According to HubSpot, blogging brands see regular increases in their ROI, but is that all there really is to it? If you are thinking, “No way!” you would be right.
A blog on your website does not guarantee ROI and will not produce a million conversations. It takes some thought and strategy, sprinkled with a little bit of work and dedication before you start to enjoy the fruit of your efforts.
Making the argument for blogs
The top two challenges facing business-to-customer and business-to-business companies with any marketing strategy are generating traffic and leads and proving the ROI of marketing activities. Blogs create a huge payoff, to the tune of being 13 times more likely to achieve a positive ROI and knock those two challenges out of the park.
The next benefit of blogging is that your blog is a catalyst to more brand recognition. Websites that contain blogs have 434% more indexed pages. These indexes are used by search engines such as Google as a key ranking factor. These indexes nudge your company to come up closer and closer to the top of online search results as a result of this indexing. This example is a valuable one of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Blogging itself is an art, just as any thought-provoking writing is. It also requires strategy, because you have an audience to cater to with your blogs. You want to interest, stimulate, and entice your audience to see your brand as a trusted resource.
Before you put on your favorite shirt and get ready to start typing, we have a few strategies to help get you started, so read on!
Strategy 1: You need a budget
If you’re thinking, “Wait a minute, since when does it cost to type up a few paragraphs?”, step back for a moment and ponder – how much is your time worth? Unless your business is blogging, you have other things to do, and they probably have to do with your company. With that in mind, the budget in this detail is that of time.
The average time spent crafting a blog post is around 3 hours, give or take. That time is spent on planning, writing, and gathering together your content for the blog. Now carve that window in your day when your mind is sharp and your creativity high.
The next time will be spent marketing your blog to attract readers. As a new blogger, readers have not discovered you yet. Expect around a third of your budget to go toward content marketing. If you decide to outsource the writing, expect your budget to take a little more.
Some more things to factor into your budget are:
- Website hosting (you may need a new one if your present one doesn’t support blogging)
- Plugins for your site to support and build your blogs (some are free, many have a price)
- Social media marketing to draw attention to your blogs
- Email marketing and other promotional materials
- Videos, podcasts, and other methods of content (optional, but enrich the content)
As you see, there are some free options, and it takes some time to find them and learn how to use them. Some aren’t requirements, either, so you can start with something basic and build on enhancements as you become a master of your blogosphere.
Expect to expand your content budget as you evolve and start to see significant results, but don’t get too stingy about it. Neglecting the time or money from the start may sabotage your efforts altogether.
Strategy 2: Know your audience
Now that you have a budget, it’s time to start thinking about who your customers are and where they come from.
Your target audience is three types: the person that supports you, the one that pays you, and the one whom the one that pays you looks up to.
What marketing channels (email, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube) are they likely to engage their attention? Your goal is to connect with them, bring them to your website, and compel them to share your content (and website) with others. Your conversions will not come immediately because your brand is a work in progress. As your brand is passed around, it becomes more familiar, and when your target customers are ready to purchase, they know exactly where to go.
These customers prepare to buy in different ways, so your content should aid their preparation. Now, this won’t be all in one post or block of content, but your content should be a path to lead them. You may notice that much of the content mentioned may not be in the form of a blog at all. Be prepared to be flexible in your content writing to make sure that these customers have everything they need to feel confident in their purchase.
Start posting with a problem that will connect with them. They start to see you as a source of knowledge. You can next write content comparing your product (or service) to yours, and they begin to see your advantages over the competition. The final step is when they are ready to buy, and you provide that final trigger to call them to action.
Step three: Lay down your goals
Take your fingers off the keyboard. It’s not time to write content just yet. You start your path to conversions with defining your specific goals, and your goal is more specific than achieving ROI. Think of what exactly you want your content to do? Is it brand awareness, a loyal customer base, or an increase in sales? Don’t worry, you don’t have to choose just one, but you are defining your intentions and how you will meet those intentions.
Start with describing your ideal supporter:
- What kind of person are they?
- Why would they read your blog?
- What kind of work do they do?
- What questions might they have?
- What problems do they have that your company can resolve?
- What is their preferred content?
- Do they have any favorite influencers?
- What stage (awareness/research/buy) are they in the process?
Now that you know your customer and their intentions, you are ready to get your creative juices flowing.
Step 4: See examples of what is out there already
As you identify types of content most likely to innovate your audience, take a pause and look for relevant examples that you may (or may NOT) want to model your content after. You’re just about ready. It’s time to write.
Now you’re writing
As you write, you are talking to your audience and their interests. You are appealing to their challenges as a possible solution. Present yourself as an expert authority when you post. If you don’t consider yourself one in a particular area, find an expert and invite them to post as a guest blogger. You can do the same for other companies in exchange for brand recognition. This helps to expand your reach to more audiences.
As you write, make your message clear to the audience and what your takeaway will be. I suggest writing it at the top of the page as your title to keep you focused, then change the title when you’re finished. You know your audience and what they want now. From there, simply shine through your writing. If you get it right, you’ll start to see the response to your content.
Overwhelmed? Don’t fret
If after reading this, you find yourself exhausted, there is no need to worry. There is plenty of ROI to enjoy from hiring a full-service marketing agency like Joseph Studios. Their organic approach to content and brand marketing gets your brand noticed and your audience engaged. Visit their blog for more tips for marketing your business, or contact them to partner with you for your marketing so you can get back to what you do best.
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