Blogging Benefits Your Business

“Nobody buys my product because of what they read in my blog,” a blogging client recently told me.

Sure, he said, he gets lots of respect as a result of those posts, people reach out to him as an authority, and they give him the reputation and thought leadership he wants. That doesn’t affect his bottom line.

What does his blog do for his business? It doesn’t make people buy, he said, but it makes people click through to his products. He and his company look legit. Without current news and insights showing that he’s up to date, web visitors would worry that his company was out of touch or even out of business. Blogging increases his value in the eyes of his potential and ongoing customers. Blogging also makes him show up in searches.

We’d say that does affect his bottom line. But we also get what he’s saying.

A blog post is not a sales page

Your company blog is the centerpiece of your content marketing efforts. Content marketing is the practice of offering high quality content, not a sales pitch. Here’s what your blog is doing:

• Answering questions people ask at Google
• Providing valuable information about products
• Helping people make decisions
• Keeping readers up to date about your industry
• Sharing “backstage” knowledge about your company, practice, or facility

A call to action in your post? Ads in the sidebar? Absolutely. But your blog is providing something valuable for free, not making a sales pitch. Link to your sales page.

Blogging increases value

When your blog creates trust and a sense of authority, it’s driving sales. When it makes your website show up when people search for the things you have to offer, it’s driving sales. When it gives people the opportunity and the desire to click through to your sales page, it’s driving sales.

What’s more, it’s driving sales when it helps your patients and customers feel cared for. Providing patient education, product information, or daily inspiration gives you a relationship with your visitors even when you’re not directly talking with them.

So blogging is valuable for your website. But it may not be the best use of your time. Professional blogging is usually a better investment than trying to fit it into the daily workflow of your team members.