Blog Strategies for Your Business
Quick answer: Blogging remains valuable for businesses that want to be the go-to resource for their customers. A long-term blog strategy starts with a clear purpose, a consistent publishing rhythm and SMART goals for each topic, maps content to the buyer’s journey for each persona, and includes awareness-building content that shifts perceptions over time.
Digital transformation is inevitable across all business sectors. Research firm IDC predicts that by the end of 2019, digital transformation spending is expected to reach USD1.7 trillion worldwide¹. Companies have begun to understand the importance of social media platforms in their digital marketing-mix strategy. The increased ownership in smartphones globally, have surged the popularity of video content and is predicted to account for 82% of the global internet traffic by 2021². With the ever-changing social landscape, is blogging still relevant come 2019?
The answer is YES.
Find out what your customers want and be the go-to-resource to provide the information. Other benefits of having a blog in your website include:
- Optimizing search. Google loves blog platforms, especially those with long-form content. A 2018 survey done on over 1000 bloggers, showed a correlation between the length of words and success³. Bloggers who wrote longer posts are far more likely to report ‘strong results’ (for example, in generating organic leads).
- Blogging is a form of inbound marketing that focuses on attracting customers through helpful content and adding value at every stage in your customer buying journey. With quality and consistent postings, your blog enables you to build trust with your audience.
Image: Orbit Media
Planning a Long-Term Content Strategy for Your Blog
Know Your Purpose
To maximize on the efficacy of your company’s blog, it is imperative to have clarity on its purpose for your business.
- What objectives or goals that you are trying to achieve?
- What story supports this purpose?
- Who (read: target audience) shares your passion for this purpose?
- Is your team aligned with this purpose?
Set a Blogging Rhythm
Once you have identified the purpose, it is easier to chart your blog strategies which should include an editorial calendar and projected number of posts you are committed to schedule per week. This sets the tempo for the blogging rhythm. The objective does not lie merely in the frequency but in creating accountability for yourself and every member in your team. This will also keep your creative team organized. (Tip: You can download a ready-made editorial calendar online).
Have S.M.A.R.T Goals for Each Topic
In a marketplace that is already saturated with information, it is becoming increasingly important to create useful and relevant content that (actually) problem-solve. Cut out all the fluff! Be the sounding board of reason and truth instead. (Your readers will thank you for it). Aligning your marketing goals with each topic for your blog, keeps your content focused on the intended objective. Ensure that each goal is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely.
Identify the Buyer’s Journey for Your Buyer’s Personas
When storytelling, it always helps to know your target audience. It is not only enough to know the demographics – where they live, the colour of their skin, their gender or how much they earn. Storytelling is intended for human connections – we want to be seen, to be heard and to bond. These connections, in turn, create memorable experiences. Knowing the tangible aspect of your consumers per se, is not sufficient to create such experiences. Learn about your buyer’s personas and unveil what makes them tick. Identify the buyer’s journey and offer solutions to their problems. Help them find what they’re looking for. Set yourself to be a market driver instead of being market-driven.
Include a culture-shifting, awareness-building strategy into the mix
In this day and age where social media thrive, direct marketing is more accessible than ever. While this strategy may help you laugh your way to the bank, incorporating brand marketing into your blog posts still matter. Direct marketing is action-oriented and is measurable. Brand marketing is culturally-oriented and tougher to measure. And yet, the goliaths in the industry spent billions by investing in their brands which have shaped our culture for generations. Think Tide, Coke, Nike, Adidas, Dove – you get my drift. Take the opportunity to create content in your blog, that shifts culture and build awareness for your brand.
Resources:
- IDC, “IDC FutureScape: Top 10 Worldwide Digital Transformation (DX) Predictions,” November 2017
- https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/solutions/collateral/service-provider/visual-networking-index-vni/white-paper-c11-741490.html#_Toc529314188
- https://www.orbitmedia.com/blog/blogging-statistics
- Reading Material: (2018) Seth Godin, This is Marketing
Key takeaways
- Define a clear purpose for your business blog.
- Publish on a consistent rhythm.
- Set SMART goals for each topic.
- Map content to each buyer persona’s journey.
Frequently asked questions
Is blogging still relevant for businesses?
Yes. The article argues that blogging helps businesses understand what customers want and become their go-to resource for information, even as video and social media grow. The full article explains this point in more detail as part of its wider guidance on blog strategy for business.
What are SMART goals for blog content?
SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Setting them for each topic helps you judge whether a blog post achieves its purpose. The full article explains this point in more detail as part of its wider guidance on blog strategy for business.
Why map blog content to the buyer’s journey?
Buyers need different information at different stages. Mapping content to each persona’s journey ensures posts support awareness, consideration and decision. The full article explains this point in more detail as part of its wider guidance on blog strategy for business.
How can 90 Degrees Asia help with blog and content strategy?
90 Degrees Asia is a Singapore-based B2B digital marketing agency that supports companies across APAC with LinkedIn marketing, content and lead generation. Its team can help plan and run blog and content strategy programmes suited to regional markets. You can start a conversation via the contact page.
Want help applying this in your market? Talk to 90 Degrees Asia about B2B marketing across APAC.
