I have recently been in several conversations about the value of an active company blog for B2B companies. One of the arguments was that top level executives (the ones, who make purchasing decisions) don’t have the time
or inclination to sit on the Internet and read blogs.
While I don’t have a window into the executive suite, there are many studies that seem to contradict that assertion. For example, according to a recent HubSpot study, 92% of companies that blog often have acquired a customer from their blog. Also, InsideView reports that B2B marketers who use blogs generate 67% more leads than those who do not. (Could it be that even if the top executives are not reading blogs themselves, they are listening to people who do?) Also, while most marketers point to the fact that large B2B firms rely on relationship marketing, is it possible that enabling sales people to refer their prospects to supplemental information online may help to “close the deal?”
For those who think it is only B2B companies that might benefit from a blog, consider that 81% of U.S. online consumers trust information and advice from blogs. (Source: BlogHer) and 61% of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog. Source: BlogHer) In fact, it is estimated that over 100 million people in the US are now blog readers. (Source: MyMarketingDept.)
Even if no one reads it, there is another compelling reason for businesses to start a blog.
Most companies are (to varying degrees) obsessed with being found on the Internet. They spend thousands on websites and then thousands more on SEO “experts” to help them get high rank on Google. However, Google has now made the process of SEO a little more transparent. With their Panda, Penguin and Hummingbird algorithms, they are working hard to give customers what they are searching for, and admit that a content strategy that includes useful, sharable content will get the best search results. Because they index each post as a web page, companies that blog add to their “digital footprints.” Google also admits that “social signals” matter. So for SEO alone, publishing content and then adding it to as many of the company’s online properties as possible might be a strategy worth considering – even for companies with CEO’s who do not read blogs.
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