5 Reasons Your Business Needs a Blog—No Ifs, Ands or Buts

Does your business have a blog? If the answer is no, spare me your excuses. I’ve heard them all before.

I don’t have time to write blog posts.

I can’t come up with that much to write about.

I’m B2B. I don’t need a blog.

I don’t see the value in it.

My friend, I’m here to tell you what you don’t want to hear: you’re wrong, plain and simple.

According to HubSpot, B2B marketers that use blogs receive 67% more leads than those that do not. I’d venture to guess that number is even higher for B2C businesses.

More leads are a prominent reason—but not the only reason—your business needs a blog. Here are 5 more.

1. Blogging is free.

Free, do you hear me? You can spend $1,000 putting your press release out over a wire service, or many times that amount buying a billboard or a radio ad.

Blogging costs you nothing but time. And if you invest the time to build your following, you’ll be reaching highly targeted, engaged audience each and every time you post.

2. It’s a “non-marketing” marketing tactic.

The face of marketing has changed dramatically with the rise of social media. Nobody has ever really liked being “marketed to” in the sense of being a dollar sign in the eyes of a brand, but the needle has shifted even farther away from conventional marketing in recent years.

Consumers don’t appreciate you throwing your brand in their face. They want to discover your brand. They want to digest it, explore it, be surprised and delighted by it.

They do not appreciate being marketed to, and your blog is the perfect way to reach them in an organic way.

3. You control the message.

Good PR can work wonders for a company, but at the end of the day, the media outlet has the final say in what hits the press.

Your blog is your chance to control the messaging completely.

Via http://www.coca-colacompany.com/coca-cola-unbottled/

Coca Cola’s ‘Unbottled’ blog is a perfect example of laser-focused blog messaging. They share all kinds of stories, from a day in the life of a Coke merchandising employee to their stance on women in business. All of them have one thing in common: they directly support the company’s branding and ultimate marketing goals: to win loyalty in the hearts of consumers.

You can do the same thing with your blog.

4. It lets you show your personality.

Some businesses, like bars and shoe stores, have plenty of room to show their quirky side. Accountants and lawyers, on the other hand, probably want to remain pretty buttoned-up in most circumstances.

But your blog is your chance to show your personality. It’s your platform to speak not only as a company, but as a CEO, a marketing director, a real human and not a brand. This is what customers connect with.

5. It’s great for SEO.

I’ll never claim to be an SEO expert, nor have I fully wrapped my head around all the ways Google’s algorithm works to rank websites.

But I do know this: Google likes pages that are updated frequently with fresh, engaging content. Google really likes pages that are shared on social media.

A blog checks both of these boxes naturally. Launch your blog, put some effort into it, and watch your search rankings improve.

The Bottom Line

Look, I know you’re strapped for time. We all are. And if you just can’t swing adding a blog to the mix, that’s life.

But I’m here to point out—maybe there are some other, less productive things you’re spending time on that could take a backseat to developing a truly engaging company blog.

It’s definitely worth considering. If you’re still on the fence, here are 10 more stats that will hopefully change your mind.