Successful marketing today relies on a multi-layered strategy. Customers and peers alike all have various channels they prefer over others, so it’s vital to meet them on their own turf if you want to capture their business and get their attention.
Social media has taken on more significance for businesses in recent years, providing platforms for marketing, customer acquisition, and engagement. It’s an undeniably good way to build a brand and show your audience what you’re all about. But with all the time and effort you put into your social presence, you might find yourself wondering – do I really need a blog?
The answer might surprise you. While there’s no hard-and-fast rule that says you must have a blog, it sure helps. A blog amplifies your voice, taking what you consider to be “wins” at the social level and turning them into a force unto themselves.
So, if we can all agree that having a social strategy is critical to your growth and success as a brand, let’s talk about what a blog can do for you. A blog can stand on its own, but to best effect, it works with social media, tying it all together to help you reach an even wider audience.
Simply put, your blog is the fuel that feeds your social marketing fire, and that’s what we’re diving into today.
The Many Benefits of a Blog
Social posts and blogs are similar in some ways, exceedingly different in others. Social posts are best kept short, while blogs allow you to go into greater detail to express a point. Social media is in-the-moment, while blogs have some legs. Both are good for organic SEO on their own, but together they amplify your results.
Here’s why:
- Blogs Are Shareable Content. It’s a common dilemma with social media – it’s easy to run out of ideas about what to post and share. Good-quality original content, such as a well-written blog, engages your audience around topics they care about. If they find value in your post, they’ll share it, amplifying your voice and driving engagement metrics across all channels.
- Blogs Establish Expertise. Expertise drives customers to your doors, as most people prefer to patronize companies that have proven themselves in their field. A blog gives you a voice. Social media gives you a platform to amplify that voice and makes your message more accessible. If you’re not blogging, you’re likely losing market share to a competitor, and that’s never ideal.
- Blogs Are Good For SEO. Search engines reward websites that continually post fresh, relevant content. The more you post, the more often Google’s crawlers recognize your page, driving up your rank and helping drive organic (unpaid) traffic to your site. Social proof is a significant ranking factor – meaning every share, every comment, every backlink to your blog or website counts. Publishing your blog on your site and sharing on social media directly affects those metrics – it’s a win-win.
- Blogs Improve Customer Loyalty. There is nothing more valuable to a business than repeat customers. If your blog provides value and insight, people are more likely to come back, tell their colleagues, and so on. The more often they return, the greater the likelihood they’ll convert to paying customers. Studies show that most B2B buyers depend on authoritative content to make better purchasing decisions – that means, unequivocally, that if you can offer that, you’ve got their ear. And that’s how you build a following.
- A Blog Drives Website Traffic. Useful content is much more effective than advertising to get people to visit your website. People today are very good at tuning out paid ads, so if you can get their attention without spending any advertising dollars, why wouldn’t you? Plus, if your readers are sufficiently impressed, they’ll want to learn more about the company behind the ideas. When you post your blog on social, it links back to your website. People click on the blog to read it, and they’re there. It’s good for your customers, for you, and your rank.
- A Blog Is Something To Build On. Unlike social media posts, your blogs don’t fade into the background as soon as you post them. If they’re relevant to your industry, your articles continue to provide value over time. If you think about it, how many times have you searched the web for information only to come across a blog post that was created several months—or even years—before? You certainly can’t say the same for social, which is more geared to the moment. Indeed, if you have high-performing articles, it’s easy to update (if needed) and repost on social periodically if it seems relevant. Timely information has legs, and you might just gain a whole new audience because of it.
- A Blog Helps You Speak Directly To Your Customers. If you’re engaged in marketing at any level, you likely have one or more buyer personas. You can leverage your blogs to speak directly to these individuals, touching on the points they care about and making them feel like you genuinely “get” them. You can take that topic and frame it a number of different ways to reach different personas, so in essence, one subject can cover a lot more ground than you might think.
Your Blog + Social = A Match Made In Marketing Heaven
In the big scheme of things, social media hasn’t been around for that long. Blogging was a separate item, and many thought that social would replace it entirely, citing dwindling attention spans. While the attention span concept is not untrue, blogs have become far more valuable than anybody could have imagined.
We use blogs to enrich our social channels and use social channels to promote blogs – it’s an undeniably symbiotic relationship and one you should invest in. In fact, if you’re not combining your social media and blogging efforts, you’re not getting the weight of their full potential.
For example, encouraging comments on your blog might not be very productive as you often end up with a lot of spam. However, that’s where your social channels shine. You’re much more likely to get constructive comments on social, so it’s not just a one-way conversation. Engagement is a critical factor when you’re building your brand, and social media is where you’ll have these dialogs.
Common Goals: Bringing It All Together
Despite their differences, your social media channels and your blog have the same general goals. A little planning goes a long way to ensure your content is aligned and on-point. Using a content calendar to plan your strategy is always recommended, as it gives your teams something to rally behind. You could base your plans around seasonal concerns, promotional periods, events, or new product releases – whatever makes sense to you and your customers – but the benefits are enormous.
By aligning efforts across all channels, you present a streamlined and united front. When your audience responds to your posts, they’ll all be replying to the same general topic. This focus infuses the matter with energy, aligns sales and marketing, and fuels audience engagement. Done strategically and with intention, you can’t lose.
To learn more about how we can help you align your blog to your social media channels and overall marketing goals, reach out to us today.
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