By Bob Speyer and Justin Delos Reyes – Web Success Team

Blogging achieved its claim to fame years ago because it gave individuals an outlet to share their personal thoughts on the web. Since then it has evolved into a valuable online marketing tool for brands in every industry. To achieve social media or web success, companies need to provide content that can be found not just by people, but by search engines as well.

The benefits of a helpful, keyword rich blog are numerous. Below are the top reasons why your business should implement a blog into its online marketing strategy.

People Want Information
Your target audience is hungry for information. 140 character tweets or Facebook status updates are great for engaging with them on a regular basis. But when your followers and fans want depth or to be enlightened and entertained, they should be able to find it in a blog.

One of the challenges of blogging is deciding what to write. Brands often worry about low readership because they feel they don’t have anything useful to say. Therefore, they refrain from blogging. This is a major mistake. Everyone has something useful to share.

The purpose of a blog is not to appeal to the masses. You only have to appeal to the people who are likely to buy your product or service. Focusing on your target audience will aid in the writing process. Writing is a creative process that some brands do not specialize in. For those of you who fall into this category, do not hesitate to seek help. Consult with an online marketing agency to discover ways to express your ideas so people will enjoy reading your blog.

Search Engines Want Quality Content
A blog and blog articles that have proper SEO (meaning they have relevant keywords and keyword phrases) can certainly help your businesses’s search engine optimization efforts. It will take a considerable amount of time for your blog to achieve a desirable Google PageRank. The work you put in, however, will eventually pay off. When you achieve a positive PageRank through frequent updates, article marketing, and by receiving numerous inbound links from quality websites, you can pass the authority from your blog onto your website.

Blogs Raise Brand Awareness
In order for you to sell products or services, people need to know that you exist. A well-crafted blog can help your brand establish itself as a reputable company. More importantly, the expertise you showcase on your blog can potentially lead to media coverage.

That might seem like a bold statement but it’s not an exaggeration. Journalists are always looking for experts to help them develop stories. They are constantly searching social media sites like Twitter and Facebook for leads. If they find your blog, they may contact you to provide insight on an industry-related topic. When they cite your company in an article, it raises awareness for your brand that you may not have received without a blog.

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