I think we can all agree that bloggers are a pretty important part of the internet culture. As the name suggests, a blog is where you can find a collection of informative content curated from various sources. Thanks to their ever-growing popularity, bloggers now have the power to influence the way we consume news and information online. According to Statista, as of April 2021 there were almost 1.9 million American blogging enthusiasts. That’s a whole lot of content being produced every day!
What does this mean for content marketers? Bloggers can provide a massive audience that’s more likely to be interested in our products and services. And what’s more important, this audience shares similar characteristics with our target group. That’s huge!
The Power Of The Written Word
The medium is the message in the phrase “content is the king, or queen, of the internet”. In the same way that an impressive picture can attractively communicate a message to the viewer, well-written content that’s easy to understand and enjoyable to read also has the power to persuade and convince people.
You may ask yourself, “Why should I write for the internet? Isn’t it enough that I write for my local newspaper?” I would respond by saying that when it comes to influencing an audience, the written word still carries a lot of weight compared to a video or an animated GIF.
When someone reads a well-written piece, with or without a byline, they retain more information and understand the content better. In addition, people trust written words more than they do audio or visual content.
On the other hand, the listener or viewer is less inclined to focus on the interactive elements of a GIF, video, or audio clip while they’re listening or watching, respectively. This means that if you want someone’s attention, you’ll need to create a writing style that suits their interests and activities. In other words, you’ll want to create content that’s easy to understand for the audience you’re targeting.
The Challenges Of Blogging For A Business
Blogs aren’t just limited to sharing user-generated content; businesses can also get in on the action too. With a little bit of strategic planning and research, businesses can provide valuable content to attract, engage, and retain customers.
As a business owner or marketer, there are a number of challenges you might face when deciding whether or not to blog for your company.
- Will my target audience even be interested in my product or service?
- How do I attract users to my blog?
- What do I write about that will make my blog attractive to potential customers?
- How do I engage with my audience using blog content?
- How can I measure the success of my blog?
These are just some of the questions you should ask yourself before diving into the world of blogging. When it comes to answering these questions, you may want to consult with an internet marketing expert or strategist.
For example, if your product is an ecommerce platform for bloggers, you might want to create in-depth how-to guides and roundups that can be hosted on your site. Not only will this make your blog more attractive to potential customers, but it will also give you the opportunity to monetize any leads that result from the content. (Just be sure to follow the correct monetization guidelines from the get-go.)
The fact remains that while blogs can be a powerful part of your internet marketing strategy, they’re not easy to create or maintain. Even experts can find it challenging to achieve some of the more basic goals of a successful blog. For example, you may want your blog to receive a lot of traffic, but if you plan to rely on organic visitors alone you’ll find that a lot of these people will quickly disappear once you remove the influence of the fear of getting sick or the fear of missing a sale.
As a business, you have a choice whether or not to build a blog. While it’s a great idea to have a list of topics you can write about, you’ll quickly find that the most effective blogging comes from experienced writers who can create a blog around a subject that matters to your business.