Does your website have a blog? No? Why not? You’re missing out a lot of opportunities.

 

Blogs are not just online diaries or journals. They are not just personal stories. Blogs are actually essential for a successful content marketing strategy. Indeed, having a blog provides your business a lot of advantages.

 

1. It is a simple but effective way to connect and share relevant information with your audience. In fact, it is one of the most direct communication channels in the digital world.

 

2. As a communication platform, a blog encourages interaction between your readers, prospects, customers, and industry peers.

 

3. Google loves and rewards fresh, frequently updated, and valuable content. Therefore, having a regularly updated blog does wonders for your search engine optimization.

 

4. There’s no need for you to be a professional website designer. Blogging platforms like that of FolioWebsites are very easy to use. In most ways, they work very similarly to a standard word processor with some cool additional features.

 

5. According to a Hubspot survey, businesses with blogs receive 67% more leads than those that do not have one.

 

6. Your blog is the hub of all your content marketing efforts. Your articles are the fuel for your social media, email newsletters, e-books, and more.

 

7. You can better position yourself as a credible provider, a mentor, a subject expert, or industry leader with a blog. How? Share tips, insights, news, opinions, and announcements through your blog. Think of your blog as your portfolio.

 

8. If you have made a name for yourself through your blog and you’ve gained traction in the Net, an industry-related business may ask for your help in promoting their products and services.

 

They may make you a product ambassador, provide new photography gear for you to review, invite you to photography workshops, and many more. As a bonus, you build relationships with other players in your industry.

 

9. Part of having a successful content marketing strategy is by maintaining a blog. You are compelled to research newsworthy topics, learn to write purposeful content, stick to a publication schedule, and so on. In other words, maintaining a blog helps instill discipline in your marketing strategy.

 

10. Know how to use your blog’s analytics. Analytics give you an insight about your market or audience. It tracks readers, their demographics, what time or day they prefer to visit your blog, and the keywords they use to find your site. It also tells you the number of daily readers, shares, and comments. Analytics give you the data you need to formulate a solid marketing plan.

 

11. Well-written blog posts are long-term assets. As long as the Internet exists, your blog post will exist. Each post helps build brand awareness. And remember, because they are in the Internet, your posts are available for viewing 24/7!

 

12. Blogging is a cost-effective way of content marketing. Setting up a good blog involves very little cost with plans starting at around a little over or less than USD 100. Some platforms even have free starter plans although the features are limited until you subscribe to a higher plan. Affordable website builders such as FolioWebsites have integrated blogging platforms.

 

13. Blogging helps you improve your writing skills. To catch attention and to reduce bounce rate, you need to write comprehensive, concise, easy-to-read, and understandable articles. To write good articles, you have to have a good command of English. Thus, the more you write articles, the more you hone your grammar, spelling, sentence composition, and more.

 

14. Blogging is inspiring and therapeutic. As you become more creative, you begin to cultivate ideas from watching movies, reading books, or having a chat with friends. You may even be surprised that you’d create ideas while sleeping or doing something mundane such as walking down the street.

 

Don’t you think the reasons above will compel you to start a blog? Just check out the benefits---that’s a whole lot! Brainstorm for ideas, switch on your computer, crack those fingers, and start writing a blog!