Skeptical About Blogging? Here’s Why Blogs Really Do Work

Here’s why it pays to have a blog.

While the content horse rocketed out of the gates years ago, there are still skeptics who claim blogging is a waste of resources. At ContentBacon, we categorically reject all such blasphemous statements, and not just because it’s our trade – blogs really do work!

The word “blog” often conjures up images of angst-riddled, basement-dwelling caffeine addicts furiously typing out their frustrations with life – the truth is a stark contrast. According to a survey conducted by the advertising technology firm Technorati, blogs ranked 5th in trustworthiness among online resources.

Further evidence of the marketing value of blogs can be found in a 2017 report on social media marketing. The study asked marketers what the single most important form of content was for their business. Forty-three percent of B2B marketers ranked blogs as most important, falling second to visual media..

So, why are blogs so darn effective?

The benefits of blogging

Blogging, in a nutshell, gives your company a voice, with multiple handles to call on. In fact, an SEO savvy blog gives search engines plenty to grab onto; from there the marketing magic begins. Here are 4 ways blogging can give your business a powerful boost.

1. Persistent relevance. A handy thing about a carefully crafted blog is it can continue to attract hits for months after it’s posted. One business reported that 90% of their blog leads were derived from old postings, and 75% of their blogs viewed where from previous posts. 
2. Establish your expertise. Builders, personal trainers, make-up artists – business who need to prove their abilities to their clients – are putting blogs to work for them. Blogs give businesses a chance to write about crucial topics in their industry, which in turn demonstrates a mastery over their craft. 
3. New customers. Chances are, if you’re reading this right now, you arrived at these very words courtesy of a Google search somewhere along the lines of why it pays to have a blog, or do blogs really work? You were also, according to a 2009 eye tracking study, 75% more likely to click this blog than a paid advertisement. This all amounts to new traffic, and new customers.
4. Making the most of your website. Another way businesses are taking advantage of the power of blogging is by writing blogs that are fun to read. In this case the blog itself adds value beyond the information – it becomes a source of entertainment that attracts visitors to your site on a regular basis. 

When it’s time to engage

A B2B content marketing study reported that the most challenging aspect of B2B marketing is creating engaging content. It’s simple enough to understand why engagement’s so important – even if people make it to your blog, if they don’t read it, you’re missing opportunities. So drop those old ideas of blogs being for the disgruntled and the soapbox addicts and start telling your story through engaging, enlightening content that will bring prospects right to your digital doorstep.