Before I go into this topic I want to start off by saying that blogging is only one tool when it comes to internet marketing. It’s not a magic button or special tweak you can manipulate to somehow appear as the most relevant source in your industry at the drop of a hat. For a business, particularly smaller business, blogging can be a powerful way to share your knowledge and resolve some of the most annoying and frustrating pain points your customers have.
The result – you build credibility and visibility. That’s exactly what you’re after when you launch your internet marketing.
Here’s proof in how it can work; Marcus Sheridan is the CEO of River Pools and Spas, a company that installs fiberglass pools in the in area of Virginia and Maryland. Thanks to his blog, Marcus is considered to be one of the leading experts in the industry – especially to locals – because he takes the time to discuss things that other installers aren’t willing to reveal or take the time to discuss. Does it bring him extra business? Yes. Does he get an immediate return on sales? Not necessarily. But it is helping his business grow because it’s increasing his visibility far beyond the reach of his service area and people are talking about his company.
That’s what you want your Internet Marketing to do for you.
Internet Marketing- Stats on Blogging
Blogging is only one tool in your content marketing tool kit but it’s a powerful one. Here are some simple facts and statistics* that you might not have known about:
- More than 90% of consumers read blogs regularly
- Over 70% of consumers regularly read more than five blogs
- 100% of business surveyed who blog more than once per day received customers directly from their blog posts.
- Businesses who blog are up to 4x more likely to be found on the web
- Businesses sporting a blog get more than 50% more traffic on average than businesses who do not.
*courtesy of Hubspot
Internet Marketing- Make Blogging Work For Your Business
Internet Marketing – Blogging Tip #1: The first step toward blogging to improve your internet marketing is to listen. Once you start listening to your customers you can discern what kind of problems they have, the solutions they need, how to deliver the information and ultimately understand their vital pain points.
Internet Marketing – Blogging Tip #2: When you’re involved in content marketing and blogging, you have to talk about the good, the bad and the ugly of your products. Because if you’re not doing it, someone else will. It’s best to approach it from a direct standpoint and make sure that you’re the source people turn to in order to understand the problem and find the solution.
Internet Marketing – Blogging Tip #3: Log your customers’ questions every time. Do this for every question you get asked. When your internet marketing includes listening, you’re mapping out the most common pain points and questions which can give you an idea of pressing topics, repeat issues that need to be addressed, where customers struggle the most, etc. It’s important to remember that your customers aren’t here for you – they don’t care about you or your products. They care about themselves and finding a solution to an issue. Focus on their questions so you can solve their challenges using valuable, informative posts.
Internet Marketing – Blogging Tip #4: Remember to plan your distribution methods with internet marketing. Once you write and post the content you need to get out there where people can see it. Think about the different ways you can distribute it to people including
- Social media
- RESS
- Newsletters
- Guest Blogging
- Webinars
- News Releases
If you don’t spread the word, no one will know you’re blogging.
Internet Marketing – Blogging Tip #5: Get your calls to action in place. Providing the information to readers is smart and a great way to connect but if you don’t direct their attention somewhere else when they’re done reading then they’re likely to wander off and do something else. Direct their attention to the next relevant resource, to your opt-in, to a sales page, etc.
Remember that whatever you decide to do, you have to commit to it and work the channels in order to be seen as an expert in your industry. All the aspects that make up internet marketing are individual tools that come together to create results but those tools don’t work by themselves. They work together the bring you the desired results and you’ll always be the hands working those tools. When it comes to internet marketing you get what you put in.
For more information in building brand visibility with business blogging, contact us today at Tulsa Internet Marketing services.
