Blogs may seem like a blast from the past, but trust us, they can go a long way.

Blog posts were some of the first forms of content marketing on the web, launching some 24 years ago. Although blogs may seem like an outdated form of marketing, they can be a powerful and unique tool for any digital business! DemandMetric reports that companies with blogs produce an average of 67% more leads monthly than companies that don’t blog and 59% of marketers find blogging valuable. Plus, blogging is the third most common content marketing strategy for businesses, according to HubSpot. Let us tell you the benefits of blogging:

1. Increase your SEO and drive traffic to your website

For anyone who isn’t up to date on their internet lingo, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. SEO is how you attract potential customers through keywords that Google will present at the top of their search! Every website has an option to edit SEO, all you have to is insert your keywords!

2. Position your brand as an industry leader

Posting blogs on topics that resonate with your audience and industry, shows your expertise and knowledge in your field. That knowledge can be a huge marketing tool. Being an expert in your field gives your audience the reassurance in your products and opinions. For example, a company creating blog posts about their products can help develop a level of trust between them and their audience. Plus, a blog post allows that company to explain why their products are the best on the market!

Here is an example of a blog post that provides in-depth knowledge of a service, showing customers our expertise in our field of work.

3. Strengthen and develop personal relationships with your audience

Customer communication is essential in online marketing and business, and having a blog can help strengthen that. Blogs allow you to connect with your audience, and establish a relationship that will hopefully rope customers back in for round 2. You can develop this relationship, by showing personality in your blogs and introducing yourself as the  human behind the website (that’s you!).

Blogging allows for an intimate experience that other companies lack. It can help create a stronger sense of support for customers when they feel like they know the people working at the company. It is also beneficial to add a digital signature to show that who on your team wrote that blog. (This post was written by Everett…hi!)

Here are a few great blogging ideas to get you started!

1. How-To Guides

People generally hate instruction manuals. It’s one of the most ignored things ever! Then how do people find out how to do something? They Google it. By offering easy-to-follow guides for people, you are creating a space where customers can quickly solve a problem and learn from you.

You can find How-To guides for anything like How to Change a Tire, or How to Create a Podcast, written by — you guessed it —us! As long as you have something you can teach someone, you can create a How-To Guide.

2. Interviews / Q&A’s

Unique content is at the core of what can set your blog apart from the others. There are a few different blog concepts that could help you stand out. Like an exclusive interview with an industry leader is a gold mine of a blog post as it garners recognition from that leader’s audience. Conducting interviews for your blog also shows your dedication to bringing the best information to your audience. It gives an inside look into your industry and company. Plus, interviews are super simple to conduct! All you need is to write up some questions and record the conversation.

Sure, you could look into the industry and interview someone for more information, but what if you allowed your audience to interview you? Try starting a Q&A with your audience on Twitter or Reddit. They can ask you questions and learn more about your company, right from the source! Once the content is recorded, it’s easy to repurpose that content into a full-scale blog post that will last forever!

Here are a few examples of some great online interview blogs that may help when writing your own interview blog posts: The Guardian and ShortList. 

3. Personal stories

Sharing personal stories adds depth to your blog as your audience is able to relate to your business on a more personal level. Doing this can definitely help you build brand loyalty. You could have each member of your team write a blog post so your customers can know the person on the other end of that email.

Here are some great personal stories that help the audience see the person beyond their landing page: Cookie + Kate, My Wife Quit Her Job, and Design for Mankind

4. Expertise in your field

Posting blogs on topics that resonate with your audience and industry shows your expertise in your field. You could create a blog post for each of your clients. That way you can details each client that you’ve worked with and how you executed their tasks. For example, our blog post here.

Or maybe highlight some of your favourite products and tell the full story of how they were created. Blogs give you the chance to write your heart out about your business, so do just that! Show your audience why you are an expert and how you can bring that knowledge to them.

Now it’s on you, get blogging!

These concepts are sure to help you create great blogs that are sure to bring traffic to your website while at the same time raise your website’s SEO ranking. If you need help formulating your blogs or deciding what kind of a blog your business needs. Don’t hesitate to contact us for a free quote.