Buzz Building Series - Issue 5: Blogging; it’s benefits and strategies to exploit them - part 1

Hi There,

Welcome to issue 5 of the buzz building series in which we look at Blogging; it's benefits and strategies to exploit them (Part 1 of 2), to support your buzz building program.

Blogging is the hot topic on all Digital Marketers lips, but what can it really DO for your business, and why should you care? Rick and Owen explain...

Rick says...

Blogging is the creation of a short piece of content that is then posted to your website's "blog" as a "blog post"-- a part of your website where all those posts live.

The reason we advocate Blogging as part of a Buzz Building strategy is that it has the ability to quickly increase your business' online profile. What do I mean by "online profile"? Well this very basically means being able to be found and seen on the internet. This could include featuring more often (and higher up) on search engines, on social media, on other people's blogs as a guest writer etc.

The more blogs you post to your site, the more content you have. The more content you have, the more you have to share on social media, and (more importantly) the more chance you have of ranking on search engines for the topics you're blogging about. For example, if you write a blog called "The importance of website maintenance plans", then you hope that your post will appear in search results when someone searches for "website maintenance plans" (In fact, one of my blogs does - try it!).

Some of the key benefits in consistently using blogging as part of your Buzz Building strategy are:

It generates traffic to your website: Search engines do love blog content. It's current, often answers a question or solves a problem, and the best examples are USEFUL and RELEVANT. This means, the more useful and relevant your blog posts are, the more traffic you'll attract.
It gives you the opportunity to turn traffic into leads:Once you've got someone reading your content, you then have the chance to offer them a glimpse at the commercial side of your business, or even give them a resource in exchange for their details.
It establishes you as a "thought leader" in your field:Writing about the things you know best (your business) is not only good for the search engines, it shows your customers and prospects that you know what you're talking about, and sets you apart from your competition.
The benefits live long: Once a blog is up on the web, it stays there and the good ones deliver traffic for a very long time (much better value than a pay-per-click ad that burns your money then asks for more!).

Stay tuned for Part 2 of the blogging issue for a deeper-dive into what makes a great blog, how to search optimise your posts, and how to get maximum use out of the content you produce.

Don't forget to tell your friends...

 

Owen says...

I think there are two aspects to the rationale for blogging.

The first (as Rick points out) is the “technical” one. I.e. it’s a great way of your website being found by people who are looking for a solution to the sort of problem you can solve. The more relevant, current and well-constructed your content, the more likely your site is to be the one that comes to the fore both in terms of the search engines (Google etc.) but also in the minds of the customer.

Equally, blogs will deliver both in the short and the long term. A well written, well timed and well positioned blog can and will drive interested and qualified traffic to your website. In addition every blog you write and publish will contribute to a growing and solid foundation of relevant content you have that you can reference, re-use and re-publish at any point, so you’re building a cumulative body of information which will continue deliver pay back over time.

Compare this to Pay Per Click advertising (which has its own merits of course), when once your money is spent, you’ve got all the value you’re ever going to get from it. With blogging, it’s more like an investment account, it builds value and pays back ongoing dividends over time. 
The other aspect is the strategic one. Blogging is a great way for you to put your products or services in context for your prospective customers.

It’s a really good way for you to evidence the relevance of your business to those who are trying to understand more about an issue or a problem or indeed a product. It enables you to start to build and evidence more personality in your business, to show you’re more than a website or a brochure of products. It enables you to earn trust, a reputation and kudos in your space as a valuable source of information and guidance.

In sales terms, it enables you to engage your prospective customer earlier in their decision making process, to guide them in their thinking and selection and to see you as the “go to” provider of whatever it is you do.

But…blogging is like any relationship. You can’t simply turn it on and off and expect people to be there when you come back. And it’s not a one way street. A blog is not a sales pitch it should be a way of engaging people and talking around the subject (to provide context). If all you write about is you or your product or service, your latest contract win or your company Christmas party, you will soon lose your readership.

So keep it current, relevant and interesting for your customers and they will come to see you in the same light too!

Here’s my bloghttp://owenashby.wordpress.com/…what do you think?

3 things to do today to help with your blogging strategy...

Brain storm up to 10 potential blog topics
Write your first ever blog
Promote your blog across social media and by emailing your clients

Don't forget, still to come in the buzz building series...

> Blogging; it's benefits and strategies to exploit them - Part 2

> Search Engine Optimisation and it's part in your strategy

> Email Marketing to amplify your content and build your audience

> Analytics and Optimisation; understanding your impact

> Reporting and building a pipeline of interest

> Audience & content. How to write a buzz building strategy

> Buzz building and the resources required to sustain it

To discuss any aspect of the buzz building series, please call us at your convenience on 0203 1372 844.

Rick & Owen