blogging Archives - Plaid Swan

May 24, 2017

Why Blogs Should Be Part of Your Marketing Mix

“If “blogging” is a dirty word, then I am scum.” -Kevin Lim

www.sarahsawamovie.com

Is anyone out there? Can anyone hear me? Hellooo?

Wait! Did you hear that?

Yes!

The whispered words over the din of hyperbole and malice that chokes the internet on a daily basis…a soft lyrical voice sending us hope and good cheer – ”The blog is not dead.”

The blog is in fact, still kicking, living, breathing like your old Aunt Gertrude who blew out her 101 candles last June. So what if Gawker.com was put to rest, the soul of the blogger – blogs on. Blogging is still one of the most valuable tools a business can have. So whip out that laptop, flex those phalanges, because here are 5 reasons why your business should have a blog.

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It Establishes Yourself as an Expert: To write is to give. When you write useful and engaging content you are driving traffic to your site and establishing yourself as an expert. People will begin to see you as someone who is knowledgeable, dependent, and a leader. Because of this they will begin to trust you more than the competition and when they are in need of your services, it will be you who they go to. Things can only go up from there, including your sales.

It Increases Your Business’s Visibility: When your blog is full of resourceful information, relevant content, useful tips and advice you will be able to increase your businesses exposure, cultivating opportunities for you to meet and attain future leads, employees, and clients. By creating content that people want to read, that they find entertaining and useful, you are successfully getting your brand name out there as well as meeting new people you might not have met otherwise. This puts your business ahead of the pack and that’s ‘howl’ it should be.

You Can Share Your Blog to Social Media: The nice thing about blogs, and perhaps the simplest, is you can share your blog to your businesses social media platforms, increasing engagement and viewers. You can even set up your blog so it automatically posts to social media feeds when it’s published on your website. If you incorporate photos or videos in your blog post, you’ve already increased your chances to receive more engagement. Posts with engaging, funny, and relatable, eye-catching headlines and images, generate more clicks, likes, and shares, than those with just plain written text. So get ‘Disney’ all over your blog and make it technicolor.

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You Stand Out from the Crowd: In a world that is full of competition it might seem hard to stand out. But have no fear, the blog is here! A blog is a great way for your business to stand out from the pack. If you want to engage with viewers and not be overlooked online, this can help. A blog allows your voice to be heard. You can write your own content or have multiple employees help with the process. By starting a blog, you are getting your name out there, producing pieces that show off your expertise, and engaging with viewers you may not have reached in the past. Get a blog. Do it now. By the time your competitors realize you’re attracting customers thru your blog, you’ll already have an audience established and they’ll be busy playing ‘catch up’.

You Are Able to Attract New Customers: According to a HubSpot survey, 60% of businesses that had a blog attained more customers than those who didn’t. By being present online you are increasing your chances of engaging with a variety of viewers. Thru a blog you show your customer base your doors are open for business. You are showing them that you’re online, you’re relevant, and you’re an expert in your field. A blog also allows you to answer questions. When a potential client reads your blog and sees you as a valuable resource, you’ll be the first one they go to.

www.tenor.co

You thought Grease was the word? Wrong! Blogging is the word. You might be thinking blah, blah, blah, but you should be thinking blog, blog, blog! Blogs should be, scratch that, need to be, a part of your marketing mix.

Blogging is not dead. Only flogging is, but that’s another subject. Perhaps a subject we’ll touch upon in our next blog.

Plaid Swan Inc. is a female owned and operated marketing communications firm with multiple offices located in the Midwest. Looking to make your company’s blog stand out? Don’t have a blog, but want one? What’s a BLOG? Contact us today to see how we can bring your brand to a new stellar level!

Plaid Swan: (563) 556-1633

Email: betsy@plaidswan.com

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-Haley Corkery │ Public Relations Specialist

Sources:

https://www.rickwhittington.com/blog/14-reasons-why-your-business-should-start-a-blog/

https://www.sproutcontent.com/blog/19-reasons-why-your-business-should-be-writing-a-blog

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/the-benefits-of-business-blogging-ht#sm.0009ot7ya6tjdhr11hj105qmpd6yy

November 28, 2016

Ramp Up Your Business by Adding a Blog

Are you frustrated your business lacks visibility and digital reach? Listen, there are many solutions people can throw at you, however, have you heard the benefits of utilizing a blog to gain visibility in the digital landscape? 45% of marketers say that blogging is their most lucrative content strategy. It is not only a great way to inform people about who you are and what is important to your business, but it keeps your site active and feeds the search engine. Let’s take a more in depth look on how this breaks down.

Higher traffic = more sales

Creating a blog provides fresh and relevant content for your customers to share. Continually posting new and interesting content inspires your followers to share your articles via their social media platforms, in turn driving new readers to your website. The more traffic to your website, the more sales your company will likely generate. Whether your company is business to business or business to consumer, there is proven success with utilizing blogs. B2B companies generate 67% more leads per month using blogs, while B2C companies generate 88% more leads. Although writing takes time, it has proven to pay off in the grand scheme of things.

Gives your business a voice

Having a blog gives your business the chance to get creative and venture from the formal nature of your website. It allows you to create content in a relatable tone your customers will feel connected to. You have free reign—to an extent—to write about topics that are important to you and the clients you work for.

You are the expert

Does your business receive frequently asked questions? It’s recommended that one of the first topics you should focus on is diving into one of those questions in depth. This allows you to showcase you are an expert in that area and in turn, draws people to your website when they search those specific questions. This also increases the likelihood that person will come back to your website for future answers and tips. For example ( internal plug J ) when we at Plaid Swan communicate about the different ways digital marketing can help your business, you’re probably going to search in the future for more advice on similar topics, such as Facebook’s Algorithm Update and why you should be split testing.

Boosts SEO

Who isn’t trying to find the newest way to boost SEO? Search Engine Optimization (SEO), in a condensed definition, is the way someone finds your website using a search engine, such as Google. The higher your company is listed on Google, the more likely it is that someone will click on your website versus a competitor’s. Google uses an algorithm that lists web pages in a specific order according to their SEO. The algorithm allows Google to crawl through every web page, on every website and rank their SEO based on keyword phrases, graphics that are used, social networking and backlinks.

Blogging helps boost SEO because it creates additional content for Google and other search party websites to keyword match and crawl through. Additionally, the post permanently exists on the internet and although it may not hit the desired number of likes and shares on the first day of publishing, it will continue to show up in readers feeds and search engine sites. This will allow other bloggers and media to cite your work, continually driving new readers and traffic to your website.

Still having trouble understanding how it works? Check out the graphic below to help:

infographic

If you have noticed traffic to your website is down or stagnant, it’s time to start writing. Blogging continues to be a key component of online marketing strategies helping drive customers to your website and in return, your bottom line.

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– Lindsay Hottovy │ Public Relations Intern

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