Do you struggle with blogging? Is it a time thing? A lack of ideas? Or, as Mark Schaefer so smartly points out in this slideshare presentation, is it a matter of confidence?
Singing to a Full House: Blogging, Content Marketing and Social Media
I've spent most of the day today working on client blogs. It's fun and, of course, benefits them by sharing news, establishing thought leadership and boosting their SEO efforts. Blogging is a great component of content marketing, allowing a company to educate and establish trust with an audience. But the audience first has to find the blog. That's where social media comes in and where I turn it over to Jason Falls' recent piece on social media as the conduit for content marketing:
Social media is how you can take your content marketing – a blog post, a webinar, a white paper, a video, a contest, hosted event – and deliver it to a relevant and willing audience.
If it’s good enough, they’ll share it, you’ll drive interest, traffic or sales, and all will be well with the world.
Read the full article here.
Blogging. Why Bother?
We're big fans of blogging for business. Why? Here are just a few things a blog can do to build your business:
- Make your customers feel familiar with you before they even visit your store or office.
- Establish your credibility within your industry.
- Allow you to provide value to potential customers, making them more likely to become customers.
In fact, a blog is a valuable asset to your business. In this piece from Mark W. Schaefer, he points out that while the "comments" section of your blog isn't on fire with activity, that alone isn't evidence that your business blog isn't worth the time and effort.
Perhaps the most pointed reason among the 10 he lists is this:
A cost-effective sales call — You might not be able to visit your customer every week or every month but a blog is an excellent way to provide a constant drip-drip-drip of communication to remind them of your products, services, and why you’re special. If they don’t read your blog, re-purpose the content in customer newsletters and sales materials.
From increased SEO to public relations, a business blog is a wise invesment. Not sure where to begin? VoiceMatters, LLC is happy to help; contact us today!