Blogging — everyone’s doing it, from corporations to one-man bands. After all, almost 40% of U.S. companies blog for marketing purposes, according to eMarketer. But why?
Blogs have swept the web for one very sound reason: Return on investment (ROI). In fact, marketers who prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to enjoy positive ROI (HubSpot State of Inbound, 2014).
How Do Blogs Generate ROI?
Blogging helps people find your business, learn about it, and interact with it. If your store, restaurant, gallery, salon, etc. can’t be found online, you’re essentially invisible (ruh-roh). Blogs can change that.
Blogs should answer questions and discuss topics your audience (the people you want to find your business) is interested in and searching for. By addressing their concerns, you do two things off the bat:
- Satisfy their curiosity and
- Raise their awareness of you
Satisfying your audience’s curiosity fulfills their needs (who doesn’t want that?) while simultaneously putting you, by association, in their good graces. Over time, if you consistently provide reliable, relevant information, you become their go-to source. Gaining that status then increases the likelihood your audience will choose your business for service/product needs they have down the road.
You see, blogging sets off a chain reaction. A blog can be the stimulus for the sales funnel. And the more stimuli you provide, the greater your ROI. In fact, HubSpot found that 82% of marketers who blogged daily acquired a customer using their blog, as opposed to 57% of marketers who blogged monthly. (HubSpot State of Inbound, 2013)
Can You Back That Up?
Why, yes, I can. Here are some stats that support my point:
- 46% of people read blogs more than once a day. (HubSpot Science of Blogging, 2010)
- 84% of inbound marketers — compared to only 9% of outbound marketers — cite organic sources (blogging, SEO, social media) as rising in importance. (HubSpot State of Inbound, 2014)
- 79% of companies that have a blog reported a positive ROI for inbound marketing in 2013. (HubSpot State of Inbound, 2013)
If I’ve done my job, you’ve found this blog an informative resource. I hope you’ll come back again to learn more about blogging. Next up: How To Blog: An Overview.
