Have you recently heard about the ongoing debate on the topic, “Is blogging dead?"
Speculations seem to have risen from the fact that ‘blogging’ is no longer the sole platform catering for the consumption of ‘content’ - there are numerous other means besides blogging on how a business can offer its ‘content’ to the audiences in the digital space, via popular social media sites using images, podcasts, webinars, etc.
Hang on a minute… Does that mean ‘blogging’ is now obsolete?'
I don’t think so. I do however second the opinion of Influencers like Mark Schaefer when he says; ‘Blogging is not dead, but it’s changing…’
Yes, ‘changing’ in the sense that such long-form ‘written content’ primarily seen as ‘blog posts’ are turning up on Facebook and LinkedIn pages as ‘Posts’ or as an E-Book or White Pages, or could just be as snappy limited characters displayed in Tweets.
It's true that besides blogs, people are searching other alternatives to content consumption. People are flicking to those ‘brand stories’ played through a collage of Instagram pics, participating in a webinar hosted by a thought leader on Content Marketing, or perhaps listening to podcasts on ‘How to increase inbound traffic through business blogs?’
The text-based-content, whether we call it an article or a blog, it's still the basis and the primary choice for millions to absorb and consume information.
The stats below speak volumes as to why businesses and people still dig ‘blogging’;
- B2B marketers that use blogs receive 67% more leads than those who don’t.
- Marketers who have prioritised blogging are 13 times more likely to enjoy positive ROI.
- By 2020, customers will manage 85% of company/product research by themselves via web content, without talking to a human. (And a blog is one of the easiest way to learn about a company).
- Companies who blog receive 97% more links to their website.
- Blogs have been rated as the 5th most trusted source for accurate online information.
Courtesy: HubSpot
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Let’s look at 3 powerful reasons why businesses should keep on blogging;
1. Connects with the Audience
We all know blogging doesn’t ‘click’ if we're forever blowing our own trumpet, or if we try and sell our products at the end of each paragraph - no one likes to read a pushy sales pitch in a blog.
But the catch lies in telling your ‘brand story’ in an intriguing manner, or solving problems of the reader through posts, in such a way that visitors cling to every word you write and cherish the tips you provide on the subject.
This encourages people to reach out to you and your brand through blog comments, by subscribing to your blogposts and downloading your offers. These users then become ‘leads’ for further engagement.
Comments to your blogs give you an insight of your audiences’ likes, dislikes, needs and wants. Your genuine response and solutions crafted to address their ‘pain points’ will build a stronger bond with your audience and help you build your blog community.
2. Establishes Leadership, Trust and ‘Authority’
If blog content is created consistently to help visitors with their problems and to answer their queries, you'll become an established ‘authority’ – the go to!
You'll be that familiar, trustworthy voice audiences like to keep within their search radar and look to for engaging content. Remember, such leadership can only be achieved if the blogger exudes a genuine intention to help, through their writing and in the tone of their articles, making them precise, clear and sincere.
Once such a ‘thought leader’ status is achieved, it's much easier to influence and attract the desired ‘user personas’ towards your work or the brand you represent. This can help build a sizeable following and increase your social networks.
Effective leadership can identify and nurture the precious bonding which brands can have with their customers, and bring about a meaningful transformation.
3. Fuels Learning and builds Knowledge base
Blogging can be an incredible ‘fuel’ for learning. If you're to write on a topic, thorough research has to be carried out regarding the subject. The information needs to be refined, articulated and offer actionable bite-size pieces of knowledge to take-away.
The process can be a rewarding experience, as it helps one to gauge and learn about the topic at hand and keep up with industry practices free education.
The blogposts generated are valuable assets for your organisation. They're your company’s ‘owned media’ and can serve as a knowledge base for the future.
Content from blogposts can be used in a multitude of ways, to promote, brand or market your products, by linking your blogs to campaigns, e-books, events and other social media tools like; podcasts, webinars, info-graphics and newsletters.
Given the ongoing technological disruptions we’re facing today, we can assume that in the future, massive changes will occur in the way we consume ‘content’ and interact with each other. We may or may not see ‘blogging’ as we perceive it today, but one thing that will always ring true is, we cannot function without consuming or sharing information. If we were to stop, so would the learning.
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If you'd like more assistance with keywords, or would like to discuss anything covered today, we'd love to hear from you.
Call Andy Fox (me) on (03) 5249 5570 or email andy@element7digital.com.au
Our Website is element7digital.com.au
