All the best websites have a section for ongoing updates. If you’re on the fence about starting blogging for business, we’ll explain why the trend is so common and successful. There are a number of main advantages gained from blogs, and there are no drawbacks that wouldn’t be present in any other marketing strategy. All you need is a little bit of brain storming and willingness to sit down and write on occasion.

Why Blogging for Business Works

Blogs connect customers with products and influence purchase decisions. Surprisingly, many businesses owners are leaving money on the table because they still don’t feel that blogs drive sales. Or they may believe that they don’t have enough content to keep buyers interested. Leave that thinking to your competitors, because blogging for business works. It’s an extremely cost-effective way to connect with your customers and prospects, regardless of the industry. Here’s why:

Consumers research everyday purchases as well as cars and televisions

Today’s consumers research products before they open their wallets, and not just major electronics or vehicles. A recent Price Waterhouse report stated that 73 percent of Americans conduct online research before purchasing toys, clothing, and health and beauty products. More than 80 percent of Americans research books and movies online. And B2B buyers almost always thoroughly research their purchase decisions. Chances are, your customers are online looking for information about your product.

Customers have questions. Your blog can answer them.

Consumers crave detailed information. When it comes to researching purchasing decisions, Nielsen reports that consumers are five times more dependent on digital content than they were five years ago. Your blog is an opportunity to explain your product to information-hungry consumers. It should answer all of their questions and demonstrate how your product fits into their lives. There’s no limit to what information you can share. And once your content is created, it continues to work for you.

The most trusted content comes from experts and other third-party sources.

Your blog needs to include the benefits and features of your products. That’s a given. But to really drive sales, you should include content from subject matter experts and independent authors. The same Nielsen study found that 85 percent of consumers regularly seek out trusted content such as third-party articles and reviews.

Blogging for business mixes perfectly with your social media strategy

Social media is all about engaging your audience with great content. Blog posts are certainly more difficult than writing a Facebook post, but a great blog makes social media easy. Social media shares will also help your blog get more attention, which helps your business get attention. Just like social media, blogging is another way to stay connected with your audience and grow your business.

Getting Started

The idea of starting a blog may feel overwhelming. You need writers, designers and web experts to do it well. Working with Checkerboard makes the process easier. Depending on your needs, we can write effective content, optimize it to help you appear in search, promote it, as well as partner with trusted experts to create added value. To help you determine how blogging fits into your marketing plan, we also offer a free consultation.

If you need help blogging for business, we can help.