CALL US It’s tempting to point to your Facebook and Twitter activity as evidence of your online engagement, yet it might surprise you to learn that tweets and FB posts are only half the battle when it comes to getting the most bang for your hard-earned SEO buck.
Metrics repeatedly demonstrate the benefits of blogging. There are no social media platforms that carry as much weight with potential customers as your blog. Over the long term, the time and money you spend on creating blog content will pay off in spades. If you don’t have a blog, it’s time to start one. If you do have a blog, there are probably more things you could be doing with it to leverage business your way.
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A Blog Is Forever
All those social posts are just a flash in the pan. Yes, they have their value, but what they don’t have is the same staying power that blogs do. Think of blogs as a long term asset. They have a permanence that Facebook and Twitter posts lack. Once you create and post your blog or article, it can live online forever, and can continue to be found in search results for months or years.
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Your Very Own Branded Resource Center
When you keep a regular blog, you’re creating a rich content hub on your own website. Where social media platforms merely provide a means for promoting or distributing content, blog posts are originally-crafted content that can help to establish you as an industry expert. And you can (and should) promote your blog through your various social media outlets, which then directs traffic right where you want it—back to your website.
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Leaning in to the Likes
These days, Facebook likes are about as ubiquitous as fish in the sea. Your Facebook business page may have plenty of fans and followers, but their level of engagement will wax and wane depending upon how much value you add to their user experience—and also how much exposure Facebook’s ever-changing distribution algorithms grant your posts. By offering tips, how-tos and helpful advice, your blog can incentivize your fans to be more engaged with your site, and, by extension, your business.
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Reaping the SEO Benefits
Every single blog you post can help boost your search optimization, which is part of an effective SEO strategy. How does this special brand of magic happen? You write your blog posts with keyword optimization in mind so that the content will be picked up by the search engines. The more pages you have that feature that keyword, the more pages Google can index as examples of your expertise in the field.
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Broadcasting to a Wider Audience
When you post to Facebook, Twitter and other social sites, you’re preaching to the choir. That is, you’re only reaching the folks that have chosen to follow you. One of the beauties of blogging is that it’s seen by all of the social networks you post to as well as being visible via RSS, email and to your site visitors. Posting regular blog content has the power to considerably increase customer engagement on your site.
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Creating a Platform for Engagement
Speaking of engagement, your blogs can open the door to a dialogue between your business and your visitors. Readers can leave comments and feedback on your blog posts that can offer you insight into the specific needs and behaviors of your visitors. When you use your blog as a platform for engagement, you can base content strategy upon user feedback, or adapt business practices to better serve your market. Social media presence is important, but it won’t offer the same return on investment that blogging can.
