Unless your business relies heavily on brick and mortar stores that receive a large amount of foot traffic, you probably need to be focusing on marketing strategies to increase lead generation. A study by Hubspot from earlier this year provided some statistics: 93% of companies use inbound marketing to increase their traffic and lead generation. 40% of those companies saw at least a 75% increase in traffic. The study concluded with findings that blogging for business is the #1 method for increasing traffic.

Having a blog full of informative content is the difference between being buried on the fourth or fifth page of search results and showing up in Google’s top 10 search results generating a long list of devoted readers. By not being on the first page, potential customers can go to a competitor’s website to conduct business without even knowing you exist, causing potential lost sales. Aside from making it to the top of the search results, blogging also allows your business to communicate effectively with customers both old and new.

Need more proof of the benefits? Here are 3 reasons why business blogging is a must for all inbound marketing efforts.

1. A company’s blog is the heart of all of its content marketing efforts. It is a pathway for people to follow your company  on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. It also allows readers to subscribe to email newsletters and lets you promote digital products such as e-books and templates. It can even be thought of as a gateway to allow readers to connect with others on their favorite social media site. Each reader is different, and while a few people might prefer to interact more on Facebook, a different group might prefer reading their business news on LinkedIn. Having a blog offers a menu of choices for readers to stay in touch.

2. Blogs allow you to share your expertise and updates. Whether you are a product- or service-based business, your blog acts like a press release for new milestones or product launches. The key is to write towards specific audiences based on which offerings they can benefit from most or on information they may be looking for.

3. Blogging helps you stay ahead of the curve. Having well-written articles that interest and aid your readers allows you to be at the top of their minds for a longer period of time. Being relevant is essential, especially with the vast wealth of news, information and industry websites seemingly popping up every second. Blogging also allows you to stay sharp within your business sector. The research it takes to write good articles can help you identify new trends, potential partnerships and even new customer bases you have yet to target.

Think of your company like a body of water. A consistently updated blog keeps your website content fresh and moving like a crisp mountain stream. The last thing you want is for your company website to become stagnant, murky and thoroughly unappealing, causing it to sink down deep on a search result. So stay ahead of the curve and provide value for your readers and customers, start blogging today!

To strategically plan out your blogging efforts and to effectively target your audiences, download our free communications plan template.