The more you know about the blog, the more you can harness its mighty power.
That might sound a bit silly, but it’s true: Blogging is used by nearly 40% of companies in the United States and it’s especially popular with small businesses. That’s because blog posts tend to be written in a more informal style, engaging readers and holding their attention for longer periods of time. After a while — really after only a few posts — blogs can charm web users, and once they’re charmed, they’re more likely to remember that they liked the content and want to come back for more.
Writers love this. Graphic designers who create gripping infographics also love this. Web developers who design the pages love this as well.
But nobody loves blogging more than businesses themselves. It’s the kind of loyalty that’s needed when it comes to building a professional website. In fact, two-thirds of companies who use blogging as a marketing tool list their blog as either “critical” or “important” to sustaining their operation. For folks who run specialty businesses — vet websites, online shoe shops, crafts vendors, etc. — blogging can become the easiest way to get web users invested in your company.
How to build your website into a relevant component of your users’ lives first requires you to take a look at the numbers.
Purchasing Power
Blogging has become a mainstay in helping customers determine the products and services they’re actually going to spend money on. Over 20% of web users reach a final purchasing decision based on the info found on blogs, and the main reason for that is typically because the content is presented in such a dynamic, engaging way. In other words, the more real information you present to your readers (and the less showy ad-speak), the more they’re likely to make an informed purchasing decision about your product or service.
Driving Traffic
Typically, businesses that blog will see 55% more visitors to their professional websites than those that don’t. We’re talking vet websites, shoe retailers, DIY hat makers — you name it, blogs will bring more business to it. Additionally, sites with blogs tend to have, on average, nearly 400% more indexed pages in Google, which certainly helps them get discovered more easily in the search rankings. In this situation, less is certainly not more.
Generating Leads
For businesses that rely on leads for expansion — again: vet websites, shoe sellers, folkswhoknit.com — blogging lands 88% more of them compared with those that don’t. And when you’re running the kind of smaller business where personal relationships with clients are essential to long-lasting success, the more you post, the more leads you tend to see. Blogs that post multiple times per day typically yield 83% more leads per month than those who update only once or twice a week, too.
Of course, your results will vary. No one can predict the web or the habits of even its most loyal readers. But you can begin a blog and start writing, then simply let your new customers come find you.