

Blogs help give your business a voice

For businesses that are looking to set themselves apart from the crowd, a blog is the perfect place to start. Blogging gives you a platform where you can say whatever you would like and you will be uninterrupted, and so it provides ample space for your business to present itself however it would like to be seen.

Blog posts can be quick, fun, and audience-focused, they can be short, to-the-point updates or they can be in-depth, professional pieces that read more like articles. Blogging gives you complete control on how your audience perceives you.

So by building your company’s blog, you’ll also be gaining authority, SEO, community, ROI, and brand personality. 

Those are 5 of our favourite reasons to blog, and you will likely find others. Perhaps you already have! If you’ve got more reasons or any questions about blogging, speak up in the comments section and we’ll try to add more value to you!