Is blogging still relevant?

Yes, and here’s why.

Do you remember when the concept of blogs first started? Well, I sure do.

Back then, I remember the arguments for and against blogging. The pro-camp thought it was a great way to share ideas and content, even though content marketing was a foreign phrase. The naysayers believed that nobody would care what others had to say, and thought that blogging was simply a platform to boost one’s own ego.

Last week, a colleague of mine stated unequivocally that blogging was dead – at least for most industries – given the immense focus on various social media platforms. But I respectfully disagree with my colleague, and here’s three reasons why.

1. Blogs remain on your website.

In most cases, the main purpose of using social media is to drive traffic to your website. Of course there are exceptions to this, but most industries use social media as a source to drive their inbound marketing. You can also post your website content on your social media sites, ensuring that there are outbound links and lots of opportunities for prospects to find you.

By blogging regularly, you are providing new material to your followers, eventually creating a loyal audience and beginning to build online trust. Blogging also provides a virtual “library” of curated content that your audience can reference back to. Over time, this will increase the likelihood that people will use your products or services, as well as increase the amount of time visitors are staying and engaging on your website.

2. Long-form content.

As the use of social media has exploded over recent years, people have become used to seeing and reading the equivalent of “soundbites”. Twitter used to limit you to 140 characters with which to express yourself. Instagram is all about capturing the attention of your audience by using an image. And as for Facebook and LinkedIn, well, most people simply aren’t going to read anything longer than about four sentences.

Enter blogging. By creating a blog, you are able to take subjects and musings and expand on them. As a business, it simply makes sense to have an outlet and a repository to place more detailed content. Your readers will start to expect your content after you’ve been blogging for a while.  In fact, in my own case, website statistics demonstrate that the days that I blog have significantly more traffic than other days.

3. Search engine optimization

Once upon a time, SEO marketers would most likely have relied on tactics like keyword stuffing on your website to boost your rankings. But that landscape has changed.

Most of us are aware that Google continues to change their algorithm regularly in and attempt to head off black hat SEO tactics, and the best way to achieve good rankings is through publishing original, relevant content.

And what’s the best way to do that? Well, doesn’t it make sense to blog about content that is relevant and engaging to your audience and to share it through your website?

So if this article has inspired you to revive your blogging efforts, or even to just start blogging, remember that you will be rewarded for your efforts. Engage your audience by providing content that matters to them, ask questions when and where appropriate, and be sure to include a call to action at the end of your post asking your audience to share.

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