We’ve all heard it a million times, content is King.
But what does that even mean? What are the no BS benefits of blogging for Startups?
Producing content is the cornerstone of digital marketing, and in this blog post, I will explain why I’m confident in making that claim.
In today’s digital landscape, businesses are constantly seeking effective ways to stand out and attract new customers. As a startup, you might wonder if blogging is your venture’s right strategy. With many startups seeing 30-50% of their total new leads coming from organic traffic generated by blogging, it’s time to pay attention to the power of content marketing.
First, why should you blog?
In many of the startups we’ve worked with, we’ve consistently seen 30%-50% of total new leads come in via organic traffic (/TL;DR). That means that potentially half of the new revenue for a startup is or ‘could be’ generated from blogging.
If that seems high to you, let’s run through a thought-process together.
Think about the last time you bought something yourself online (outside of Amazon). A piece of software for your business, dog food, or a personal budgeting app subscription.
How did you find the solution or product? Many times, you’ve found the solution to your question by searching for something like this:
- “What’s the healthiest dog food for a puppy”
- “What is the best way to manage contractor payments”
- “How much should I have in my emergency fund”
*These search queries are known as long-tail keywords.
At the time of writing this, here are the #1 SERP results for each of the above searches:
- A review-style blog post monetized with affiliate links.
- A blog post on a website for a company that provides finance automation software (including contractor payments).
- A blog post on Wells Fargo.
You should notice something, each of those search queries landed on a blog post for a company that has some financial incentive for you to use their related products/services.
And no, I didn’t stack the list – try it yourself. Or better yet, next time you make an online purchase (like working with LockeANDco after landing on this blog post), think back and evaluate your own buyer’s journey, how did you find the product/service you bought from?
68% of online experiences begin with a search engine (BrightEdge).
But my audience doesn’t read blogs. And besides, my product isn’t suited for a blogging.
Let’s discuss 2 of the most common excuses I hear about blogging, mostly from B2B startups:
- My target audience doesn’t read blogs
- My product/service isn’t well-suited for blogging
Even though I strongly disagree with above statements for any business, I have coincided.
After a lot of thought, I agree there are 2 types of business that may not need to consider blogging as part of their market strategy:
1 – Businesses targeting a non-literate audience
Example: An adult literacy school
If your target audience has limited literacy skills or doesn’t read content in the language you’d use for blogging, a blog might not be the best way to reach them. Instead, consider using visual or audio content to communicate your message.
2 – Products or services with low demand for information:
Example: Does Doritos need a blog?
For some products or services, there might be little demand for additional information or content. For example, basic commodities or everyday items might not warrant a blog, as customers are already familiar with their usage and benefits.
Outside of these 2 use cases, I have yet to find a startup or business that has no need for blogging. If you can think of a use case of an organization that has no benefit blogging, connect with me on LinkedIn and send me a message.
The secondary and tertiary benefits of blogging.
The primary benefits of blogging are increased website traffic, improved search engine optimization (SEO), and a higher rate of lead generation. However it is important to note, that a strong blog offers other benefits to your marketing efforts.
Establish authority
Blogging allows you to demonstrate your expertise and establish your brand as an authority in your industry. This can help build trust among potential customers, even if they’re not regular blog readers.
Content for social
Provide content to share on your social media channels, increasing your reach and engagement with potential customers. This can be particularly useful if your audience is more active on social media platforms than traditional blogs.
Sales support
Sales team has a list of common questions or objections they hear? Create blog content around that list that your sales team can use in the sales process, or preemptively squash those objections before the lead even hits your pipeline.
Community Building
A platform for engaging with your audience, answering questions, and fostering a sense of community. This can help create a loyal customer base that will be more likely to recommend your product to others.
PR and media opportunities
Having a well-maintained blog can attract media attention and provide opportunities for interviews, guest posts, or collaborations. This can lead to increased brand exposure and credibility.
Benefits of blogging for startups – stats.
71% of marketers report that content marketing has become more important to their organization in the last year (Content Marketing Institute).
77% of internet users read blogs (Social Media Today)
65% of B2B buyers cite vendor websites as one of their most highly influential content types. (MarketingCharts).
From 2023 to 2027, the global content marketing industry is expected to grow by $584.02 billion (ReportLinker).
44% of buyers say they typically consume three to five pieces of content before engaging with a vendor (Demand Gen Report).
76% of content marketers use content to generate leads (Parse.ly).
