Whether you own a small, medium or large business, the answer to the question is yes, you should have a blog for your business.
This question has been well-researched over the past decade and every study has reached the same conclusion time and again; blogging is good for business.
Research data says you should have a blog for your business
According to the most recent research data from Hubspot, the average business (regardless of size) that blogs earns:
434% more indexed pages (Organic Reach)
97% more inbound links (Free Referrals)
55% more visitors to their website (THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!)
Bottom Line: If you want organic reach online, and a constant, effortless stream of new leads being sent to your business every day, then your business needs to have a blog.
When the numbers are that clear, then so is the answer.
Here are a few more reasons why your business should have a blog:
Social exposure comes naturally with blogging
If you are writing relevant and valuable content for your business, then by default, you're increasing the opportunity for social exposure.
And that does not necessarily refer to just social media exposure.
Every time you write a new blog post, the chances of other people reading it and sharing it with their own network increases substantially.
Other people may share it with their:
Social media networks
Friends/family members
Blogs
Podcasts
Email lists
All it takes is one person who is reading your content to take your social exposure from 0 to 60 in the same amount of time it takes you to click "share" on the article.
For example, the article that is linked to in the previous paragraph is an article that I randomly read a few days ago from another business. If they had never written it, I would never have read it, and I would never have shared their business article on my personal or business networks.
They received social exposure simply because they took a few minutes to write a fantastic article which adds value to my own content.
Business blog posts should be an integral part of a sales funnel
When done properly, every business blog post should be an integral part of a successful sales funnel by including CTA's in each and every piece of content that you write.
Many times, a business article may be the first time someone is learning about your product or service. At that point, they are just a visitor that is waiting to be converted into a lead.
In order to have a successful business blog where you convert website visitors into leads, you must have a clear and concise call to action (CTA) in each and every blog post.
When your articles and CTA's are executed properly you'll generally find that your business blog is an entry point into a high-conversion sales funnel.
The Search Engine Journal says that:
Inbound SEO leads (e.g. people finding your business through a blog post) have a 14.6% closing ratio vs outbound leads (paid advertising) which have an abysmal closing rate of 1.7%
Struggling with social media content? Start a business blog
If you're struggling with consistent social media content for all of the various social media platforms, then you'll want to create a blog for your business.
If you have ever wondered how so many businesses are able to consistently churn out video content, new social media posts, etc, you're not alone.
Then one day you realize that a highly effective social media content strategy is to simply take excerpts from a business blog and re-hash them for social media use, using templates and other automation tools.
An effective business blog content strategy will also help to ensure that your social media post content is in line with your overall branding because the source material is consistent.
For the most part, much of my social media content is on auto-pilot because of the foundational content that already exists in the articles I've written for my business blog.
Your customers want entertaining and/or educational content
Here are the top five reasons that customers follow specific brands online:
Receive coupons and discounts
To show their friends they like your brand
Entertaining or educational content
To receive customer support
To receive exclusive content
Source: Volusion
The third reason why people follow specific brands online is for entertaining or educational content. One of the best ways to provide that for your customers is in the form of a blog.
Bonus: If that content is entertaining or educational enough, the chances of it being shared increase exponentially.
The same applies to the fifth reason, which is to receive exclusive content. A blog (combined with an email list) is a great place to provide exclusive content for your most devout followers (customers).
Consumers are more likely to buy after reading a business blog post
Not only will your customers follow you for educational or entertaining content, but they'll also be more likely to purchase from you as a direct result of that content.
In a study completed by Conductor, consumers are 131% more likely to purchase from a brand immediately after reading an educational business blog post.
And even as much as a week after reading an education business blog, consumers were still 48% more likely to buy from that business.
So consumers want to follow you for that kind of content and then on top of that they're 131% more likely to purchase from you immediately after reading that content.
That sounds like a pretty effective sales funnel to me!
Those are some significant research statistics on the effectiveness of educational blogs that should make every brand pause and take notice.
A business blog is an opportunity to improve your websites SEO
If your website only consists of static pages, there is generally very little opportunity to optimize the site by introducing new content.
You can really only update static pages so much, and typically static landing pages are not filled with a ton of information.
Less is often better when it comes to static business pages.
That's where a blog comes in.
Blogs provide an opportunity for a company to create a brand voice, and communicate with customers while simultaneously optimizing their website for search engines through their business blog articles.
The statistics cited in this article clearly indicate that a blog almost always guarantees that a business will receive higher traffic volume than a business that does not have a blog.
That's often because of the SEO opportunities that a business blog creates.
"Do I need a blog for my business?"
Hopefully after reading this article, you have came to the conclusion that the answer to this question is yes.
To recap, you should have a blog for your business because:
Research data says you should have one if you like sales
Social exposure comes naturally with business blog posts
Business blog posts should be an integral part of your sales funnel
It provides fantastic source material for your social media posts
Your most loyal customers want you to blog
Your entire site may benefit through SEO optimization
Consumers are 131% more likely to purchase immediately after reading your educational business content
While blogging is absolutely an incredibly simple way to drive traffic, increase your sales and grow your business, there are plenty of other ways your can market your local business for free as well.
Do you have a blog for your business?
If so, how has your blog benefited your business financially?