Blogs were originally created in the 1990s so stay-at-home moms could share recipes and cleaning tips, and superfans of obscure TV shows could debate the finer points of a character’s persona. Everybody knows that.

So why do blogs matter? The blog is celebrating its 20th birthday this year, and like most of us, it’s grown up in that time. Did you know more than 1/3 of Fortune 500 companies have a blog to reach their customers? Blogs build a customer community, create trust in a company, start trends, make exclusive offers, and drive traffic. HubSpot’s research reveals that companies that blog 11 or more times a month got 4-1/2 times more sales leads than those that rarely blog. (source)

But you don’t have to produce 11 blog posts a month to increase your web traffic – one post a week can make a difference in how Google views your site. Does the quality of your posts matter? Yes! In your blog posts, talk about what benefits your clients, like the latest trends in your industry or the top five tips for getting the most out of your product or service. Remember, you don’t have to be an expert in SEO – search engine optimization – you only need to know your industry to have a great blog.

“You don’t have to be an expert in SEO – you only need to know your industry”

Why are blogs effective? They’re search engine-friendly. Google especially loves sites that have useful content (and keywords!) and are updated on a regular basis. And in the world of online marketing, it’s pretty important to make Google happy. But aside from that, blogging establishes your business as a helpful resource with an interest in its customers. Happy search engines and happy customers – those are pretty important things these days.

Want to know a secret for making your blog even more effective and relevant to your customers? Partner your blog with your social media efforts. Each time you blog, post it on your social media accounts. Get a conversation going on both platforms – now you’re connecting with your customers in a whole new way.

“But blogging is hard!” It doesn’t have to be. If you’re not a wordsmith, find a marketing blogger – like me! – to help. If you have a tight budget, write a basic blog post or put together a list of things you’d like to say and have a professional blogger polish it for you quickly. If you simply don’t have time for that, send me a message and we’ll talk about how we can make your blog work for you and your marketing budget.

What’s blogging got to do with marketing? In a business world dominated by online marketing and social media trends, blogging is pretty important. And when you see how little blogging costs your company compared to the returns you’ll get over a year’s time, it’s a marketing no-brainer.

So go launch that blog!