10 Reasons Why Your Company Should Invest in Blogging

Blogging is one of the most important marketing activities your company should embrace. The power of blogging to reach new audiences and prospective customers cannot be underestimated. If you want your brand, products, or services to be heard on the social web, you need to have a blog.

Here are 10 reasons why your company should invest in blogging:

1. Blogs leave a digital footprint. As Seth Godin has said, “Everything you do now ends up in your permanent record.  The best plan is to overload Google with good stuff and to always act as if you’re on candid camera, because you are!” That is certainly true.

Businesses of all sizes and industries are being encouraged to put relevant and useful information online, and much of this content is freely available to view. Each time a company adds something about their brand, product, or service on the internet they enlarge their own digital footprint. Whenever a prospect or customer mentions them, they enlarge that companies digital footprint.

2. Blogs are a content management system. Blogs require very limited training and/or technical skill to use. They also provide flexibility to update or modify content quickly. As an added bonus, blogs are an inexpensive way to communicate to your target audience.

3. Blogs are a media asset   Blog content is owned media—a digital property you own and control—which means it belongs to your organization and can be integrated into your website. Owned Media is all about creating your own platform and it’s where you direct all internet traffic. It’s your living, breathing media. Bonus: A blog can serve in lieu of a website.

4. Blogs enhance SEO (search engine optimization.) Blogs allow for keyword-rich content and cross-linking to other content on the Web. Blogs also support SEO efforts.(Note: This assumes you’re using your own domain not a free third-party blogging platform.)

5. Blogs are the 7-Eleven of communication. With consumers demanding real-time communications, blogs are a great place to quickly publish relevant and useful content about your brand or respond to past, present and future issues.

6. Blogs support a various media formats. For promoting and distributing branded content, blogs simplify the process of uploading and managing text, photographs, infographics, videos, audio replays, slideshare presentations and PDF documents.

7. Blogs quarterback content distribution through multiple social channels . Blogs can expand the reach of your message through email and RSS feeds at no additional cost. Blog posts can also be complied into an email digests.

8. Blogs give you an at bat for social engagement. Blog content is currency for social media engagement on social sharing sites such as Pintrest, Googe+, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Make sure to include a contextual call-to-action.

9. Blogs can support diverse initiatives. Blogs can help companies achieve a variety of business goals, such as providing product or service-related content, answering prospects and customer questions, acquiring permission from prospective prospects and hosting an executive platform.

10. Blogs provide metrics. As with any business strategy, it’s critical to monitor your progress. Blogs allow for understanding individuals as well as markets and helps build customer relationships, strengthen brand identity and customer loyalty, and provides a  great for demonstrating marketing’s return on investment (ROI).

To sum it all up, your company blog must be at the center of your content marketing strategy. It provides a branded environment that’s great for your content that’s strategically aligned with your overall business goals. Even better is the flexibility that blogs provide and their ability to be integrated into your other marketing strategies.