How Your B2B Blog Impacts Your Bottom Line

To blog or not to blog, that is the question. There is so much hype about video marketing and misconceptions around blogs, many firms are reevaluating the value of blogging. The hype around blogging a few years ago created a misconception that you had to develop 3-4 blog posts per week to realize the benefits. Nothing could be further from the truth. For B2B companies, one longer form (600-1000 words) blog post per week can significantly boost your business.

Here at Red Javelin, we have found that organizations that rise to leadership positions excel at targeting their key audiences and are consistent at communicating industry vision, market and product/service validation through all channels with a single voice. This means all external communication – including sales messaging – has a consistent thought leadership message regardless of the channel used to communicate that message.

Over the next decade, every industry will be transformed by game changing technologies such as the evolving digital transformation, AI, IoT, data analytics, and robotics. This means that there will be confusion and fragmentation in the market that creates opportunities for thought leadership. These market conditions give you a chance to grab the brass ring and rise to a leadership position.

Blogging is the most critical tactic you can use for brand awareness and top-of-funnel lead generation.

Every company should have a blog, especially firms in industries not considered glamorous like industrial and manufacturing. Tech companies have leveraging blogging to educate their audiences for quite a while however, other industries like industrial and manufacturing are just getting started.

A blog combined with content marketing is an excellent way to establish yourself as a thought leader in your market, increase brand awareness, gain new customers and educate existing customers. It gives you a platform to educate your targeted prospects or even your indirect sales channels on new things happening in your industry, new technology, and your company.

Consider this.

• Ninety-five percent of B2B marketers are using content marketing and 76% of B2B marketers report that blogs are a vital part of their content marketing strategy (Content Marketing Institute)
• You have a 434% higher chance of being rankedhighly on search engines if you feature a blog as part of your website (Tech Client).
• Businesses using blogs as part of their content marketing mix get67% more leads than those who don’t (Hubspot).

What do these statistics mean to you? If you’re not blogging, your competitors are.

Benefits of a B2B Blog

Let’s take a closer look at the benefits of blogging.

1. Blog content exposes you to new audiences – Blog content is shared on social media, used by industry publications, and is used for curation in newsletters and other media. It raises awareness and exposes you to new audiences.
2. Increases web traffic – Blog content increases web traffic. Some of our clients generate up to 60% of their web traffic from their blog alone.
3. Is measurable – Results from blogging are easily measurable against KPIs. You can identify customer’s pain points, increase your understanding of the buyer’s journey, and see where your readers are coming from.
4. Improves search results – Every time you post new content it triggers Google to crawl your site. With a strong keyword strategy, backlink strategy, and editorial calendar, you can increase your rankings quickly.
5. Blogging is essential for social media – Blogging and social media were once two very different animals. Blogging was where you created long-form, educational content. Social media was promotional. Two different types of content. Now, social media acts like a news feed. Your blog serves as the foundation of your social media posts. Without a blog to promote on social, you're missing an opportunity to drive more web traffic and high quality engagement with your audience.
6. Provides content for PR, social, and email programs – Blog posts have a high ROI. The posts are shared on social media, used in email campaigns, and are used for pitching proactive trend stories to the media. Posts can also be used as a basis for ebooks, speaking opportunities and webinars.
7. Converts more leads - According to the 2018 Content Preferences Survey Report, 71% of B2B buyers read blogs during the research stage of their buyer’s journey.
8. Increase brand awareness and sentiment – How people think about your brand directly affects sales. Use your blog to show off your brand personality and culture. Use it to become the “go-to” expert in your niche.
9. Increase customer engagement – You will be surprised at how many people will read your blog especially if you offer helpful tips and education content. Write about what your target audience needs or wants and they will love you for it.

Your takeaway

Your blog is one of the most effective tools that you have in your marketing arsenal. It forces the marketing team to stay on top of developments in the company as well as industry trends. It is the foundation for social, media pitches, as well as any other educational content you may need.