Right now, you may be missing out on one of the most significant opportunities you will have to generate new leads and grow your business.

The jury is in. Businesses that have a blog enjoy an increase in lead growth by a massive 126 percent over those businesses that don't blog.

If you are a business looking to grow within your industry and get a step ahead of the competition, this is for you.

Wondering how it will help? Follow along to discover the benefits of a blog for your business. You may be surprised to learn how effective it can be.

1. Creates Unparalleled Consumer Engagement

Engaging potential consumers is a difficult task for any business to accomplish. Companies have come up with creative ways to engage them in the past, like the use of handheld signs or maybe offering a sample of their product.

In this day and age, consumers are bombarded with information all day long, making it hard for companies to stand out and get their message across.

Engaging customers is one of the most significant benefits of blogging for business. According to recent insights, consumers utilize organic search results 94 percent of the time, compared to paid search results.

Blog writing is a great way to bridge the gap between you and potential customers. It creates a way for users to find you by providing useful information related to your product or service. For example, if you own a landscaping business you can write about what flowers are best to use, or different designs that people enjoy to engage users and create awareness around your brand.

Another option worth trying is hiring a blog marketing company that can write engaging content for you to get your business name out there and increase leads.

Some helpful tips for engaging consumers include:

  • Offer valuable insights
  • Provide entertainment
  • Aim to inspire
  • Create a community
  • Create an emotional connection

Try to keep the content informative and engaging. Users value helpful information and will continue to read your content.

2. Gives Credibility

Credibility, when it comes to business, can go a long way in generating repeat business and can even give you more authority in the industry.

Through providing well written and informative information, you will create a layer of trust between the business and your audience. Trust is a hard thing to build with consumers, so any opportunity to do so you should take advantage of.

Trust can also go a long way in building long-lasting relationships with your audience. This relationship will go a long way for your business. According to research from Fredrick Reichheld from Bain & Company, a 5 percent increase in customer retention can result in a 25 percent to 95 percent increase in profits.

You will also be building credibility by showing your customers that you are knowledgable in the field, and you understand what you are talking about.

By sharing your knowledge with your audience, you can also become the "go-to" place for answers about the industry.

For example, if you sell vitamins and minerals, writing articles promoting the benefits of certain vitamins can create a chain effect. First, when users look up the benefits of that vitamin, you will be a source of information for them and provide value. Second, other businesses looking up this information will come across your information and will begin to trust your brand.

3. Increases Leads

One of the most important purposes of blogs is to increase leads and to provide a channel to sell your product or service through.

According to recent research, companies that blog receive 67 percent more leads than those who don't.

By providing valuable information related to your product or service, you can then mention it within your post to gauge interest around it. Keep in mind that consumers don't like to be "pushed" products, so its best to keep the mentions to a minimum and allow the consumers to decide for themselves.

If you provide a quality post explaining the product and how it can benefit them, the post will sell itself.

If possible, it is recommended to share your blog posts on social media as well, providing another channel to generate interest and awareness. LinkedIn is widely considered the most effective social media platform to promote blog posts and to gain an audience on. Though, when sharing your content, other social media sites like Facebook and Twitter would be beneficial as well to reach different audiences and expand your market.

4. Increased Conversion Rate

Creating a blog and publishing custom content will not only increase the number of leads that your business receives, but it will also help increase the conversion rate.

There are certain things you can do within your blog to help increase your conversion rate even more. One way of accomplishing this is by creating a killer call to action (CTA). A call to action is typically placed near the end of the blog post and is used to encourage the reader to take action, like buy your product or service.

Another sure-fire way of increasing your conversion rate is by giving the readers something for free. It doesn't have to be anything expensive or even cost you any money. Things like a free trial or some sort of special offer usually bode well with consumers.

Giving away free things may seem counterproductive, but keep in mind by doing this, you will be establishing trust with your readers. They will also be more likely to tell friends and refer them to your site, further increasing your leads.

Sometimes giving away free things doesn't have to cost you anything. If you have valuable insights or knowledge that your readers can benefit from, that will also help convert leads.

Are You Ready to Reap the Benefits of a Blog?

You can see why so many marketing professionals are pushing companies to have a blog. The benefits of a blog go far beyond just creating awareness. It can also be your most helpful sales tool.

If you are ready to start converting leads and grow your consumer base, contact us today, and we can help you get started!