Sunday, November 3, 2013

Overcoming the fear of blogging

Overcoming the Fear of the Blog

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“Blogs require freedom, companies are often afraid of controversy which is why their blogs tend to be boring. Blogs also require newsworthy items; companies don’t have news every day. In the end, not all companies need blogs, especially when what you write has to be approved by several people. Who needs that drama? Leave blogs to those worthy of them.” –S.V.
Here is our response to a comment about the value of a company blog:
While companies may not “need” a blog, most could definitely benefit from one. Here are my answers to those who are hesitant to maintain a company blog…How they can overcome their Fear of the Blog.
Blogs do not have to be controversial.
Blogs should have a point of view. And when new ideas are presented or alternatives discussed the interest of viewers in a company may be piqued, causing them to read more – or better yet, join the conversation.
Blogs do not always have to be “newsworthy.”
News about a company can be used, but blogs are not newsletters or press releases.  Interesting or inspiring stories about the company or its employees can be written. However, the stories don’t always have to be about the company. Things going on within the industry, the community, the country or even the world are all topics that can be explored through the “company lens.”
Blogs can generate more leads – and more business.
One of the main reasons to have a blog is to help SEO.  Fresh content with relevant keywords that answers the right questions can give any company a “leg up” on its competition. And the statistics are impressive. 92% of companies who blog often have acquired a customer from their blog. (Source: HubSpot). B2B marketers who use blogs generate 67% more leads than those who do not. (Source:InsideView)
Blogs can save money.
Most times, a question asked by one customer is also on the mind of others.  Keeping an archive of blog posts answering common questions or explaining a product or service will save time for customer service reps. Customers, who are able to find good answers to their questions without a call to a company will be grateful – which may spark future sales.
Posting articles about the benefits of the products and services offered by a company can shorten the time it takes to close the deal.  When the sales person can point a prospect to the company blog, where they can “read more,” and even find out answers to questions they didn’t know they had – it increases goodwill towards the company and saves time.
By the way, leads from content marketing are about 60% less expensive those those from traditional marketing.
Blogs can speed up a purchasing decision
According to Google’s Zero Moment of Truth Report, the average consumer checks 10.4 sources of information before making a purchase decision. The more information that is published about a company’s products or services, the better the chance that the company will become the vendor of choice.
Also consider that 61% of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog. (Source: BlogHer)
When marketers and content creators are able to help company leaders understand the value of a blog, they may be less afraid to have one … and more open to hiring a professional to write it.
Author:  Laura Donovan
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