Business blogging is a key component to successful inbound marketing. Sure, just about anyone can start a company blog. However, in order for it to be successful, your blog needs to provide individuals with real value, and not merely parrot back information that they can find elsewhere.
Thinking about starting a blog or wondering why your current company blog is underperforming? First, some bad news. According to Technorati, more than 3 million new blogs are added to the blogosphere each month. In the cyberspace clutter, it can be hard for your blog to stand out even if your business is well known. Now, for the good news: successful inbound marketing through business blogging is possible. Stuck with a so-so blog? Heres what you need to know to improve lead generation.
1. Quality, insightful content matters
Yes, it would be great if you could just post the latest meme or viral video and call it a day. And while that might give you a small spike in visitors, to truly generate a steady stream of traffic, your blog needs to consistently publish quality, insightful content. So how can you find a great stream of insights? Tap you companys best resources your people! For example, depending on your companys area of expertise, start a weekly Q&A with your marketing team leader or product development officer.
2. Put your own spin on the story
Position your business as an industry thought leader with creative, original commentary on industry news. Did a news story recently leave out key information? How is your business using an industry challenge to its advantage? Take a popular news story and make it your own by adding a new spin. Struggling to think of a good idea? Take an excerpt from your latest white paper and re-work it into a how-to blog post. Does your business have a large stack of data but no way to easily share this information with customers? Create an infographic and publish it on your blog; visual material increases the likelihood that your blog post will be shared and re-tweeted.
3. Build your brand
A 2011 Technorati survey found that consumers are increasingly placing their confidence in blogs, rather than traditional media. This shift has major implications for brands of all sizes. The first lesson: your blog is your brand. What you say and how you say it affects your businesss brand. Everything from typos to less-than-original content (or yikes blatant keyword stuffing!) can severely hurt your businesss relationship with customers and damage your brands perception.
4. Invite guest bloggers to share their insights
Guest bloggers are a great strategy for kick-starting a steady flow of consistent web traffic, especially if your blog is just starting out. Prominent guest bloggers already have a built-in following, and if they share a post on your blog, chances are that theyll cross-promote this post with their own followers, bringing new traffic sources to your blog. Curating creative, insightful content is also important. And be sure to return the favor: ask your guest bloggers if you can share a post thats appropriate for their readerships interest on their blog.
5. Share the love
Are you posting creative, original content but your blog is remaining comment-less? It can be frustrating to share what you think is a great story but not receive any feedback from your readers. While you cant create a dynamic conversation overnight, you can take steps to get it started. First, be sure your blog posts end in a question to encourage discussion. If youre posting an excerpt from your blog on Twitter or Facebook, include this question along with a line encouraging your followers to return to your blog to participate in the conversation. Just like with guest blogging, remember commenting is a two-way street. Post short, insightful comments on other industry blogs; just be sure not to go overboard or toot your own horn too much.
Summary
Business blogging is one of the best inbound marketing channels. Google loves websites that regularly produce great content relevant to the keywords you're targeting. The more you blog, the more organic website traffic you'll get. Use blogging best practices to make sure your blog produces leads and gets shared on social media networks. If you're already blogging, take advantage of the best practices to improve your business results. If not, what are you waiting for?
