We frequently get calls from people saying that they have heard how a corporate blog can help with online marketing, but that they don’t really know how. The conversation typically starts with them saying something along the lines of “I’ve been told that I should have a blog but what is it actually going to do for me.” We thought it would be helpful if we shed some light on the issue. Here are the three main ways in which having a blog can help your business.
- Branding
For SMBs, one of the greatest challenges with marketing is simply to let potential leads know what your business is about. It isn’t just about what products/services you offer, but how you are different from your competition and why someone should shop with you. It’s also about your business’ philosophy and what you stand for. A corporate blog allows you explain all of this in a way that really lets you connect with potential customers. - SEO
Now, SEO (short for search engine optimization) sounds like one of the big buzz terms thrown around my marketers and is often seen by the uninitiated as a type of snake-oil solution. Nothing could be further from the truth. SEO is the online equivalent to the location of a brick-and-mortar store, having huge implications when it comes to what kind of traffic you can expect to see.
Corporate blogs impact SEO in several ways. First, simply having regular, quality content on your site will have a huge impact on your SEO. Secondly, by targeting the right keywords, you can come up on more searches as well as have better ranking for your main keywords. Blog content also helps to encourage backlinks, which can also boost your SEO. - Customer Education
Now customer education can be a very broad term. That being said, there is a lot of different types of information that you can use a blog to educate your customers with. When we here at SevenAtoms bring on a new client, we always like to see what types of frequently asked questions receive from customers and leads. We also like to find out what the biggest misconceptions people have about them. We then take this information and use it to come up with content ideas that help educate readers on these topics. This means that less time and energy is spent by the client’s sales team clarifying these issues and more time is spent actually making sales.
Need more clarification on how blogs impact your business? We would be happy to answer them for you. Just give us a call at (925) 566-6969 or check out our contact page.
