By John Bonini
Feb 18, 2013
Topics:
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The following is an excerpt from our ebook, “26 Ways to Generate More Inbound Customers in 2013.”
For more expert tips on how to make 2013 a success, and to read insight from experts from around the industry, be sure to check out the full ebook.
When it comes to creating an impact with your blog, consistency means everything.
In fact, there’s a direct correlation between how often you’re blogging, and how much traffic and leads your website is generating.And while we certainly practice what we preach here at IMPACT, there's simply no better example of how consistently creating great content can significantly impact your brand than HubSpot.
Says Pamela Vaughan (@pamelump), Inbound Marketing Blog Manager at HubSpot:
“When it comes to business blogging, there’s no doubt that consistency is important,” says Vaughan. “Just consider the fact that companies that increase blogging from 3-5X/month
to 6-8X/month almost double their leads. That being said, consistency must also be applied to the quality of your content, not just the quantity. If you pay any attention to the increased emphasis Google is placing on quality content, this comes as no surprise. Because marketers must also make a commitment to quality in all the content they create, increasing frequency alone won’t get you very far. Quality and quantity must go hand in hand, and this will become even more important in 2013 and beyond.”
But...understanding the concept isn't the challenge, is it? Of course not.
The challenge is coming up with enough ideas to belog regularly, and furthermore, finding the time necessary to carry out the task.
What to Blog About
With so much emphasis placed on consistency, many marketers and busi- ness owners face the challenge of generating fresh ideas regularly.
Where are all these ideas supposed to come from on top of everything else you should be doing?
12 GREAT WAYS FOR GENERATING AWESOME BLOG IDEAS
- Answer Prospects Questions – Utilize social media and get to know your prospects better. Ask question!
- Blog Comments – Inspiration for more topics may be right beneath your nose! Check your comments for thoughts, questions, and challenges.
- Customer Success Stories – There’s no better sales tool than highlighting people who have had success with your product/service.
- Industry News – Keep your readers up-to-date on changes or news in the industry.
- Google Alerts – Set up Google alerts for industry terms and monitor what’s being talked about.
- Engage on LinkedIn – LinkedIn provides a platform for other professionals, therefore connecting with them can yield additional ideas.
- Monitor Twitter – Simply hashtag certain terms, like #blogging, and see what others are saying. Use this for inspiration.
- Monitor Facebook – See above.
- Responses on other Blogs – Get in the habit of consistently reading other blogs in your industry. Not only for the topics themselves, but to monitor the comments on those as well.
- YouTube – What kind of video content is out there related to your industry? Anything you can feature, comment on, or monitor?
- Crowd Source from Social Media – Ask questions across your various social media platforms. Feedback from your target audience is an extremely valuable resource.
- Monitor Emails/Phone Calls – What types of inquiries are coming through both channels? Check with those at your company who would know, and keep a log about what’s being asked and talked about.
How Often Should You Be Blogging?
The answer here is simple; as much as you can. Whether that works out to be three times a week, or twice a day, it’s whatever works for you.
Keep in mind however, that an inbound marketing agency is equipped to work with you in the creation and publication of marketing content. The more you blog, the quicker you’ll see results.
So...how often?
As often as you can! There is no set rule that says you can’t blog multi- ple times a day. However, here are some blogging rules and statistics you should know:
- Blog as much as possible! The more you blog, the more indexed pages you are creating in the search engines.
- Blogs create more traffic! Companies that blog average 434% more indexed pages than those that don’t. This means you’ll have more opportunities to get found through the search engines.
- Blogs generate more leads! Companies that blog more than 51 times / month average 77% more leads than those that blog 24-50 times / month.
- Be consistent when you blog. Your readers like knowing when they can expect a new article.
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