As traditional media continues to become less and less effective, the importance of digital becomes more evident.

 

Everyone knows that the media landscape is becoming increasingly digital. People are now using computers, tablets, e-readers, and smartphones to browse, read, and consume media. One form of media that has been hit particularly hard in the last few months has been the newspaper industry. For example, advertising revenues from newspaper ads have declined over 44% from 2005-2009. This is due mainly to the fact that people are just not purchasing and reading newspapers anymore, as the LA Times has witnessed with their nearly 50% decrease in circulation over the past 10 years. Most of this decline is just from people accessing all of the same information on the web, but there is also an increase in reliance on citizen journalism and bloggers. These people are usually seen as more reliable sources because they are either finding the information themselves, or at least they are not being influenced in any way by a large corporation.

 

What does that mean for your business?

This extreme shift from traditional media to digital media means that your business must transform or risk becoming a thing of the past. With the shift of consumer interest to the internet, it is now essential for your company to have a blog presence.

Simply by maintaining a quality blog is a simple way to position your company, or yourself, as an expert in your industry. Being perceived as an expert not only helps to create a positive brand image, but also helps increase your online presence. Google and other search engine giants are always tweaking their algorithms to help users get the most relevant search results possible. Your company will increase its search rankings greatly by creating a blog that your audience reads frequently and shares with others. In addition to increasing search results, a blog offers other benefits over traditional marketing.

 

What makes a blog so great?

There are a couple of main differentiators that make a blog great. First is a blog’s ability for instant interaction. Blogs allow readers to read and then react with their thoughts and feelings about what they have just read. Even if they disagree with what has been written, they are still interacting with your brand and it allows for a sense of community to build and an open dialogue to take place.

The other key difference is that a blog allows your company to be more personable and relatable to customers. By speaking to customers through the blog and sharing knowledge with them without asking for anything in return, you create a relationship that is much different from advertising. By using your blog as a marketing tool, you can eliminate the annoying feeling that many customers get when they know they are being marketed to. Blog Marketing is also commonly referred to as “Content Marketing“

 

An essential weapon in your digital arsenal

Your blog presence allows your company to extend its reach to the digital space and bring your brand into the digital age. By creating content that is relevant to what your company does and providing value to your consumers, you are extending your online presence and helping to give your company a personality. In doing this you are able to create much more realistic and positive interactions between your brand and those you are trying reach.

The blog has become another sturdy pillar of any digital marketing construction, however, it will only be effective with a detailed and strategically implemented marketing plan. The blog will help to complement your existing website and lend credence to your other marketing efforts. It will allow a space for your company to host its own content and link to that content from other pages such as Facebook, Twitter, or even in traditional communications. When implemented properly and used as a complimentary tool, the blog can be a dynamic and effective tool for your brand.

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See you at the top, don’t meet me there, beat me there!

Written by:
Joseph Garcia
Digital Marketing Specialist
Entourage Marketing