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While social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram remain ubiquitous these days, there are plenty of reasons why having a blog for your brand in today’s social media world is more relevant than ever.
#1: Your blog is your piece of real estate on the web
If you only publish content on social networks like Facebook and YouTube, guess what? You are completely at the mercy of those social media giants. If Facebook makes a tweak to its algorithm, your content could forever disappear from users on Facebook – even those who have “liked” your page. And if YouTube decides to change the rules on how videos are monetized, you could suddenly find that your YouTube page is no longer relevant. Even worse, you might get forced to create types of content – such as long-form 30-minute videos – that simply aren’t a good match for your current resources.
But with a blog, you don’t have those same issues. You can control exactly what type of content appears on it, and you won’t be beholden to the Silicon Valley giants on how you can monetize it. Best of all, you can turn your website into a destination on the web. People coming to your corporate blog will also be stopping by to see what else your company offers. You won’t get that same experience on Facebook, where the goal is to keep you trapped inside the Facebook ecosystem.
#2: Your blog is a way to engage both prospects and customers
Blogging is all about engagement. Since you control the platform, you are unconstrained in how you can interact with customers. If you rely on Facebook, you are reliant on cookie-cutter templates where all content and all ads look the same. But with a blog, you can give full rein to your creativity as you engage both prospect and customers.
And all that engagement is key because it can help you better understand your customers. What are they looking for? What types of content resonate with them? What problems are they looking to solve? A blog can be a huge help in connecting and interacting with your customers.
#3: Blogs are more trusted and more credible than social media
In many ways, social media has been taken over by influencers, celebrities and hype artists. It seems like everybody is pitching, selling and promoting something. It’s no wonder people are starting to trust Facebook less and less – people are finally waking up to the fact that Facebook was created for advertisers, not for everyday users. The same goes for Instagram, which can seem like one long infomercial some days.
In comparison, blogs are viewed as places to find deep domain expertise, long thought leader pieces (not just 140 character fluff pieces), and in-depth reporting. The text-centric nature of blogs is what separates them from social media – you have much greater ability to tell the full story of your company and what it does, rather than just a “best of” summary that must be squeezed into a certain text limitation on social media.
Final Thought
As you can see, blogs are a great way to own your own space online. Having a company blog gives you the peace of mind that you can control your brand’s message, how your content is monetized and what types of advertising you can use on your site. Along the way, blogs can lead to a real boost in engagement and conversions – which makes them the perfect match for any company looking for incremental sources of growth.
