Every now and then, questions pop up on whether “X” is dying or not. Most recently, an article posed the question: ‘Is Blogging Dying?‘.
The following graph seems to indicate so, as Inc. 500 companies seem to be jettisoning their blogs in favor of newer social media tools:
Another blog post by Read Write Web seems to reinforce the decline of Inc. 500 blogs.
If blogging is in fact dying for the fastest growing Inc. 500 companies, then you should be licking your chops.
Most people don’t like hard work.
Blogging takes time and effort to see a positive effect.
If blogging = hard work, then most people don’t like blogging.
Corporations are the same way. Corporations like to see quick results – that’s why corporations stay away from blogging.
That’s a shame for them. Just look at some of the benefits of blogging:
Benefits of Blogging
- More customers – Hubspot reports that 57% of companies reported they accompanied a customer through their blog.
- More web traffic – In that same report, Hubspot says companies that blog get 55% more web traffic.
- Increase brand authority – Become the go-to resource when people need their questions answered. Being the go-to resource means people trust you and talk about you. That translates to more customers.
- Gain insights on your customers – Collecting customer feedback is a great way to find out how to serve your customers better.
- Low cost – Blogging helps you explore problems quickly and inexpensively.
- Marketing differention - Show people how you differ from competitors in your space.
Now take a look at some companies that do it right:
Examples of Great Corporate Blogs
Whole Story (Whole Foods Blog)
Whole Story, the blog of Whole Foods Market talks about company news, its products, and environmental news. Whole Foods is all about providing high quality, organic food to its customers and does a great job of providing relevant, useful information to its fanbase. Its customers care about the origin and quality of its food so it’s definitely reassuring for them to see Whole Foods stay authentic to its mission. The Whole Story blog also includes useful tips and recipes such as ‘Simple Ways to Enjoy Meat for Dinner‘.
Key Takeaway
Whole Story does a great job of reinforcing its brand name while providing value add to its customers at the same time. Help customers solve a problem and tell them a story about your brand.
Zappos
Zappos has a few blogs but the shining star is its CEO and COO blog. The company is widely known for its customer service and company culture – it’s rated as the #6 best company to work for. Zappos executives update the blogs with the latest news on company happenings and also share internal e-mails. This level is transparency is rarely seen in any industry – it’s one of the reasons that Zappos is one of the top internet retailers.
Key Takeaway
Don’t be afraid to be transparent. Transparency builds trust and tells your customers that you’re real people. People like to buy from people they trust. They also like to talk about people that
KISSmetrics
KISSmetrics is a software analytics company. There’s one thing that the KISSmetrics blog doesn’t let up on and that’s value add. From infographics to how-to posts to resource lists, the blog is a gold mine for anyone that wants to learn more about online marketing. Everything is broken down neatly and very easy to understand. And most importantly, the quality of the content is consistent. KISSmetrics does a good job of keeping to its roots of ‘KISS’, that is: Keep it simple, stupid.
Key Takeaway
Consistently provide useful information to people and you’ll find your leads steadily increasing.
Mint
Mint is a finance web application that’s free to the public. The Mint blog teaches people about different financial topics. What separates the Mint blog from competitors is that it takes on a more casual tone. Mint does a good job of giving brief overviews for different topics – just enough for the reader to understand without overwhelming them. Whether it’s investing, saving, trends, or education, the Mint blog is a great place to start for people looking to get some quick tips on finance.
Key Takeaway
Try approaching your industry blog differently. Separate yourself from the pack.
OKCupid
OKCupid is a free online dating site. Their company blog has garnered lots of attention across the net because of the content that they produce. Just look at some of their content:
- 10 Charts About Sex
- The Best Questions For A First Date
- The Big Lies People Tell In Online Dating
OKCupid consistently pumps out interesting content that can’t be found anywhere else. That’s because they’re using their own data to produce this content.
Key Takeaway
Produce interesting content that can’t be found anywhere else. A bonus is to produce evergreen content that people can come back to time and time again.
Resources
Great, so now you have an idea of how advantageous blogging can be for your business. To get you started, here are some resources to help get you started:
- The Content Marketers Guide to Web Content – Blueglass Interactive
- 52 Types of Blog Posts That Are Proven To Work – Problogger
- 24 Best Business Blogging Guides, Tips and Tools of 2011 – Webbiquity
- 16 Simple Blog Changes to Improve Your Content Marketing Results – Blueglass Interactive
- 15 Must Have Tools For Better Blogging – Contently
- 8 Ways To Generate Great Blog Post Ideas – Evergreen Search Marketing
Conclusion
Many business blogs today are overlooking the tremendous opportunity that blogging brings. Take advantage and establish a strong blogging presence. It might take some time for you to see some positive returns, but you’ll be pleased when you start to reap the rewards of having a helpful blog.
Do you think blogging is dying? Why or why not?
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