Is Blogging Still Worthwhile for Your Business in 2023?
It seems hard to believe but as of 2022, there were over 600 million blogs worldwide and over 31 million U.S. bloggers publishing new content at least once every month. Blogging is still going strong, with 53,000 searches on Google every month referencing “How to Start a Blog.” While not all of these blogs are business-oriented, businesses that do blog on a regular basis get 97% more inbound links, helping them to increase their ranking and visibility. In fact, brands that focus their efforts on creating solid blog content tend to have better lead growth — up to 126% better — than competitors who use other strategies.
Perhaps this is because blog posts are instrumental in helping move your target customers through the buying process. In fact, 56% of people have purchased something from a business after reading their blog posts. While it is true that blogs are not the first — or only — marketing strategy that businesses employ, they are still a valuable marketing tool that can help you increase brand awareness and better sell your products or services.
The New Face of Blogging — How to Keep Your Content Fresh in 2023
In years gone by blogging went from a self-exploration tool to a corporate digital strategy for mainstream businesses. But as marketing gurus and other experts caught on to the trend, the market became saturated with blogging platforms that were nothing more than click-bait or stuffed with keywords designed to drive traffic.
But that’s all changed — and for the better.
In 2023, blogging is still relevant because companies have begun to realize that blogging is more than just a way to shine a spotlight on their businesses. It is a way to communicate in an intimate way with your target audience. It is a way to build trust, loyalty, and engagement to encourage a long-term relationship with your prospects. It is a way to get real results — if you know how to create content that is fresh, authentic, and compelling. In this article, we’ll show you the three trends that are creating the blogging of the future and how to use them to create powerful, actionable content of your own.
Mix it Up — How Choosing the Right Mix of Content is Critical
Blog content used to be relegated to simple blog posts — maybe with a photo or two. But today’s consumer wants rich, variable content that can touch on more than one of the senses. That’s why smart bloggers are creating content mixes that promote engagement and encourage repeat visits. To find the right mix of content for your business, consider these factors:
What are your audience’s needs, goals, and interests?
What are the end goals of your content?
What resources do you have available to produce your content?
After you are clear on the answers, then decide upon your content mix. Make sure you keep it consistent over time and keep assessing its impact on your audience to fine-tune the details.
You don’t want to include every content type in your online offerings or it may seem like you are posting things in a willy-nilly manner. Instead, consider including two or three of the following content types along with your standard blog posts:
Ebooks
White papers
Case studies
Infographics
Webinars
Podcasts
Videos
Remember, too many types of content can be distracting or even overwhelming to your audience. Keep it simple for more impact.
Be Unique — Create Content that is Exclusive
A lot of blog posts regurgitate the same old information over and over, which is why many visitors to website leave without reading the whole post. Since you only have a few seconds to grab the attention of your audience, you need to create strong, intriguing posts about ideas that resonate with your prospects. To do this, you must know your audience through and through. Understanding what their pain points are, what problems they need solved, and, importantly, how they like to receive their content, will help you write posts that convert.
When creating content, use a voice that is authentic and a format that is right for your business. For example, if you are an engineering, financial, or legal firm, you may want to offer white papers [LINK TO WHITE PAPER BLOG] about topics of importance to your audience. Not only will these pique interest and help you collect information such as email addresses if you desire, but they will also position your business as a thought leader in your industry. Ebooks [CAN WE LINK TO EBOOK SERVICES?] can be a great way to add value for customers and generate more interest in your business, and they are useful across many industries.
If you simply want to stick to blog posts, write about what you know — but try to pull out little-known facts or bring new techniques to light to bring more value to your site.
Make Your Blogs Compelling — and Easy to Skim
Next, write actionable content that is easy to read — or to skim. That’s right — it’s actually okay if visitors to your site don’t read every post word for word, as long as they are motivated to take action when they are done. This is why creating compelling headlines and breaking up material into headers and subheadings [LINK TO BLOG #1]is so important.
Since your choice of headline can affect traffic to your site by up to 500%, you should spend lots of time creating just the right one. Consider using the “Four Us” when crafting a headline for your post: Uniqueness, Ultra-specific, Urgent, and Useful. One of the examples Neil Patel uses is this one from Peep Laja:
Irresistible Offer: 4 Tips to Optimize Your Sales Funnel
Here you see both Uniqueness and Urgency in the “Irresistible Offer,” Ultra-specific in the “4 Tips,” and Useful in the “Optimize Your Sales Funnel.”
Power Up Your Content in 2023 with Help from the Blogging Experts at CopyScripted
Keeping up with trends in SEO, blogging, and overall content marketing can be a real headache for the average business owner. But not understanding market direction and your audience’s preferences can be counterproductive — and even detrimental — to your success.
At CopyScripted, we have our fingers on the pulse of our industry, deeply researching, understanding, and implementing the techniques and trends that work to bring you the business you want through high-quality content. As we move into the new year, make sure your content is on target so that your audience not only clicks and reads, but also acts. Contact us today and let’s get your new content ready to roll out — so the results can roll in!
