Blogging for Business

Companies who blog bring in 67% more leads than those who don’t and 70% of people prefer to learn about a company through their blog rather than an ad. Even in 2024, blogs are still relevant. And effective. Building a business blog isn’t an optional marketing tool – it’s an essential one. Every business can benefit from one, from small businesses through to established, international enterprises. Engaging with your audience using thoughtful and informative content can bring endless benefits for your business.

But what does it really take to achieve these benefits? How can a carefully crafted string of content transform your brand from being unknown to becoming a dominant industry force?

Before exploring business blogging in more detail, it makes sense to discuss what a business blog entails. Essentially a blog for business is a section on your website dedicated to the digital publication of insightful, industry specific content. This content serves a range of purposes such as education, boosting your brands online visibility and increasing enquiries.

The Anatomy of a Business Blog

A well structured business blog is a digest of articles that cater to the needs and interests of your target market. It should not only be a channel for broadcasting content, but also a two way communication platform where customers can engage and interact with your brand. You can publish everything from thought leadership pieces to how to guides, industry insights and customer success stories. Mix up the content to give a little variety, but importantly, ask yourself is this helpful to my target audience?

A Blogging Persona

Your business blog needs a voice – an element that will imbue your content with personality. Is your brand authoritative and professional? Or laid back and humorous? Does the voice fit in with your target audience? Whatever persona you choose, consistency is key. Your blogging voice should align with your brand image across all communication channels.

Planning Your Business Blog

A business blog without a content plan will lack purpose. It will be a mismatch of articles pieced together that don’t really mean much. To make your blog a strategic tool, it must be aligned with objectives and resonate with readers. The planning process will tie the two together.

Objectives

Firstly, gain clarity on what you would like your business blog to do? Improve SEO, establish your brand as an industry leader or generate leads? When you define clear, measurable objectives, you can tailor your content strategy to meet your goals.

Audience

To be effective, your blog should attract a particular type of person. Knowing who they are is important so you can produce content that’s relevant and useful. By creating detailed customer personas that encapsulate the behavioural and demographic traits of your ideal customers, you can fine tune the types of content that will engage them the most.

Content Planning Tools

Editorial calendars, SEO research platforms and content management software can guide your content planning. They help you stay organised, analyse the effectiveness of your content and ensure your blog remains focused and on schedule. Every blog post should have a purpose and fit into the wider narrative of your content strategy.

Quality Content – What Does it Mean?

Quality and value are two words you’ll see mentioned a lot in the online space. But what do they actually mean? After all, they are subjective. What I think is a quality piece of content, you may not and vice versa.

Let’s take a look at some of the defining features of ‘quality content’

Authenticity and Relevance

Good content is authentic. It’s based on personal experience, tied to the realities of your industry. Readers can detect insincerity from miles away, so ensure that every blog post reflects your brands genuine stance and offers actionable insights and practical steps.

Optimised for Search (and Search Intent) 

If you implement SEO best practices such as strategic keyword integration, creating shareable content and serving user intent, you can significantly increase your blogs search rankings and bring more traffic to your site.

Create Visual Appeal

Screenshots, unique images and videos are visual aids throughout your blog can add to the readers experience. You can also add an audio reading of the content for those who prefer to listen. Media assets break up the text and make complex ideas easier to understand. It also boosts engagement. Visuals are also more shareable which can amplify your blogs reach.

Blogging for Growth

The outcome of a well crafted, carefully planned blog can result in more traffic, increased leads and sales as well as greater brand awareness and visibility.

It can also open up opportunities, establishing you as an authority in your industry. When customers view your brand as knowledgeable, they are more likely to turn to you when making purchasing decisions. Even if they are not ready to buy now, you will be at the top of their mind when they, or a connection of theirs is looking for a product or service you sell.

You can turn your blog into an inbound marketing magnet, drawing targeted customers directly to your website. It’s your opportunity to be found, rather than having to find your audience.

When you guide readers through a strategic content funnel, your business blog can generate leads and nurture them into paying customers. Each blog post can finish with a call to action – to sign up for a newsletter, download a resource or submit an enquiry form which encourages the reader to move further towards a purchase. Don’t forget to use internal linking throughout each post to other pages on your website such as to product and service pages.

It can be a valuable resource to help prospects and customers, particularly if you answer frequently asked questions in a blog post. Blogs are a great way to improve the customer experience and enhance the customer journey.