More than ever, marketing experts must stay on top of the current trends shaping today’s media landscape while making their marketing strategy. With the constant shifts in consumer shopping behaviour, marketers scramble to decode the next decision their potential customers will make. The most recent transition has been the surge in online shopping due to the safety measures and restrictions placed on the population caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, researchers have discovered buying patterns that are even more granular than that. Not only are we placing purchases via the internet, we are choosing essentials over non-discretionary items.

We live in a world full of distractions both online and off, and today’s customers demand relevance in the content they read or watch. And if you’re not being genuine, your customers will feel it. Readers are intelligent and they just know. You need to truly believe in the content that you create and know that quality always wins over quantity.

A good place to show your customers your authenticity and prove you aren’t just another mediocre voice, is through a blog. Having a high quality blog encourages more social shares which means more people eyeballing your content and brand. Blogging should be part of your marketing strategy.

1. Most importantly, it builds trust

Trust takes time to build, however the best way to establish it with your audience is to consistently blog about the topics they’re most interested in. The content needs to be positioned in such a way that it helps consumers address pain points or solve common problems. No consumer wants to read about how your company makes the best winter jackets in the world with no concrete proof, for example. They would much rather learn about how a certain model of jacket can withstand the toughest of snowstorms, or how it is well insulated yet won’t cause you to sweat.

Communication between you and your audience should be genuine and authentic. Tell the truth. Be relatable. It’s the only true way to earn their trust and turn them into repeat visitors. And, it’s totally ok to take risks and be original! We live in a world where most ideas have already been read or seen. With all the messages and saturated content we come across in advertising every day, being unique is the only way to stand out. Originality in your blog posts will make people remember you and it’s important to find your voice and stick to it. In order to nurture trust between your brand and your customers, blogs must always be trustworthy, consistent and authoritative.

2. It helps you become an authority figure

Speaking of authority, blogs help you become thought leaders within your industry or niche. Authority blogs are websites that many people frequent often for information on a specific subject. Today’s readers are looking for credible, valuable sources of the latest news on various topics of interest. For example, a food blog like Grub Street often announces new restaurant openings in and around the New York City area that attracts thousands of foodies looking for the next best thing in the restaurant scene. The content is fresh, relevant, targeted and keeps readers coming back and hungry for more (pun intended).

Moreover, blogging helps build authority from a search engine optimization (SEO) perspective. Optimizing blog content with keywords opens the door for people to share your content with their networks and for you to build high-quality links.

3. It’s inexpensive, yet effective

Developing a proper marketing budget for your business can be tricky, especially when smaller businesses tend to run most of their marketing campaigns on the fly. Marketers allocate spend to various campaigns that often include online advertising, tradeshow and customer-centric events, graphic design, content creation, industry reports and promotional items or gifts. The biggest money-suckers tend to be events and industry reports, however small businesses have discovered that they don’t always have to spend a ton of money to guarantee a campaign’s success.

The modern marketer realizes the value in integrating blog writing into the overall marketing strategy. It’s a prime place for adding targeted keywords that have become a powerful source of site traffic. Blogs aren’t expensive, yet they require time and attention. You don’t have to push out weekly blogs just for the sake of it. Again, quality content that is consistent (even if it’s once a month) mixed with outreach and social media marketing is a great way to catch the attention of consumers.