Let’s start with this: inbound marketing really works.
And you don’t have to just take our word it; although we have ample proof based on the success of our clients, right here at Leap Clixx. An inbound marketing study at MIT found that businesses that use HubSpot generate 300% more traffic, convert 500% more leads, and that 72% measurably increase their sales revenue within one year. These aren’t just impressive numbers – they’re inspiring!
However, not to be a Debbie Downer, but a question you may be asking in light of the above is: what about the 28 percent of businesses that didn’t measurably increase their sales revenue? What’s their story?
As you can imagine, there are many possible root causes for this lack of success. However, in our experience, the reasons are often traced back to their blog. Below, we highlight the mistakes that are (or will) kill your inbound marketing results:
4 Ways Your Blog May Be Hurting Your Inbound Marketing
1. Lack of Quality
20 years ago, heck, maybe even 10 years ago, merely having content on a site was enough to get some traffic. Google’s algorithm wasn’t that sophisticated (read: it was kind of stupid), and customers – whether in the B2B or B2C space – didn’t have a well-developed sense of “good content” vs. “bad content”. It was kind of like programming back when TV was invented, or websites back when the web started to expand.
However, these days, the situation is COMPLETELY different. Google’s algorithm is ridiculously intelligent (spending billions of dollars on it has paid off), and today’s customers are also very sophisticated. They can detect quality content in a matter of seconds – and they bounce away just as fast when they don’t get it.
Does this mean that your blog posts have to rank on the New York Times’ Bestseller List? No. They don’t have to be gold plated works of art. But they can’t be fodder either, or “content for the sake of content”. They have to provide useful information and be written in an engaging tone and style that’s appropriate to both your offerings, your brand, your marketplace and your buyer personas. Otherwise, your blog posts will work against you – not for you.
2. Lack of Quantity
Some business blog posts…aren’t. They’re snippets of information or comments that do, in fact, have a place in the world of business communication – but not on a blog. Facebook, Twitter, newsletters, and other platforms and collateral are where those blurbs should live.
Your blog posts need to be at least 400 words long. And that means if you can’t achieve this word length based on what you’re writing or want to write, then simply put: don’t write it. Write something else. Or wait until you have more to say.
No, you don’t have to write novels, and blog posts that start with “It was a dark and stormy night…” tend not to be well received. However, you do need to offer your customers something substantial, and that can’t be done with 100ish word blurbs.
And if that doesn’t convince you to amp up the word count, then keep this in mind: Google wants to see longer content, and 400 word blog posts is the going rate (though longer is OK too). And what Google wants, Google gets.
3. Lack of Frequency
Is your blog turning into that project at home that you work on every now and then – i.e. when the mood strikes, or when your in-laws are over and you want something else to do (“sorry, I’d love to stay and watch videos of your trip to Niagara Falls, but I really need to work on that man cave of mine in the garage…”)
Well, if so, then you need to hit the reset button. Your blog is a valuable business tool, and that means you need to be blogging at least 3 times a week, although 5 times a week is the best practice. If the idea of coming up with 3-5 blog posts a week frightens you – especially since as noted they need to be at least 400 words long – then this is a clear sign that you need some outside help.
4. Lack of Keyword/SEO Strategy
And last but certainly not least, your blog posts need to align with your overall keyword and SEO strategy. It’s not a good idea to just randomly inject keywords here and there based on what you might gather from a free online SEO tool.
Instead, you need to weave your blog posts with your strategy, because SEO is not a one-time event; it’s a cumulative process. In other words, merely throwing in various keywords won’t have any meaningful or lasting impact on your SEO.
The Bottom Line
As mentioned, your blog is a valuable business tool and asset that must be a core part of your inbound marketing success. If your blog is on the right track and you’re not making these fatal mistakes, then that’s great: keep it up!
However, if you’re falling short on ANY of these requirements – or you’re simply exhausted and spending too much time and money trying to avoid making mistakes – then call the inbound marketing experts at Leap Clixx today. We’re business blogging specialists, and we’ll make sure that you’re on track and heading in the right direction. It’s what we do.
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