Posts Tagged "blogging"
Are You Blogging Enough?
Research and firsthand knowledge show a very strong correlation between posting frequency and traffic/leads.
Clients often ask us, “How often should I blog?” It’s a great question that has no simple answer.
The reality is that the more often you blog, the more traffic and leads you’ll get. Search engines consider posting frequency in their rankings. What’s more, every time you post, you create a new opportunity to be found, to be shared, and to be linked to by other sites.
The trouble, of course, is balancing resources so that you’re publishing frequently but maintaining value and quality within your content. So while there’s no universal magic number, there may be a sweet spot for the amount of posts your organization is able to publish to maximize traffic and leads.
Let’s look at some data that makes the case for frequent blog publication.
The more you publish, the more they’ll read.
There is a high correlation between publishing frequency and web traffic/leads. This is evident in a number of recent studies:
- HubSpot’s latest benchmarking data shows that blogs that published 16+ times per month received 3.5x more traffic than those that published weekly or less often.
- From the same report, companies that published 16+ blog posts per month got about 4.5X more leads than companies that published between 0-4 monthly posts.
- Curata’s recent survey of 400+ marketers found that 90.5% of the most successful business blogs (over 10,000 views per month) publish at least once a week.
If you’re a small business, you may be thinking, “Sure. Those successful blogs are all run by big brands with endless resources!” Not so, friends.
Two-thirds of the best-in-class blogs (with 10,000+ views per month) from the Curata study were run by small companies. The Hubspot report found that increasing posting frequency had the biggest impact on smaller businesses: Companies with 10 or fewer employees that published 11+ posts per month had almost 3X more traffic than companies publishing 0-1 monthly posts, and about 2X as much traffic as those publishing 2-5 monthly posts.
Will blogging one more time per week really make a difference?
We often encourage our clients to increase their blogging cadence by just one more post per week. Though some are skeptical of the impact this will have on their traffic and lead-generation efforts, they inevitably find that such a small step can make a big difference.
Take one client of ours for example. We suggested moving from publishing one post to two posts per week. The client was unsure this would have any impact, especially for a company in the supply chain industry. But the immediate results spoke for themselves. After just one month, traffic increased by 23%, sales leads doubled, and the client landed a new customer.
How often does your company blog? Have you ever experimented with posting frequency to determine how your resources are best spent?
Related posts:
- 3 Quick SEO Tips to Improve Your Blog Right Now
- Why No One Is Reading Your B2B Blog
- 6 Blogging Tips from Top Business Blogs
- 8 Must-Follow Logistics & Supply Chain Blogs for 2017
Posts Tagged "blogging"
6 Blogging Tips from Top Business Blogs
The top-performing business blogs have these six things in common, from posting frequency to outsourcing writing.
Maintaining a blog for your business can be somewhat of a guessing game. How often should you publish? Should you do all the writing in-house? Will anyone read our posts?
A recent survey of 428 marketers conducted by Curata sought to identify any patterns or trends among those with the most successful business blogs. Specifically, the authors grouped together those whose blogs had more than 10,000 views per month and compared them to those with less than 10,000 views per month.
The most successful blogs (those with over 10,000 views per month) have several things in common. Here are some highlights:
1) Size doesn’t matter.
You may suspect that the larger the company, the more traffic its blog gets. That’s not the case. In fact, two-thirds of the most successful blogs were run by smaller companies (<$100M revenue).
2) Age is a factor, but it’s not everything.
Of the most successful blogs, 44% had been up and running for 5+ years. Time gives companies a chance to build up their readership and perfect their content strategy. Yet 65% of businesses who have had a blog for 5+ years did not get 10k+ views/month — meaning there is more to successful blogging than age.
3) Frequency is key.
Blogging frequency impacts factors like search engine rankings and audience engagement. So it’s no surprise that 90.5% of best bloggers blog at least once a week.
4) They set standards.
Interestingly, 80% of the best bloggers have a governance team for blogging activities. This can be many things: ensuring post quality and accuracy, determining best practices, outlining a code of conduct, etc.
5) Outsourcing helps.
The best bloggers rely more on external resources and less on internal resources. They outsource an average of 23.6% of their content production, compared to only 11.8% by blogs with less than 10k views per month.
6) They send more subscriber emails.
To promote their posts, 39% of the best blogs send a newsletter with their blog content to their subscriber base at least weekly. More than half of blogs with less than 1,000 views per month sent subscriber emails as infrequently as once a quarter or, in some cases, not at all.
Read the full report from Curata’s survey here to get more insight into the best business blogs.
Related posts:
- Supply Chain: Here’s What to Write About on Your Blog
- 10 Ideas for Blog Posts
- Lifespan of a Blog Post vs. a Print Ad
- Top Logistics and Supply Chain Blogs 2016
- How Often Should I Blog?
Posts Tagged "blogging"
Don’t Stop Content Marketing in Your Slow Season
Keep producing consistent, quality content during your slow season to win business when things pick back up.
For everything there is a season, and that expression holds true for most businesses. When is your slow season? That depends largely on your industry and customer demographic, but you are probably well aware which quarter your sales historically drop off and your customer engagement wanes.
In fact, the calendar is heading into a slow season for many companies, especially those in IT systems or the capital equipment marketplace. In these industries, the highest sales volumes typically occur in the first two business quarters. That is when potential customers are busy creating and implementing their new business initiatives and doing the bulk of their purchases for the year.
By third quarter, many businesses are past purchasing and have moved into problem-resolution mode. They are trying to meet the goals they set and stay within budget. Purchasing capital equipment is not on their agenda, at least not for now.
Should you head to the beach during that quarter? Should you ditch your current content marketing strategy because it suddenly is producing fewer leads? According to an insightful post from Daniel Pastuszak, marketing expert and head of customer acquisition and lifestyle marketing for LinkedIn, absolutely not. There is no indication that you should not market to your customers in your “off” season.
In fact, you need to maintain your “voice” as a thought leader, answer questions, and maintain a reliable, engaging presence through your content marketing. What will engage your audience during the slow cycles? Information, guidance, and memorable industry-related stories top the list.
Tips for effective content marketing during a slow season:
Provide content that demonstrates your expertise and positions you as a thought leader.
Don’t write a sales pitch! In your blog posts, offer helpful advice in an easy-to-digest format. For example, explain a recent case study or trend within your industry in a way your customers will understand it. This type of content keeps your customers engaged with your business, so when it comes time to purchase, they remember you as a trusted source of knowledge.
Share customer testimonials and their backstory.
Nothing is more memorable than telling a great success story. Now is the time to share reviews that demonstrate how your company expertly fulfilled customers’ needs, exceeded their expectations, or provided solutions to a tough challenge.
Cover events attended by your company’s management or leaders.
This can make for a great post on industry-related news, and can support branding the company as an industry leader. Again, there’s no need to include a sales pitch. You’re simply demonstrating how your company is among the movers and shakers in the industry.
Cultivate content that is fun, like customer contests.
Get customers involved with some friendly competition, and show them you are listening by sharing their responses. For example, one of Fronetics’ clients, a wholesale food distributor, recently challenged food service customers to create a meal using ingredients purchased from the wholesaler. They were then asked to post photos of their entries on social media with the contest hashtag. Fun and engaging, this contest captivated the customers’ attention and had them sharing content (and the client’s name).
Write for your (very specific) audience.
That means knowing who they are and what peaks their interest. If creating engaging content has proven to be challenging for your business, consider outsourcing your content creation, or your marketing program all together. Your slow season is the perfect time to boost the quality and consistency of your efforts to engage your audience and expand your outreach.
All businesses experience seasonal cycles, but that does not indicate your sales or content marketing strategies are in need of major revisions. Slow periods are the perfect time to take a deep breath, revitalize, and strategize. Use this time to research information you need to accelerate your efforts for the next hectic season of sales.
Related posts:
- Don’t Rush Your Relationship with Content Marketing
- How to Overcome Your Biggest Content Marketing Challenge
- How to Fail at Content Marketing: Don’t Document Your Strategy
Posts Tagged "blogging"
Top 5 Blogging FAQs – and My Take on the Answers
Editor’s note: This is a guest post written by David Weaver. David has spent the past several years developing a best practice online marketing strategy for the inventory and supply chain division at INFORM GmbH.
Blogging has been around for years, yet some of the most basic questions regarding this communication method are still being asked. In fact, it has been around so long that some people are even asking the question “Is blogging dead?” My answer to that provocative question is of course no, but the blogging world is evolving. Despite the ever changing playing field, one of the most important success factors to blogging is to always keep the target audience in mind when writing an article. If content is not focused and targeted, a blog platform may actually experience a slow and agonizing death.
I started blogging in 2012, relatively late considering the concept has its roots in the 1990’s. Over the past three years, I have had the opportunity to network with some top bloggers as well as newcomers on the blogging scene. Whether I was the one asking or answering the questions, five common themes come up in the majority of blogging discussions I have been a part of. While the questions may be “basic” the answers, in my opinion, are not always easy:
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What is the point?
This is a question I like to ask myself every time I write a new article. If I am not delivering either a fresh take on an existing topic or offering unique insights, I tend to rethink the purpose of the article. Regarding blogging in general, from a business perspective, numerous benefits can be realized:
- Expansion of online reach
- Lead generation
- Increased SEO presence
- Improved image
- Thought-Leadership
- Increased networking opportunities
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Is it too late to start?
No. I recently attended a content marketing event, and next to “ephemeral media”, the topic of influencer marketing was heavily featured. The majority of attendees agreed that everyone is an influencer with a network of friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances. Blogging serves as outlet for the expression of this influence.
The good news is that there are a multitude of blogs already out there looking for contributors, so you don’t have to create something from scratch. As an example, if you are a supply chain professional wanting to share your experience on the topic of supplier relationship management, simply type in “supply chain blog” in Google and you will find several platforms that would be happy to hear from you.
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How do I stay motivated/come up with ideas?
Next to actually starting to write, one of the most difficult tasks is writing a new article when the previous article you posted received little to no attention. This is often the case in the early stages of the blogging process and can be very discouraging. A discouraged writer will consequently have trouble in the idea development stage. Some ways to stay motivated and keep the creative juices flowing include:
- Brainstorming with family and friends
- Scanning Social Media for trending topics
- Asking readers and other industry experts for feedback
- Starting a blog series that will leave readers wanting more
- Varying your content and include videos, infographics and guest bloggers
If you are new to blogging, always keep in mind that the journey is long and developing a following/readership will take time. Don’t give up!
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How often should I post?
The answer to this question is easy: it depends. There are differing opinions on this subject and the general rule of thumb is also vague, namely “post regularly.” My stance on the matter is that quality trumps quantity. If an article seems forced or does not bring something new to the table, it is best to allow the idea to mature and deliver a comprehensive article at a later date instead of posting to meet a deadline.
When starting out, it is best to set achievable goals i.e. “I will post one article per week.” On my first blog project, I set the goal of publishing an original article every Monday. This provided consistency for the readers and gave me time to develop new ideas.
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How do I deal with critics?
I believe the fear of putting oneself out on the web is one of the highest hurdles to publishing articles on blog platforms. The fact is, there will be people that disagree with your opinion. The deciding factor is how you deal with the criticism. Getting into a name-calling, heated argument with an internet troll is not recommended and can only lead to a damaged reputation. With regard to constructive criticism and differing opinions, it is important to acknowledge the difference and remain professional. This includes respecting the other person’s opinions. In the end, it may be best to “agree to disagree”.
Closing thoughts
Aside from the purposes mentioned under “What is the point,” I use various blog platforms as a way to start a conversation and learn from others. Blogging is time consuming and hard work, but in my opinion, the benefits far outweigh the costs. My questions to you: If you are not blogging, why not? If you are blogging, what are some open questions you have?
Posts Tagged "blogging"
How often should I blog?
Answering the invariable question: “How often should I blog?”
“How often should I blog?” is a question we often get asked. The simple answer is: as often as possible so long as each post is valuable and as long as the quality doesn’t slip. Most people don’t like this response and push for something more tangible.
Research shows that blogging more frequently gets results
Research conducted by HubSpot found that companies with 51-100 pages on their website generate 48% more traffic than those with 1-50 pages. If you blog regularly your business could reach that 51 page threshold in less than one year.
HubSpot also found that companies who publish at least 15 blog posts per month get 5 times more traffic than those companies who don’t blog. Think this stat applies to big businesses? HubSpot found that small businesses with between 1 and 10 employees see the largest gains by posting more often.
Another reason to publish more often than less often: companies nearly double their sales leads by increasing blogging frequency from 3-5 times per month to 6-8 times per month.
Evidence shows that blogging more frequently gets results
At Fronetics we have seen these results first hand. To improve ranking, drive traffic, and increase leads we suggested that a client increase the number of blog posts published each week. The client was skeptical that increasing the blogging frequency would make a difference, especially to a company within the supply chain industry; however, they decided to give it a try. Within one month traffic increased by 23%, sales leads doubled, and the client landed a new customer.
Try increasing your blogging frequency for one month. Track your KPIs and assess whether increasing the blogging frequency is right for your business.
No matter how often you publish blog content make sure that your content retains these three elements:
- Consistent
- Quality
- Valuable
Fronetics Strategic Advisors is a management consulting firm focused on inbound marketing and strategy. We create and execute results-oriented programs for growth and value creation. Unlike other firms, our approach is data driven. We know ROI is important, so we track and measure results to drive success.
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