Did you know the term ‘blog’ was coined in the year 1999 when Peter Merholz jokingly broke the word weblog into the phrase we blog in the sidebar of his blog Peterme.com? Well, since then the essence of the word has evolved so much that today no brand can imagine omitting it from any of their marketing strategies. Be it a startup or a well-established business giant, every brand today ensures to include a blog section on their website.
However, there is an important question to ask yourself before you consider adding a blog calendar to your marketing campaigns: “Why do brands need to have a blog?” Let us answer that for you.
Update your audience with the latest developments
A blog is an extremely effective way to communicate directly with your audience. You can update your existing and potential customers about any of the latest trends in an extremely flexible manner. While your website can have certain components that state what you offer, blogs are generally capable of defining who you are. You can have an in-depth conversation with your audience, thereby helping them understand and connect with your brand better.
Helps to build brand identity
Every brand is unique in one way or the other. The history of the company, the audience, USP, operating style, and purpose determines what a brand stands for. With regular and meaningful blogs, you can define the tone and message of your brand in an extremely subtle way. Additionally, it gives you the liberty to tell your brand story and establish a distinct identity for your company.
Builds Trust
It should not come as a surprise that when your audience knows and understands your core values, it is much easier to gain their trust, that is what businesses aim for. A loyal audience/customer base is a powerhouse for any company. With regular communication through your blogs, you can very well achieve this goal and define the path to success for your brand.
Generates Leads
Corporate blogging has the potential to generate leads for your brand. According to a recent study, companies with blogs can generate 67% more leads than companies without one. Isn’t that exciting? There is a mechanism behind it that you need to be aware of. The more blogs you create and get indexed, the more the chances you have of increasing traffic, thereby leading to more business leads.
Expands your customer base
What follows lead generation is gaining a new customer. Some of the leads that you generate through blog traffic can certainly be converted to new customers. Readers or potential customers who would research your brand will have an easily accessible platform to know more about your company and your offerings, thereby acting as a facilitator for building trust. A recent study shows that by the time a potential customer connects with you, they are already over 60% of the way through the sales cycle, which means your blog posts have done all the hard work for you!
Have we changed your mind about adding a blog page to your website? At Magnolia, we understand the challenge of building a blog strategy that is right for your brand. Contact us today to enhance your current marketing campaign, we are here to help.
By Anuneet Makan, Digital PR / Communications Associate at Magnolia Communications – a B2B demand generation full-service marketing agency headquartered in Vancouver, BC. We focus on engaging, nurturing and converting leads with PR programs, paid social ads, email marketing, and marketing technology implementation.