There are a lot of blogs today. It’s hard to give an exact number because new ones appear just about daily.
But with estimates in the hundreds of millions - some say 600 million - you get the idea that blogging is neither unique nor revolutionary.
It’s certainly not new for business marketing, what with just about every company setting up its own blog now.
That might lead you to wonder if it’s still worth it to put up a company blog in 2021.
With so many other blogs to compete with and so many other marketing channels available, is blogging still worthwhile? Well, don’t fret, as we’ll answer that question right here.
The Answer to the Question of Value
So here’s the query: is blogging still worth it right now? In the main, the answer is yes.
Fairly recent figures bear this out. Here’s one performance marketers will love: 60% of consumers find blogs valuable for the early stage of the buying process.
That actually shows blogs beating video content for that metric (only 51% of consumers found videos valuable for that stage).
The medium does suffer a little when it comes to the mid and late stages of the buying process, though. Only 34% considered it valuable for the mid stages and 6% for the late stages.
Even so, that already gives you an idea of how you can slot it into your marketing funnel, especially as part of an omnichannel effort.
That’s not all either. Here’s another statistic worth considering: companies that blog get 97% more links to their websites.
They also get an average of 67% more leads per month.
These aren’t paltry figures. At the very least, they serve to indicate the potential returns you can get from leveraging this marketing channel.
Why It Matters so Much in 2021, Specifically
And there’s fair reason to believe that blogging will remain not only important but perhaps become even more so in 2021.
Consider digital marketer Neil Patel’s assertion in a recent talk. He found more people than before who were claiming that their customers had discovered them through blogs.
Patel argues that this is because Google’s algorithm is also favouring blogs now.
Why would Google do that? As Patel put it, simply because people actually want to read blogs.
This makes a blog a major tool for any company’s long-term digital marketing plan, as a result.
Even if only for discovery and brand building, it already starts to look like a non-negotiable in most consumer-facing industries.
With growing customer interest in blogs as another channel for brand communications, it’s only reasonable to invest in one.
A Note on Concerns over Competition
But we know that there’s a persistent qualm over the possibility of content saturation. We mentioned earlier that there are hundreds of millions of blogs out there now.
While most aren’t run by businesses, it’s still worth noting that most businesses with a digital marketing plan actually do have blogs now.
That may very well likely include your competition.
The amount of competition may serve to dissuade you from the idea of setting up your own blog at first. But here’s the first thing to remember: that doesn’t mean there’s zero space for new entries.
Brands have a privileged starting point in this space, actually.
Individuals who set up blogs usually have to work their way up from a position of relative obscurity and lack of authority.
But businesses or brands can usually summon a good bit of authority by their very nature as legal business entities.
If you’re an already-established business, even better, as you have a good bit of brand recognition working on your behalf already.
So it wouldn’t make sense to shy away from blogging just because “everyone else is already doing it”.
That’s only more reason for you to do it too, or you’ll be perceived as lacking a key offering others have!
Some Final Words on Blogging for Business
It’s vital to note here that blogging is still like most other digital marketing ventures. It typically works only if you do it well.
That means catering to your target audience, putting in the time to produce good content, and so on.
We always remind business owners of this: you can’t just publish something half-hearted and expect it to do much for your brand.
While the blogging may feel like a gamble with nothing to show for it at the start, all you have to do is recall the figures we mentioned earlier.
Add to them ones like this: that marketers who prioritise blogging are 13 times more likely to see positive ROI for their work.
There are gains to be had here, it’s certain.
But if you’re not sure how to work towards those gains, you may need the assistance of a professional to get you started.
To that end, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us and we’ll talk about what you can do to make a blog work for your brand.
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