With so much effort focused on social media platforms, it’s easy for brands to forget the grandfather of today’s social networks: Blogging. Though blogging originated in the 1990s during the formative days of the online world, it’s just as relevant today. Brands that sacrifice blogging for other marketing endeavors do so at the expense of their online presence. While it’s easier to post a single social media update, taking the time to craft an informative blog post establishes both immediate and long-term benefits.
Advantages to blogging in Orlando and central Florida include:
- Establishing your brand as a thought-leader. Today, many online marketers focus on short-form content – or content that can be easily digested and posted in as little characters as possible. This is the content that composes the majority of social media updates. As catchy and effective as these posts are, however, their brevity eliminates the possibility to broadcast more substantial information. Properly managing a blog allows brands to establish themselves as thought-leaders and learning centers in their industry as long as they continue to publish valuable pieces.
- Improved SEO. Long-form content such as blog posts allow business owners to focus on keyword sensitivity and other SEO functions. This repeated optimization effort over endless blog posts will not only help the blog gain visibility on Google, but help any adjacent pages as well.
- Increased traffic. As SEO improves because of the blog, so does organic search traffic. In fact, a recent study has shown that brands that blog at least 5 times within a week will receive 6.9 times more traffic than brands that ignore blogging. As the blog increases traffic, it also increases potential leads.
- Building trust. Consumers like to do their research before making a major purchase, especially online. Keeping an active blog gives potential customers an avenue to establish trust with your company. Aside from attracting new customers, a blog can also build a loyal readership that will read post after post for months or even years to come.
- A proven business model. Since blogging has withstood the test of time in online marketing, you know that it is worth the investment in both time and resources. While it can be challenging to measure the ROI on social media campaigns, blog traffic and referrals can be easily measured and analyzed.
- Protecting your reputation. Consistently publishing useful pieces allows you to control your brand’s reputation online. By cultivating a voice and presence that is unique to your brand, you have the ultimate control of how the online audience perceives your brand. You also have the opportunity to positively represent your brand without making a direct sales pitch.
- Convenience. Since you’re already an expert in your industry, it’s easy and convenient to regularly update your blog. Even if you don’t have the time, there are many services available to manage and update your blog. These professional services are cost effective and also ensure that your blog perpetuates the exact voice that you want. It takes away the pressure of worrying about SEO parameters and establishing your brand’s voice.