Blogging has already evolved from being a mere venue for people who want to rant or keep an online diary. Nowadays, it has been used by businesses due to the fact that they can share worthy pieces of advice not just to their followers but also to their prospects so they can establish themselves as experts in that certain field.
Apart from this, blogging is also one way of boosting a brand’s exposure. In 2012 alone, there were already a couple of studies conducted to prove how business blogging could make a difference. Some of the benefits included here were more visitors (55%), more inbound links (97%), and more indexed pages (434%).
The infographic (click to zoom):
No wonder, more and more business owners are realizing the value of blogging and how it can serve their businesses well. In fact, in a study, it was found out that there has been an increase in the percentage of Fortune 500 Corporations which owns a corporate blog, an indicator that it really works even for big companies.
But of course, besides big corporations, blogging has also been proven to be effective for businesses in general. According to a study, in truth, businesses with blogs have noted that there has been a 55% increase in number of their visitors. Even the number of leads can be increased through the help of blogging. According to a study, companies that own blogs get 126% more leads as compared to those who don’t have.
Not just that, business blogs with regular updates are also most likely to acquire new customers. Research shows that 89% of business blogs with multiple posts a day actually got more customers. Therefore, we can say that big or small, a business can benefit a lot from blogging. But what makes a good blog that performs well, in the first place? Here are the top 8 elements of a high-performing blog:
1. Good and Solid Content
Never underestimate the power of good content. Any blog that has good content can definitely convert more people because of its ability not just to give substantial pieces of advice but also to influence people positively. Actually, there is already this so-called content marketing, which focuses mainly on the production of good content to generate leads and increase sales. This just goes to show that good content can really be helpful in any business that do blogging.
2. Images, Videos, and Other Visual Aids
People are now very visual. They easily get intimidated when they see really long articles without photo, video, or any visual aid in them. In fact, blog posts with images get 94% more page views. Apart from the fact that visual aids are more stimulating, these photos can also help the readers understand your posts more easily. In fact, no matter how good your content is, if your blog does not have good photos, people might not appreciate it that much. So, make your blog an effective one by using great visual aids.
3. Social Media Arm
Social media already has so many uses these days. Apart from being used to directly promote brands and sell products as in the case of social selling, it is now widely used to share updates on business blogs. Therefore, it’s now being tapped to take brand awareness to a level higher. And since social networking sites usually can reach more people (through boosting or promoting posts usually) they can invite more blog viewers immediately.
That is why if you are a business owner who is serious about your business blog, you also have to use the social media very strategically. You should have your own social media arm to help you spread the word whenever you have a new post on your blog. Your social media arm can also help you post teasers and other materials that would get people’s attention and soon visit your blog.
It is very important to know these things since these days, businesses are really making the most of the social media. Some of the common roles include brand/awareness channel (59%), marketing campaign channel (44%), content marketing channel (37%), and so on.
4. Follow and Social Buttons
Make them follow you very easily. To do this, you should provide a follow button somewhere on your blog so it’s easier for them to follow you so they will be alerted whenever you have a new post on your blog. This will eventually encourage them to follow you and be your blog’s fan after they have read something wonderful on your blog.
Apart from the follow button, you should also have updated social buttons that are very visible on your blog. This would help you gain more followers on your social media channels and therefore help your social media arm to reach more people.
5. Author Bio
There are already lots of blogs online. How can you make yours more attractive?
The answer is simple: talk about things you are good at. And of course, do not forget to emphasize that you are an authority when it comes to this subject. Promote yourself as an expert in this field. Otherwise, you cannot really be sure whether people would take you seriously or not.
This is the reason why having a section in your blog that mainly talks about you is so important. Having a well-written, catchy, and believable author bio on your business blog will definitely make your blog more legit. It’s the same thing with books; you have to give your readers an idea why they should believe in the things you say.
Some of the things you can include in your author bio are details about your education, experience with the subject or field, previous experiences, contact details, personal life, and even your personality.
6. Categories and Tags
Make your blog as organized as possible. Make sure that each blog post is placed under the right category and is tagged properly. Categories are basically topics you usually blog about while tags are keywords you want your post to be associated with. Essentially, these two can help your readers find information on your blog immediately.
For example, if your business offers several products or services, making sure that each post devoted to a certain product or services is placed under the correct category and is tagged properly. Doing this will help you organize your content on your page so it’s easier for your visitors to locate them when they need information. Besides all these, categories can also help you as you optimize your site.
7. Related and Popular Posts
Trust the power of auto-suggestion. Always recommend something for your readers to check out so they would continue browsing and reading your blog. It will encourage them to click on some more titles and discover more cool stuff on your page that would convert them, eventually. Whether it’s a list of popular blog posts located on your sidebar or a couple of related posts at the end of each blog post, it will truly serve you well.
8. Comments
Make your blog a community. Value comments. Encourage your readers to leave comments and respond to these comments, too. Remember, having a dynamic relationship between you and your blog’s followers is a good indication of how interested and enthusiastic they are. It is also an indication that you are able to affect your readers in certain ways and that somehow, you matter to them.
Apart from that, being able to generate comments from your readers is also one way of getting an access to their thoughts and opinions, which are very important aspects of marketing. It is through these insights that you know more about what they think about and how they find your brand so far.
There may be lots of things to be considered before your blog becomes really effective. But don’t worry. Blogging has already proven to be really helpful in businesses, both big and small. So, once you succeed at it, your business is good to go.
Jomer B. Gregorio is a well-rounded expert when it comes digital marketing. Jomer is also known as a semantic SEO evangelist and practitioner. Check out our Digital Marketing Services today and let us help you in achieving positive and profitable results for your business.