A Fresh Look at Business Blogging for 2016

Think the blog has gone the way of the dinosaur? Think again. According to a recent study by MarketingProfs and the Content Marketing Institute, blogs are among the top 5 content marketing tactics today.

Blogs continue to be one of the most easy, cost-effective ways to spread awareness and engagement – and to increase your relevance online. This update will give you some fresh ideas.

Big SEO benefits

Many of you are already blogging and have been for a while. If you’re not, however, here’s something to consider. As a recent Fast Company article said, “It’s all about the SEO.” Why pay for SEO when you can let a robust blog do the work for you? A few key points from the article:

• Inbound links are critical. And regular blog posts, spread through your social media outlets, provide the content to get the links.
• Regular blogging makes your website change – which makes spiders crawl it again to note the changes. Result: more traffic and more links.

Stuck for content?

63% of marketers are busy prioritizing better ways to repurpose content. Blogging can be easy if you simply take existing content and post it for a new audience. Podcasts, case studies, videos, presentations, photos, eBooks, press releases and white papers are all excellent blog fodder. You can also take content produced for sites like Flickr, YouTube, Instagram or Pinterest and use it for blog posts. Forbes proposes more inventive ways to get content for your blog. These are some of our favorites to incorporate into your strategy:

• Enlist coworkers. Don’t feel you have to go it alone. Pull coworkers in to author posts and help get content flowing. Ask around and see who might be interested in writing posts. When you leverage employees from different departments and roles, you’ll get more unique content and flavor.
• Enlist freelancers, guest bloggers – or even your audience. Take some of the pressure off by finding a professional writer who can provide regular, high-quality content in your brand voice. Invite industry experts to weigh in on current issues. Or challenge audience members to write about your products and post the best responses.
• Share and share alike. Show that you’re in the know about your field. If you find an article, video or infographic relevant to your industry, post it to your blog. Make sure you attribute it to the original source (as you would want others to do with your content).
• Try newsjacking when appropriate. Watch for opportunities in current events and trending topics where you can make relevant commentary suiting your industry and audience. Use common sense, taste and discretion, however – major brands have goofed by tweeting self-promotional tie-ins upon somber or tragic occasions. Done right, newsjacking can bring you positive exposure in news searches.

Don’t forget the basics.

As with any marketing effort, effective blogging requires groundwork and planning. Identify your audience and goals – and outline how you will measure your success (likes, shares, subscriptions and so on). Remember that above all, your content must be relevant and high-quality to provoke the steady engagement and sharing you need.

Sure, blogging does require time and effort. But it’s a relatively cheap and easy way to engage your audience and generate valuable traffic. For more ideas about making content marketing work for you, visit us at www.signalinc.com.