People will spend an average of 7 minutes reading a blog post on your website if the content is good. Blogging is becoming one of the best ways to show your company’s unique expertise when done as part of a longer-term marketing and content strategy to attract and retain customers. Ready for some expert business blog tips?
82% of marketers actively use content marketing formats like blogging for their company, and over half say it’s an effective strategy. Those who don’t get successful long-term ROI from blogging are likely missing some key elements of its design and execution.
In this article, we will debunk some common misconceptions you may have about blogging for your company, and share some business blog tips. We hope it inspires you to start or update your online marketing strategy to include blogging.
Myth: Blogging is only for influencers or personal use
Influencers and personal users have taken the blogging world by storm. Social media has made it easier to publish and share their opinions and expertise in their blog posts. But the blogging world is big enough for businesses to harness too.
Businesses can work with local, national, or international influencers through guest blogging and cross-promotion strategies. Companies are using the blogging format to share their unique opinions and expertise and quickly disseminate it to the world at large.
Myth: Blogging is old school
In truth, blogging has been around for a long time and started as a personal journaling outlet. Businesses have adapted blogging to become an educational and brand-building tool to help nurture prospective and current clients. When used as an educational tool, it helps your company build trust so people can see your expertise and experience.
Myth: Blogging takes too much time
This myth has a sliver (albeit a small one) of truth. If done correctly, it should be straightforward and efficient to blog for your business. We suggest creating templates, content calendars, and a detailed writing, publishing, and promotional plan for your content. With a detailed plan, and a team supporting your efforts, you can publish a good amount of content to make the search engine algorithms and your readers happy.
Myth: Blogs need to be 2000+ words to be effective for SEO
This is another myth where the answer is partially correct. Search engines like Google use a complex algorithm to determine what web pages show up in search results pages. One of the 300+ things it looks at is the length of copy on the page. Generally speaking, the algorithm believes that longer content is more in-depth and valuable than shorter content.
Hubspot says that blog posts should be 2,100-2,400 words each for SEO purposes. However, we suggest quality over quantity, even at the expense of SEO. In fact, SEO algorithms are getting smarter to distinguish between good-quality content from poor quality content that is just “trying to rank” for a given keyword.
The bottom line, write as much as you need to provide value to your customers, but you can keep the majority of your posts between 500-1000 and still get benefits.
Content length is only one of the 300+ ranking factors. Here are a few other ways to optimize your blog posts for SEO.
Myth: I should only use my business blog to share company news
Some businesses use their blog to share company information like news, sales, and announcements. While this is a common practice if that’s all you use your blogging website infrastructure for, you’re missing out on a key avenue to educate and inform your followers about your expertise.
We suggest using the blog on your website mainly for value-based content, with the occasional company news as needed. (You’ll notice we use this education-first strategy in the Out-Smarts blog too).
Myth: I need to post a blog every day or every week
One of the most common questions we get asked from companies asking about blogging for their business is how often they have to post. Some believe a good business blog needs to post every day or weekly. While these are good goals if you have the resources to produce daily content, it’s not sustainable for many companies.
Instead, we like the monthly or bi-weekly approach. This shows Google that your website is being updated regularly (which can help your overall domain page rankings over time). Smaller businesses may struggle to post content weekly, so we suggest a bare minimum of one to two posts per month.
Myth: I can just post a blog when I have something to say
You could use this strategy, but it’s not as effective as consistently posting. When you post consistently, your most dedicated followers will know that “XYZ Company posts a new article every Tuesday, so I’ll visit their site on Tuesdays over my lunch break to read it.”
Consistency is key when writing your blog. Choose a consistency that works for you (whether that be weekly or bi-weekly) and stick with it. Feel free to add additional timely content in between as needed, but make sure you stick to your frequency as much as possible.
If you’re struggling to decide what to write about, here are our tips for getting the creative blogging juices flowing.
Myth: Publishing my blog will quickly attract visitors to my website
Most content marketing strategies don’t promise overnight success and ROI. Blogging is part of a long-term content strategy, and it’s about building your brand awareness and trust over the long term.
Also, just posting a great article to your website won’t attract people to your site without a good promotional plan for your blog content. After you publish an article, you need a plan and strategy to share links to that article on social media and other outlets so you can attract more (and new) eyes on your fantastically written content.
Myth: I have to write my own blog
If you weren’t born with an eye for writing, you could still publish a blog. You can likely ask a marketing team member for help, hire support from a staff member with good writing skills, or ask your marketing agency for copywriter referrals. Just make sure that whomever you have writing and marketing your blog content understands the nuances of this writing style. They must know how to write it without sounding preachy or salesy.
Where to find blog writers and strategists
Ask your business colleagues for referrals for a copywriter or a ghostwriter (someone who writes in your company voice and never gets a byline with their name on your article). At Out-Smarts, we have a team of excellent copywriters who understand the strategy behind digital marketing and blogging and are experienced in its unique writing structure and style.
Is a business blog in your company’s future? Contact us for a free discovery call for more business blog tips, and to see how we can help you publish a well-written, consistent blog that best builds your brand awareness and authority in your niche.
info@out-smarts.com
604 909 3532
