Engaging Blogs Can Be Key to Marketing Success

 Posted on April 29,2015 in OVC Lawyer Marketing

As the online marketplace continues to attract more and more participants vying for consumer attention, effective marketing strategies must be prepared to evolve. Every year, the marketing landscape changes substantially, and with big developments already starting so far in 2015, this year appears to be no exception. Maintaining consumer interest in your brand may seem harder than ever, but the solution may lie in a concept that has been around for years: blogs.

What is a Blog?

The word “blog” is truncated form of the expression “weblog” with origins traced to about 1999. The term originally referred to what was essentially an online diary or journal. Over the last two decades, blogs have evolved from a collection of personal opinions and experiences to a news source and brand outreach tool.

An estimated 240 million blogs are in existence today, reaching almost 330 million readers. Some blogs are extensions of news organization such the New York Times or The Huffington Post, while others provide a single company’s consumers with product and industry updates on a regular basis.

Algorithm Changes and Social Media Impact

While the recent changes to Google’s search algorithm made headlines earlier this month, changes to Facebook last year may have made an even stronger impact on many companies’ marketing strategies. More than 70 percent of businesses in over 100 different industries reported a sharp decline in their Facebook reach due to the site’s algorithm changes.  While some may point to the launch of Facebook as a publicly traded company as a propagating factor for its new approach, the fact remains that brands must develop more creative marketing tactics.

Blogs Can Steer Marketing Efforts

Often able to be hosted right on a company’s own website, a blog can be positioned as a starting point for all other online outreach. By posting new and creative content regularly, social media campaigns are able to remain fresh and at the front of public consciousness.

Blogs also allow a company to maintain full control over the content being produced while directly interacting with prospective customers, including contributions from low-level staff members up to corporate vice presidents or CEOs. Other forms of marketing may take weeks or months to develop, while many blog posts can be written and published in under an hour. In addition, blogging can be much easier than large-scale site updates to a brand’s website, thus allowing up-to-the-minute dissemination of important company information and news to interested consumers.

Thoughts to Consider

Up to 61 percent of American consumers indicate that they have made at least one purchase based solely on information they found in a blog. Such examples show that the return on investment on content marketing, including blogs, is much higher than buying search engine preferences. In fact, by utilizing frequently updated content like a blog, a company may experience a large boost in search engine rankings anyway, as content plays a major role in most search algorithms.

If your company has not begun blogging, it is never too late to start. At OVC, INC. we have been providing online marketing solutions for attorneys since 2008, many of whom have found tremendous value in our blog programs. Our professional team can provide you with ability to create your own content in addition to offering a variety of blog-writing packages customized to meet your needs. Contact us today at 630-635-8000 to schedule a consultation.

About the Author: Greg Wildman is the President of OVC, INC. Since 1999, Greg has developed hundreds of websites for attorneys from his company's inception as Online Video Concepts, LLC to the modern era's OVC, INC. Greg's knowledge of law firm marketing has helped many attorneys establish online presences through custom website development, Search Engine Optimization, legal directory partnerships, social media marketing, content writing and more.