To some, businesses shouldn’t be blogging. It’s a waste of time, just like social media and other online marketing ventures. To others (like us), it’s a fantastic way to reach out to your audience and connect with them.
As with most marketing decisions, there are pros and cons. It’s up to you to determine if blogging is a valuable expenditure of company resources.
Pro: It costs you nothing but your time.
If you use WordPress or a hundred other blogging hosts, there are plenty of free blog options. However, if you would like a custom domain name, it will cost you a small amount per year.
Con: That time is valuable.
Although blogging isn’t a huge marketing expense, it does require a time commitment. But that time can be shared amongst multiple people in the office. Management, sales, marketing, and other departments all have unique perspectives to contribute.
Pro: It’s a simple way to reach an expanded audience.
The SEO benefits of business blogging are endless. Your blog makes it easier for people to find, understand, and connect with you.
Con: Creating captivating content is difficult.
It can be difficult to write compelling content week after week. However, with the wealth of information at your fingertips and your ever-changing industry, there’s always something to write about. If you’re still unable to think of a topic, start reading and get inspired. Think outside of the box. Do an interview. Have someone else write a post. There are plenty of ways to get new ideas.
Pro: It provides you with a wealth of content to share across your social media platforms.
Every blog post stands as an opportunity to share your unique, compelling content across your various other social media channels. Typically, your social media posts should follow the 5:2 method—five industry posts for every two company posts. Depending on the nature of your blog, your content could fall into either category.
Con: It requires organization and careful planning.
Blogging (like many things, really) does require a careful, structured plan as you go. This plan is usually referred to as an editorial calendar and allows you to schedule posts and ideas in advance. You can use a template, or a shared calendar through your email provider. We use Outlook to share a private monthly calendar that records all upcoming blog posts for easy collaboration.
Pro: You can track it.
My favorite pro—there are so many tracking capabilities with blogging. You know where your readers come from and where they go. You know which content is valuable to your audience and which is not. Really, blogging allows you to develop complex buyer personas to further your connection with your audience. Isn’t that what blogging is all about, in the end?
Doug Kessler says it well:
Traditional marketing talks at people. Content marketing talks with them.
If you’re ready to commit to blogging for your business, you will have a better understanding of your audience and they will have a better understanding of you. Worth it? We think so.
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