Some Benefits to Blogging

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What are some benefits to blogging? You undoubtedly hear this all the time from marketers, “you should blog for your business.” Well, there’s good reasons for it!

By all means, don’t just take our word for it. Look it up for yourself. Here is an article from The Atlantic that discusses blogs and blogging in more depth and what it is: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/11/why-i-blog/307060/

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Certainly, a blog should be used accordingly. It is a way to communicate to your legion of customers. Don’t have a legion of customers? Start blogging. Blogs are a great way to build a following.

Some reasons why to blog:

First, it WILL help your business. Blogs need to be consistent though. They need to be written and posted consistently. Create a calendar. Whether that is day to day or month to month. Be consistent in writing and posting blogs.

One of the first reasons is that a well written and informative blog will help your business tell a story. Telling stories is everything in marketing. Any marketer will tell you that. It is a means to explain what you do. You’ll be able to write about how something is made. Share stories of your team. Hell, detail the history of your company if it’s interesting. The possibilities are endless. Go weave a story, or hire someone to write it.

More:

Also, some benefits to blogging additionally include adding a little creativity. Photographs, designs, and/or videos always catch the eye. A bit of creativity can go a long way. Want your audience to continue reading? Break it up with imagery. As we’ve stated in the past, a readers eyes will always go to an image faster than just text.

For example, next time you catch yourself reading an article or blog make a note to yourself how it is broken up by one of the above. Further, while writing your own blog think of ways to bring in creative images or graphics to make the point.

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Lastly, let’s briefly discuss SEO. If done correctly blogs will help Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for your website. In short, this means increased Google rankings. This section could go on for pages explaining how, so we will keep it short.

Focus on using keywords. Do your research to find the best keywords. Add alt text to the images you post. Size or compress these images accordingly. This will help the speed and loading times. Utilize headings in your blog posts. Write a meta description for the post. The list goes on and on for what Google is looking for. Accurately following these guidelines though will reward your site/blog post.

Most importantly, write a well thought out and planned blog. It’s better to pass along great content and info than worry too much about the SEO side of things. So, there you have it…start a blog today!

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Marketing Stats to Ponder

Marketing stats to ponder! Yes, we get it statistics can be boring unless you are a numbers type of person. As a creative marketing agency we are more about the visual and content stuff. However, statistics are important too. That’s the point of the blog this month.

We found these stats to be quite interesting https://www.marketingcharts.com/featured-112414 and if you own a business you may want to take a gander.

Marketing Stats to Ponder. Computer keyboard and shadows.

Typically we discuss things like image quality, design work, color, or the overall look and feel of websites and marketing materials. Branding itself is quite important. On the other hand stats tell their own story.

If you haven’t yet clicked the link above and are still reading we encourage you to do so. Obviously you have some interest in the subject. Although the article was from August 2020 many of these numbers we expect to be the same or higher rolling into 2021. Nevertheless we’ll break down a few things here.

Breaking it Down

Firstly, let’s tackle the “36% US ad spending” in local and regional markets. This is a significant number. Why? Because even large companies realize local and regional customers are a necessity. Belonging to a community and positioning your business locally can lead to huge gains. It will undoubtedly generate many leads as well. All of this of course is pending how you are marketing, what the good or service is, what marketing avenues are being used, and the story it is telling through its marketing strategy.

We’ve found through our work with several local companies that people want to know who the business is. They want to see the owners, employees, and products. Customers feel a connection when the content isn’t always sell sell sell. Custom videos and imagery are a few ways to connect locally. Written stories about these people and products/services also help. The companies we’ve been working with are seeing tremendous results too! If you’d like to know more or want to speak to them yourself just drop us a line. We’ll put you in touch.

Correspondingly, helping neighbors is more important now than in the pre-Corona days. Offering a quality service or product that people can trust and rely on locally are what many are looking for nowadays. If you are using a large national or international marketing firm, you may want to look locally. There are options 🙂 Some marketing stats to ponder!

Options for marketing. Orange 77 Design Co business card and shadow pointing to option button. Marketing stats to ponder.
Options.
Breaking Down More

Next, we have the 75% “using paid social” and display. Our take on this number is that it’s probably not 75%. It’s more likely that 75% said they would be using social. Does posting a few times every month or year count? How often would they be posting? What platforms are they using? What is the content? There are variables here. All of that makes a difference.

Absolutely social matters in todays marketing. And we love that 75% find it worthy to note. However, how it is done, the message being conveyed, and images or videos being used are going to determine its success. That is not to mention tags and times of day when posts are being made along with much more. All of this is relevant. Some more marketing stats to ponder!

Even More

Needless to say these statistics are very in depth. The source did a fantastic job laying out charts, graphs, and information to make them understandable.

Let’s scroll down more to the section “Coronavirus’ Growing Impact on Advertising Efforts.” Next we look at the second bullet point under Marketers. “Ad messages that address the coronavirus pandemic are resonating with consumers. Ace Metrix found that COVID-19 ads are scoring higher on Relevance (+18%), Likability (+11%) and Information (+12%) than the all-industry norm.”

This is important to remember. Not only are customers seemingly interested in corona messages but it also helps the relevance and likability. Sticking your head in the sand and not tackling important issues doesn’t help. Doing nothing is just as bad. With that being said, your business message should steer clear from controversial messages. If your business can help others through this pandemic mess marketing that message needs to be concise. Content is king. It’s super important how you present your company.

There’s a lot more marketing stats to ponder in the given link. As has been noted, take a look at them. See what you can do for your business.

Need more help? Other questions on what your business can do? Our FREE marketing consultation is offered to any business looking to get on the right track. https://77designco.com/services-2/

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