Technology executives are notorious for having endless to-do lists and limited time to focus on tasks that aren’t actively building the business. The same can be said for senior developers, product managers, and other internal subject matter experts who lack time for marketing initiatives such as blogging.
We understand – it’s a balancing act!
However, when 75% of buyers say the technology provider of choice had content that significantly impacted the purchasing decision, blogging quickly becomes a required task to win mind and market share. Consider using these four strategies to help make the best use of your time spent blogging:
Ideally blogs are used to deliver useful, relevant information. The trick is to figure out how to efficiently accomplish that before a visitor stops reading and starts skimming. Blog length is a question we answer regularly. Our data shows that highly effective thought leadership blog posts are 600-700 words in length and technical blogs perform better when they are 800 - 1,000 words.
While both types take hours to write and edit the same is not true for readers - they skim and most can consume the “meat” of a blog in a matter of seconds. A busy executive’s time is best used to brain dump knowledge onto a skilled writer and editor who can then transform the concepts into content geared strategically for readability.
Start with the premise that your B2B buyers are sharp—but busy, just like you. Ensure your content reflects the facts and before typing the first word think about your audience. How much do they already know? How long does the intro need to be? Are you explaining in detail or giving the 50,000-foot view? Make sure the introduction aligns with the needs of the buyer, hook them with interesting facts, and help them move down the page by continuing to pique their interest through well-worded subheads.
If this sounds daunting, begin with an outline and then fill in the content.
Back up your points by citing and linking to reputable sources. Use analysts’ reports and studies, and other trusted sources such as industry experts to add interest and authority. Doing so increases the content’s perceived value. However, be careful to avoid adding statistics to every single point. Keep the citing down to less than five per post and link back to the source with inline hyperlinking. Of course, whenever possible link to your own previously published content to make it easier for Google and other search engines to index and rank your website.
The point of blogging is two-fold. First it gives visitors the content they need while vetting your solutions. Secondly it helps with SEO and being found on search results by anyone looking for what you sell. In fact research shows that website traffic increases when companies post five or more new blogs per month.
If that sounds like too much, find a cadence that works for your schedule and encourage others within the organization to contribute their thought leadership alongside yours. Companies that publish between 11 and 16 blogs per month net 3.5x more traffic than companies publishing four or less posts per month.
Blogging remains a top performing marketing investment and one of the best ways to deliver the right messaging to the right people at the right time. Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for blogging; every situation is unique.
If the strategy and execution pieces are a challenge for your organization, we’re happy to help!