How far can you rise with business blogging?
If you are looking for the apt answer, look for Neil Patel.
Anyone in the inbound marketing industry knows Neil Patel has a GREAT blog! With thought-provoking content, compelling images and clever call-to-actions, Neil has made brands like Amazon, NBC and Viacom his permanent clients. His beloved blog, Quicksprout alone fetched him over $1,000,000 in the year 2012!
Now, if an independent blogger can gain such popularity, imagine what wonders a progressive blog can do for your business.
If you need any more convincing, here’s an article to make you realize why you should start a new blog or remove the cobwebs from your old one.
4 Ways to Build your Business, Blog by Blog
With so much contradictory information (and opinions) being thrown around, it can be difficult to know what to really expect from your business blog.
We have curated the four topmost ways in which a blog can grow your business, making it THE essential marketing tool to get your hands on!
#1. An Active Blog Drives More Website Traffic
Raise your hands if you need more website visitors!
Cool! We are on the same track then.
Now, think about the number of pages you have on your website – 10…20…a ton? Wonder how frequently you can update those pages. We mean, how often can you re-write your “About Us” page?
Well, blogging eliminates all these problems.
Every time you write a blog post, it’s one more indexed page on your website, which means it’s one more opportunity for you to show up in search engines and drive traffic to your website in organic search.
Blogging also helps you get discovered via social media. Every time you write a blog post, you’re creating content that people can share on social networks which helps expose your business to a new audience that may not know you yet.
Blog content also helps keep your social media presence going. Instead of creating brand new content for your marketing channels, keep your blog as the repository.
#2. Establishes your Brand Authority
Establishing authority may not be as concrete as sale enablement but can be a pretty handy tool when it comes to generating traffic or leads. Can you even imagine the impact your blog can have on the mind of a confused customer? If not, here is an example of BarkBox that will make you start a blog from the word GO!
A monthly subscription goodie box for dogs, the company has managed to accumulate more than 200,000 subscribers and about $40 million in sales. NONE of their competitors have managed to get beyond $1 million in revenue.
The reason? The brand’s super hit blog, BarkPost which help pet owners look at their fur baby issues with “a dog’s eye view”. From homemade canine recipes and pet traveling tips to your daily dose of funny dog videos, BarkBox has everything stashed on the blog.
This has helped BarkPost emerge as the Buzzfeed of the Dog World, becoming BarkBox’s primary source of lead generation, landing:
- 9 million unique visitors/month
- 750k opt-in email subscribers
- 720k facebook fans
Consistently creating content that helps your target audience in one way or another can help you establish your brand as an authority in their eyes.
#3. The One Way Road to Attract Funding
There aren’t many B2B companies in the world that could generate $66 million in investment from the likes of Google, Sequoia and Salesforce.
But HubSpot did.
How? According to Mark Roberge, SVP of Sales at HubSpot, the key lies in their blog. The HubSpot blog has even overpowered the company’s core business, fetching them 1 million visitors and over 60,000 leads every month.
It’s a no-brainer to see that investors are constantly looking for good ideas and entrepreneurs to fund. Yes, cold-calling might get you in touch with a few VCs but won’t it be nice to be approached by a potential investor through your blog? All you have to do is wield your keyboards and pour your thoughts into your article and your angel investors will be more than happy to support you.
#4. The Ultimate Product Promotion Tool for Ecommerce
It’s tempting to give in to the idea that the only way to generate sales is engaging in direct sales. If you spend all your time trying to convert customers, you’ll soon be missing out the reason your customer discovered you in the first place: Your products.
Blogging has proven to be the best tool to support sales and promote your products. Having a blog not only increases the chances of engagement but it also drive sales by improving your SEO.
Don’t believe us? Try it out yourself. Google “fiberglass pool”. What’s the first result you see? We are sure it’s from River Pools and Spas.
The blog has maintained its No. 1 for every fiberglass pool, cost-related search since the day it was posted. According to Marcus Sheridan, one of the business owners, the article alone has helped the business gain a minimum of $1.7 million in sales.
Though its a small business, the blog has established RPS as the big fish of fiberglass pools and related products!
Need Anymore Convincing?
Blogging is no longer just an individual’s hobby; it has become an influential tool for the businesses of today. It’s a great way to make your brand rise manifold while creating an authority among your existing and prospective consumers. The minimal cost and effort coupled with the unlimited potential for exposure and connection make business blogging a win-win proposition.
Need help with the first step? 42Works is happy to lead the way. From fetching you a tailored content marketing strategy to maintaining your blog, we are here to help.
