Blogging should not be treated as separate from other online marketing execution; it needs to bridge various aspects of web marketing (like e-mail, online public relations, content marketing, education, search engine optimization, and other social media marketing) for multitasking marketing power. Understanding the art (the art is the true heart of blog success) and science of blogging will take this web marketing medium and lay the foundation to put it to work to boost credibility and visibility and support sellability. Blogs are a vital part of making the web marketing conversation happen. A blog serves a number of web marketing functions simultaneously.
Blogs build communities
Blogs’ ability to allow readers to post comments creates a true conversation. Often, the conversation is not just between the blogger and the reader but between all the readers. Organizations use their blogs to share relevant content, sometimes posting links to other blogs or websites that may be interesting to their readers. The more bloggers aggregate great content and information, the more likely readers will go directly to their blog.
Blogging grows your user base
New customers may find your blog before they ever hear about your website. Blog postings are shared with people who care about your organization’s mission or who thought your take on a given topic was worth sharing with the wider world. Blogging is one of web marketing’s greatest stealth lead–generation techniques.
Blogs can build existing partnerships and cultivate new ones
Building partnerships with blogging can be as simple as exchanging links or engaging in affiliate marketing or true cross-promotional and even strategic partnerships. Organizations with similar target markets, which complement rather than compete with each other, often cross-promote blog posts to educate their readers about each other. The blogosphere is filled with stories of industry leaders who are fans of each other’s blogs who decide to form a strategic partnership or even a whole new business together.
Blogs allow multitasking marketing by repurposing old content
The most difficult part of online marketing is creating content. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Blogs allow previously created content to get recycled or repurposed, amplifying eyeballs and exposure. Photos, articles, videos, or even old commercials are great blog fodder. Think of your old content as free online marketing collateral that increases search engine optimization (SEO) and branding while allowing for feedback from readers.
Blogging can create great free press coverage
Blogging is a great way to sell how the organization faces the daily challenge of meeting its goals, serving their customers, addressing needs, and showcasing value and values. Blog content can make an organization interesting and exciting to their market. When journalists discover an organization’s blog, they can get great background and a real feel for the organization. This makes it far more likely that when they do a news feature on the organization (free publicity!), it will include more of your story with the spin you want.
Blogging is a quick way to announce news
Putting news on your blog will increase web traffic. Blogs are often indexed faster than other pages, with their most current information presented at the top of search listings. That means a short blog entry on a keyword-rich newsworthy topic can get a top search ranking, while a more exhaustive article on the same topic written a year ago without the best use of strong key phrases that attract readers may not make the search engine’s first pages.
Blogging allows the organization to quickly respond to industry news
Responding to industry news via a blog has a number of benefits:
– Blogging provides instant freshness to a stale site.
– It shows the organization is on top of industry trends.
– It allows the organization to put its spin on the industry news.
– If the organization’s competition is in the industry news, it allows the organization to comment about the competitor’s shortcomings and how the organization’s product/service is really better.
– Blogging about an industry trend can also allow the organization to promote their product or service as the answer to the news. It presents a sellable moment.
– When a topic is in the news, more people will be searching the keywords in that topic. Blogging on industry news increases the chances that people searching those keywords will fi nd the organization’s website.
– Current news is what the media is craving to write about. Being on top of current events can educate readers on subjects they are interested in and attract a journalist who needs a thought leader to give a sound bite on that subject.
Blogs help promote all aspects of social media marketing
Having social media links or widgets on a blog allows visitors to see and visit an organization’s Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, LinkedIn profiles, and more. Blog content can be set up to automatically feed to opt-in readers via RSS feeds and link new posts to Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter for multilevel visibility. The social media (as others see their friends as fans of your blog) will bring new eyeballs to the blog.
