In the last few decades, marketing trends have changed drastically.
And one such change in marketing is – having a blog. Blogs play an essential role in acing the marketing game today.
Blogging is one of the major pillars of the content marketing strategy of any business. Just setting up a website with your products, prices, and contact information is never enough.
If the blog section is empty, you’d hardly be showing up on the search results. Believe it or not, businesses with blogs Believe it or not, for businesses with blogs, it’s easier to attain a higher rank and generate more leads.
It’s a way to show the world that you know what you are doing and stand out as a brand in your niche.
Anything and everything about a brand or relevant to your product can be brought into the public domain by blogging.
In other words, your content marketing strategy is incomplete without blogs. If you wanna know why in detail, then keep scrolling.
Why Do You Need To Start A Blog?
Today, blogging isn’t optional. More or less all online businesses, whether small or big, must have a blog.
Why? Here are a few reasons listed below:
- Having a company blog increases your chances of getting noticed. Search engines won’t only pull up websites for products but also for relevant content.
- Organic traffic is the best you can get, and having a blog is one of the most effective ways to drive it. The higher your blog posts rank on the search engine, the more website traffic you’ll get.
- Another benefit that you can reap if your blog works well is, that blogging attracts inbound links. Inbound links are a great way to increase the domain authority and ranking of your website on search engines.
- You can connect with your customers through your company or corporate blog. By sharing success stories or news about upcoming products, you get a chance to educate people about your company.
- Sales are also possible through blogs. But for that, you need to make sure that you’re adding compelling Calls to Action.
Types Of Blogs
What kind of blog you’re aiming to start depends on your brand niche and goal. There are different types of blogs that suit different purposes.
Personal Blog
This is basically your own blog, where you can share your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It’s more like a personal diary that you let people read.
It’s your own blog with no relation to any business or brand. You can share well-written and informative articles or let your creativity flow with poems, stories, and much more.
It’s interesting to note that a blog can be a business on its own. And is one of the easiest types of businesses for individuals to create. As long as you have some deep knowledge of a subject and can share professionally written informative content – you can turn your blog into a business.
Corporate Blog
A blog that is associated with a company or brand. The articles here are related to the products, services, and company news. They could also include information about industry events.
Whether about products, and services or sharing successful stories regarding the company’s growth, corporate blogs can consist of anything that adds value to the business.
And corporate blogs usually have posts from multiple authors. Now this is because a company usually has more than one person to write about its growth.
Generally, they have a team of writers and may include thought leadership content from business leaders.
Niche Blogs
As the name suggests, these blogs usually revolve around a specific field.
For example, a beauty blog that focuses on a specific niche will have a very focused and engaged audience. There are niches in the beauty arena that focus on vegan makeup, Korean beauty, curly hair care, styling tips, and so on.
Niche blogs are powerful as they cater to a very specific group of people who need specific product offerings. They’ll be more engaged with the blog’s posts and are likely to be avid social media followers.
Blogging Tips For Businesses
Blogging can seem overwhelming at first but with time it only gets easier, once you get a hang of it.
But there are some basic steps that you should pay heed to while creating your company blog if you want to drive traffic to your website.
- Search engine optimization is a must. Whether by incorporating keywords, relevant images, or by linking out to external sources, make sure your blog is SEO-friendly.
- Consistency is the key to blogging. Try publishing at least one blog post a week to keep your audience engaged.
- Relevant content is one of the most important ingredients for creating successful blogs. Be choosy about your topics and always make sure to add value to your readers. if possible cover the latest trends and topics in your niche as well.
- Focus on the buyer’s journey. Create a well-researched content strategy that reflects the stage the buyers are on – whether they’re just doing research, looking for specific solutions, or are actively seeking a company’s products
- And last but not least keep track of analytics. Stay up to date on your website’s traffic and engagement, to see which posts are doing better and which ones are not so much.
Successful Blog Examples
Here are some of my favorite businesses with blogs to learn from. These company blogs clearly go above and beyond to share things related to their audience, products, services, and so on via blog posts and other content.
1. MasterClass.com
An ed-tech company with one of the success blogs. Whether you want to learn about cooking, singing, or playing guitar – you’ll find something for each in MasterClass.
But outside it’s services, it also has a rich blog section, with articles from various artists and chefs. Although the site is about premium online courses and learning, it leverages its blog to answer a number of different questions online.
For example, if you search ‘how many teaspoons make a tablespoon’ in Google then it’ll be the MasterClass’s blog that will appear at the top. Yep, MasterClass ranks first on Google for this kitchen measurement query.
And along with spreading info and helping readers through this answer, it actually lead them to their online cooking and baking courses. In this way, MasterClass offers a master class in using SEO and blogging to drive organic traffic.
At times, the topics might not even be related to the classes it offers, but they still manage to engage their target audience and build their customer base.
2. Bob’s Red Mill
Red Mill – from the name itself it’s clear that it’s a whole-grain healthy food company.
It sells organic and gluten-free ground grain products and has been a prominent player in the food business world.
Now, the reason why it’s here is because its company blog is a success. From food recipes, and meal plans to healthy eating tips, it covers various food aspects.
Using these blog posts, not only is the company sharing information for its customers but is also making them aware of the products they sell.
If you type in the term ‘Difference between blanched and unblanched almond flour’ the top result snippet that Google will show is the answer by Bob’s Red Mill.
By providing key insights related to healthy food and cooking, the company drives traffic to the website and also builds brand recognition. And it’s safe to assume it’s making plenty of sales in the process.
3. Shopify
Shopify also has a clever marketing strategy that focuses on providing informational content that leads to its products and services.
For example, when you look for the term ‘ how to start a home-based business’, Shopify’s content appears as a featured snippet with the steps neatly laid out.
It provides plenty of helpful information, examples, and practical tips. And throughout the post, it links to its other blog content and offers of free trial to use Shopify.
A nice way to use a blog to share expert advice and drive traffic and lead generation.
4. Semrush
Semrush, an SEO tool, and AI platform, gets much of its traffic from useful blog posts teaching people about SEO and content marketing.
Questions like ‘What is E-E-A-T?’ or ‘How to do reverse video search’ and ‘how to start a digital marketing agency’ bring up Semrush at the top three positions of a search engine results page.
And for such topics, readers even prefer Semrush’s blog more because it holds credibility in the SEO industry. As one of the industry experts, Semrush’s educational content, insights, and tips are of value to its target audience – digital marketers, bloggers, and SEO agencies.
5. NordVPN
What NordVPN is and does – this space is highly competitive. However, NordVPN uses blogs to inform its audience and drive sales.
Some examples: ‘What is SSID’ – NordVPN is the top result. ‘YouTube alternatives’ NordVPN is at the 2nd place.
It ends its blog posts talking about avoiding getting spied on and promotes NordVPN for protection.
It also has a number of posts covering topics like Cybersecurity, Laws and Regulations around the world, and more, making it a standout amongst hundreds of VPN competitors.
6. Palo Alto Networks
Palo Alto Networks is a B2B company, with an enriching company blog.
Its blog is considered one of the most successful blogs, with posts ranking high on Google Search Results Pages.
For keywords like botnet, intrusion detection system, and some more, it’s the Palo Alto Networks’s post that shows up at the top as the Google snippets.
Moreover, Palo Alto Networks’ blog isn’t just crowded with ‘how-tos’ and ‘what to dos;’, rather it shares posts on the latest updates.
Like new cybersecurity threats showing up, news related to cloud security, etc. The blog acts as a cybersecurity news portal, too.
As one of the top business blogs, not only are they creating a buzz online, but they are also establishing themselves as an authority in their field.
Hence proven that whether you’re a B2C or B2B company, blog is a must-have in today’s digital landscape.
7. Nomadic Matt
A personal blog example in the midst of all business blogs.
So, Nomadic Mat is a traveller who has written two books on travel and both of them have been bestsellers.
He already had a huge follower base, and in 2008 when he started this blog, it instantly gained traction. The blog is full of travel-related tips, hacks and personal stories.
If you search for topics with terms like ‘nomadic lifestyle’, ‘travel for cheap’, or ‘backpacking through Asia’, then it’ll be Matt’s blog that’ll appear at the top.
The blog has traffic so of course he uses it to generate revenue.
Through ads on blogs, affiliate links, and collab courses, he earns a lot. His income isn’t just limited to these, he even sells his ebooks and is often invited to speak at events.
He has set a good example of leveraging a personal brand via a blog.
8. Foyr
Foyr is a cloud-based 3D interior designing software company as a result its blog content is based around interior designing, and its tips or trends.
Even though the company doesn’t post frequently still gets traffic because the company has already established itself in the digital world.
Search for ‘room design tips’ and the first one to appear on the Search Engine will be a post from Foyr’s blog.
It’s a 2022 post, but it’s still the first in Google’s snippets. It could be because of the content, SEO, brand reputation, or all of them together.
But what it may be the post is still driving traffic to the website, doing what it was intended for.
9. UpWork
UpWork’s blog has a variety of content that gives relevant information regarding freelancing.
It’s one of the most popular platforms for freelancers to find work. And so, its blog too is centered on helping freelancers succeed.
It ranks at the top of Google search for the keyword ‘freelance writing tips’ and has a post that appears as a snippet too.
Aside from tips, UpWork’s blog also covers topics like market trends for freelancers, advice on finding clients, and insights into the future of remote work.
Now since it deals with online and remote jobs, these kinds of blog posts give it a good reach and attract more users to the platform.
10. Zendesk
The blog of this leading CRM software company shows us that businesses with blogs do indeed make a difference.
Zendesk, a leading CRM software company, has learned how to use blogs to drive traffic to its website. It draws in prospective customers, educates them about the product, and converts them into buyers.
Most of its posts are related to CRM, sales, customer engagement, and AI software. And mostly the company create answer very basic concept-related questions.
For example, if you try searching with the phrase ‘AI in Customer Service’ then the first blog post that appears as a Google Snippet is of Zendesk.
Other than this if you look up terms like ‘Sales Cycle’ or ‘Sales CRM’, it’s Zendesk’s blog post that ranks at the second position.
And for each of these blog topics, they don’t create some very complex content by trying to cover various aspects. Rather, they keep it simple.
Since they try to educate readers, they stick to basics like definitions, pros, and cons, alternatives, etc.
11. Shutterfly
A company that takes care of all your DIY projects.
Whether you want to order a customized phone case as a gift or a wall art for your room, Shutterfly usually sells them all.
It has an excellent blog too which educates readers on DIY ideas for your home, gifting, and even photography.
Search for ‘DIY room decore ideas’ and you’ll find Shutterfly as Google snippets on top. And not just for room decor ideas, type in ‘DIY gift ideas’ it will be Sutterfly’s blog post ranking at the top.
By creating content so closely related to its products and services the company ensured its dominance in the DIY market.
With its blog posts, it got two things done.
First, it established itself as a credible and expert brand by being at the top of the Google search. Second, it made sure to get noticed – marketing done right.
Shutterfly made sure to turn its blog into a profitable step and showed that businesses with blogs fare better.
The examples featured here are great for small businesses that want to generate qualified leads and grow in general.
Use them to inspire you to build a great blog of your own.
A Blog Is A Must-Have
In the end, what is clear is that blogs are a powerful tool in today’s digital world.
If you want to draw in traffic and stand out in today’s competitive business world, then a blog is an absolute must-have.
Having a blog of course benefits in more than one way. A lot of businesses feel like maintaining a blog is too much work and choose not to opt for it.
However, that’s not true. All you need to do is hire a few good writers and be consistent for business blogs. For personal blogs, you can just rely on yourself. Learn a bit about SEO, pick up writing skills, and give value-added information to your audience.
Blogging is an inexpensive way to market your brand, that’s why you better stick to it.
