Ignore the nay-sayers. Blogging is a valuable way to increase visibility for your brand. Here’s why.
Social media sites are rife with ‘get seen fast’ advice, bombarding you with messages that claim you don’t need to put in the hours to get the results, if you just download their free (until you’re asked to pay) guide. But if it sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is.
There are no fast wins when it comes to brand awareness, just tried and tested methods that require consistency. And blogging is one of these methods.
What even is a blog?
Some people recoil when they hear the word ‘blog’, so let’s look past the label. What we’re really talking about is non-sales, helpful content that’s relevant to your product or service.
Blog content could include:
- Tutorials (How tos)
- Inspirational stories
- Top tips
- Myth busters
- Checklists
- Interviews
And much more. The key is to make sure that every blog is focused on the reader and their interest, not used as a selling platform. Ditch the in-your-face and not-so-subtle marketing messages. Customers will lose interest and lose trust.
Instead, be authentic and provide content that inspires, teaches and supports. Create a connection with your audience. Doing so will position you as a trusted accomplice. Link out to your products where relevant, but don’t over-do it.
Your customers need you
Blogging isn’t just about your brand. It’s part of a customer/supplier exchange. Providing useful information helps customers achieve their goals, and in turn you’ll:
- Build trust in your brand and services
- Build engagement (we like to call it buzz)
- Build reputation as an expert in your field
So far so good.
What’s important is not to expect quick wins. The trust of prospects doesn’t come overnight. Blogging is a long-lead form of content marketing. It’s about creating a good feeling associated with your brand which, in time, can lead to sales.
Blogging takes a sizeable chunk of time: from researching your customers, to planning and creating content that will be informative and engaging for this specific audience. It takes dedication to show up every day/week/month – however regularly you can manage. And it takes a commitment to quality.
But put in the work and you will see the benefits.
Google is watching
That’s something that Google agrees with too. Look what they say about content in their Search Console help page:
“Creating compelling and useful content will likely influence your website more than any of the other factors discussed here. Users know good content when they see it and will likely want to direct other users to it. This could be through blog posts, social media services, email, forums, or other means.
“Organic or word-of-mouth buzz is what helps build your site’s reputation with both users and Google, and it rarely comes without quality content.”
In short: if you make great content your customers and Google will reward you with website traffic, for free (minus your time), which could lead to sales.
Blogging isn’t for everyone. But with enough effort it’s a valid and potentially very rewarding form of marketing, which could pay dividends.
