How Blogging Can Help Market Your Brand

Apart from the ever-popular question about the validity of email marketing, another common question we get asked is, “Does blogging still matter?” The simple answer is YES, blogging is still an essential component of any successful content marketing strategy and this comprehensive guide explains why in great detail!

Just ten years ago, blogging emerged as one of the many mainstream corporate digital marketing tactics. However, before then we saw blogs on politics, travel, cooking and technology which were reliable sources of valuable insights and advice on niche information.

According to experts and the available data, blogging for business remains vital to online marketing efforts and should be included in any digital marketing strategy. In this article, we share some best SEO practices and why it’s still important to create effective blogging strategies to help boost engagement and grow your brand into a household name.

Is Blogging Still Important?

There are 70 million new blog posts every month with 42% on WordPress, one of the most popular Content Management Systems (CMS).

According to the Content Marketing Institute, of all the content marketing channels, blogging is among the top, and this is compared to videos, ebooks, infographics and online events which are all pretty powerful in themselves. Of the companies in the survey, 90% said that they’ve used blogs as part of their marketing efforts within the last 12 months.

With that in mind, it’s safe to say that blogging is still vital for building brand awareness and authority, not to mention lead generation. The question is, how do you make a blog stand out? It can be a challenge, especially with all the online content vying for the attention of Google and potential customers but SEO can help.

The Power Of SEO In Content Marketing

To stand out in the busy online world you need to combine SEO and content creation. We cannot stress this enough! Do your research and make sure you know your target audience and what they are looking for. Creating buyer personas can go a long way here.

With the right blogging and SEO strategy, including market research, keyword analysis and cross-channel marketing, your content could be the catalyst for taking your brand to new heights. While social media is a powerful asset for any business, blogging done right can also generate a lot of traffic, especially when combining the two.

As mentioned earlier, well-written web content can help build brand awareness and authority while helping convert visitors into paying customers. To be successful in the blogging game, you need an effective marketing strategy that engages and grows your audience while convincing them to visit your company website.

8 Reasons Blogging Is Still Relevant

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s take a closer look at why blogging is still widely used by many different people and organisations.

1. Help Build Brand Loyalty And Trust

If you provide your audience with relevant advice and reliable information that they can actually use, you will establish authority on those specific topics. Blogging is a tremendously powerful method of slowly nurturing your audience while proving your expertise in a specific industry and product line.

To improve your content, you need to follow Google’s E-A-T concept which is short for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Although it’s E-A-T is considered a ranking factor, it helps Google’s algorithm analyse and understand online content. For best results, make sure you create website and blog content that is not only accurate but also informative and helpful.

2. Blogging Can Boost Your Online Visibility

The next step in producing excellent content is ensuring that it is fully optimised for search engines. When it comes to SEO and blogging, content that answers consumers’ queries about your sector or a specific topic can be hugely beneficial.

Adding relevant images or videos to your content can also enhance your visibility and help grow your audience. Using keywords in captivating headings and subheadings, as well as properly researched material, can help improve your brand’s exposure.

Another great way to increase your brand’s visibility is through link building. Adding relevant and valuable links to other pages, blog articles and product pages on your website can further bolster brand awareness, visibility and authority.

How Long Should A Blog Post Be?

Remember to pay attention to the length of your blogs in relation to the topic you are discussing. While there is no right or wrong answer in terms of short-form content versus long-form content, you need to have enough information to fully cover the topic at hand. At the same time, you also need to meet the required blogging length to help you rank higher on search engine results pages.

3. Create Brand Awareness Through Blogging

Since it’s often difficult to establish your own brand name in an increasingly crowded market, many businesses will struggle to differentiate themselves from their competitors. As such, acquiring and producing original blog material has become more important than ever.

Over time, by following SEO best practices, your company’s presence on SERPs will increase and make your brand more prevalent among the competition. This means when people are looking for answers to their queries or want to learn more, your brand will appear closer to the top of page one, providing them with the information they need.

The more you invest in creating a sound blogging strategy, the higher the likelihood of increasing brand recognition and not only for Google and other search engines but also through social media shares. These platforms are immensely powerful for brand awareness as the more readers share your blog posts, the bigger your organic reach will be.

4. Improve Your Lead Generation Efforts

Consumers who enjoy reading your content are more than likely to want more. Asking them to subscribe to your email list is an excellent way to generate new leads without being intrusive. One such example is when a potential prospect clicks a paid ad which asks them to sign up for a discount on a particular product they may not have any interest in.

While this is common practice for generating leads, blogging actually helps you build a better connection before asking them to divulge personal information. By the time potential subscribers read your content, they already like what you have to offer and would probably want to learn more.

At this point, they feel invested in your brand thanks to the unique and helpful information you have provided. From here it’s usually a little easier to get them to sign up for your email newsletter by incorporating an opt-in pop-up at the end of the blog post or when they scroll.

5. Boost Visitor Engagement

Most content marketers seek to foster relationships with both current and potential customers. A quality blog post offers more shareable material than your product or service pages which makes it easier for consumers to share your content across their personal or business social media platforms.

Blogging is an excellent tool for educating customers, giving tips or providing how-to guides while generating deeper affiliations with your brand. By steadily reminding consumers of your presence through your blogs, you can help convert more readers into long-term customers. Furthermore, good-quality blogs can make the customer journey more intriguing and provide additional opportunities to share your content.

6. Blogging Provides Great Social Media Content

Speaking of social media being an excellent channel to reach a new target audience, consistently posting interesting and relevant content can be difficult. However, most business social media posts link to blog content as it’s much easier to share and promote than product pages, landing pages or other types website content. You should see every blog post as an opportunity to share with your community whether it’s on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest or Reddit.

Recommended: How To Create Better Social Media Profiles

7. Better Understand Your Customer Needs

For the most part, people don’t always have enough time to read blogs so it’s vital to identify what appeals to them so you can keep them on your site for longer. Trying to put yourself in the shoes of your target market and answer their questions can help as that is what blogging is all about.

Since you’ve taken the time to understand your target market and learn more about them, they will be more responsive to your content as reading your blogs will give them the knowledge they want.

Blogs also act as an interactive platform where users can leave reviews and feedback. By examining this data, you could discover areas for improvement and come up with new ideas to make your blog more engaging. For example, if someone leaves a question in the comments it may inspire a future blog article.

8. Good Quality Blogs Can Create Networking Opportunities

When you have a good blog that is well-run and managed, many opportunities may come your way. Here are a few ways that can happen:

  • People within your industry might ask to collaborate with you on content for either your blog or theirs
  • You could also be interviewed by an influencer and feature on their site
  • Your quotes and opinions might be requested by other bloggers for round-up posts
  • Reporters and journalists may reach out to you as a result of stumbling upon your blog and liking what they read, especially if it’s interesting and relevant

What Will Blogging Be Like In The Future?

Blogging has changed a lot over the years, in terms of the strategies used to optimise it and the best practices for engaging with your visitors. According to Google Trends, content marketing and blogging have all but converged, although there is a shift in focus toward overall content.

blogging and content marketing

Already, entering keywords and doing what you think Google wants to see and here is not enough. All of your content must be well researched and expertly written but how do you do that? In the next section, we look at what you can do to liven up your blog content and make sure it checks all the boxes.

How To Create An Adaptive Long-Term Blogging Strategy

The main focus of blogging should be quality over quantity!

You might think that pumping out loads of content will make your brand more visible, but search engines are much better at weeding out low-quality content. Also, people don’t always have time to read something long and drawn-out, especially if it’s hard to find the key points.

Your content must be clear and concise with engaging headings, subheadings and the right keywords. The secret to success is to discuss a topic in full so your readers can more easily understand the content without having to read unnecessary bits of random information.

It’s also vital to create a long-term content strategy. This will help ensure that you not only meet general business objectives but also reach and understand your target audience much better. This is what you need to do.

Focus On Multi-Channel Storytelling

We know all know the old saying that content is king and as true as that may be, the marketing channel is its queen. Multi-channel storytelling is about how you share your online content across different social media platforms and business listings.

While there are many channels to choose from, the goal is to identify where your target market engages the most. Whatever the best channel may be, you can create customised content that promotes your blogging efforts and invites them to revisit your website.

In terms of business listings, few will argue against the power of sharing content through Google Business Profiles. When done right, and as part of a multi-channel marketing approach, it is an immensely powerful tool. Here is a case study of how a fully optimised Google Business Profile helped our client save £60k in their PPC budget!

Create More Visual Content For For Readership

We’ve already mentioned creating quality and relevant blog posts but combining it with more visual content can go a long way. Use pictures, infographics, short videos and other visual content to highlight topics, describe complex content and, more importantly, keep readers engaged. As a result, they will stay on your website for longer which increases the likelihood of them purchasing something or taking another specific action.

Improve Your Online Visibility In Search Engine Results

If you want to increase your website’s visibility, your blogging and other online content must be unique and interesting. Remember to focus on keeping readers engaged as long as possible and keep your customer base in mind when creating content so it doesn’t get lost among other similar pieces on the internet.

To grow your brand’s visibility, start by researching what your competitors are doing and what content is ranking well on SERPs. Then, find a unique angle or build on their ideas while still addressing the needs of consumers. This perfect balance will result in engaging, high-ranking blog content.

Recommended: 7 SEO Mistakes To Avoid At All Costs

Make Blogging Your Foundation In 2022 And Beyond

While it’s clear that blogging is still relevant, it is evolving just like SEO. To ensure an effective blogging strategy, follow SEO best practices and regularly evaluate your strategy. This way you can rest assured your content and overall website reflect the expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness search engines need to determine your online ranking.

Despite numerous changes in online marketing across the globe, blogging remains an important piece of the puzzle. The more quality content you create, the more authority and trust you will generate. Indeed, blogs may not have a big return on investment in the first year like PPC, for example, but over time blogging could account for more than half of your sales.

Should My Company Be Blogging?

In our opinion, and that of all our clients, blogging is indispensable for just about any modern business. It might be a major investment but it pays dividends in spades, provided you keep going and following best practices.

Quality blogs can generate leads, increase brand awareness for your target market and start a conversation with inspiring effects! By taking time to properly understand simple SEO tactics and how to better reach your audience, your blogging future is a good one.

For expert digital marketing advice or services, partner with WSI eMarketing. We specialise in content marketing, SEOPPC, social media, email and marketing automation and can help you implement a winning blogging strategy. Call us on 01453 542761 for more information or to request a free consultation.

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