Every report that states that ‘blogging is dead’ is jumped on with a certain amount of glee: everyone loves success stories about new platforms generating leads, increasing sales and driving traffic.
But the picture isn’t as simple as that, and businesses that jump on a bandwagon simply because it is something new risk losing the benefits of their existing platforms. It might be that some tweaks to their existing social media strategy could yield better results in less time than setting up whole new accounts and growing new followers. You may not have the time or resources to be equally dedicated to all platforms, and it is better to be active on fewer channels that suit your business than thinly spread across too many to create a meaningful conversation.
A new study by the Center for Marketing Research at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth showed that Inc 500 companies are moving away from blogging, and that more were moving to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, downloadable mobile apps, texting and Foursquare. But many of these don’t use blogging to generate leads or sales. A study by Hubspot showed that, of companies relying on driving traffic to their sites, more were blogging than a year before.
Rather than moving platforms ask yourself, what is right for my business? This depends very much on your industry, customer base, and business model. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer, but the following breakdown will try to separate out the benefits of traditional blogging versus the alternatives and where their strengths lie.
Traditional Blogging
A recent Hubspot report found that 57% of companies using blogs reported that they acquired customers from leads generated directly from their blog. While some businesses are moving away from traditional blogging, many remain committed to the format.
Blogging strengths:
- Discussion of more complex ideas
- A supplement to traditional customer support channels
- Showcasing your company’s best content
- Displaying your expertise or thought leadership
- Blog content is good for search engine optimisation
Weaknesses:
- Content is less likely to go viral
- Can be time-consuming
- Needs a level of dedication
Best suits:
- Companies with business goals that are best achieved by discussion and longer-form content
Tumblr
Although Tumblr was only launched in 2007, it now rivals WordPress in blogging popularity. Part blog, part social media network, Tumblr is best for short-form or multimedia posts that are designed to be shared and re-blogged with other Tumblr users or across social media sites.
Although Tumblr is still a form of blogging, it is best for:
- ‘Headline’ news
- Catchy round-ups
- Multimedia posts
- Easily-shared content
Weaknesses:
- Not so much designed for long discussions
- Not well set up for search engine optimisation
- Less flexibility than WordPress
Best suits:
- Businesses looking for more of a magazine-style format
- Businesses with a younger customer base
Pinterest is the up-and-coming content sharing site. It is a virtual pin board where users can create collections of themed Boards and share, or re-pin, images. As an image-based sharing site, it works well for visual businesses, which is why it has been so successful for retailers and lifestyle brands, such as Whole Foods.
Pinterest strengths:
- Very easy to share images
- Excellent lead generation for visual industries
- Community and sharing features are built in
Weaknesses:
- Not good for news, announcements, press releases or other text-based information
Best suits:
- Photographers, artists, designers
- Retail
- Lifestyle
Photo and video platforms
There are many photo and video sharing communities aside from Pinterest, such as Flickr, Picassa, You Tube, Instagram, and others. You can integrate your portfolios with your blogging platforms, for example embedding videos from your You Tube channel on your traditional blog or featuring your Instagram images on Tumblr to create a more enriched experience as well as growing your audience.
Tying these together with social media
Many businesses use social media channels simply as a way to share their content, rather than as a community building tool in their own right. While you can use tools such as Hootsuite to manage your postings across many networks at once, it is worth choosing one or two networks to interact with your audience, welcome feedback and comments on your posts, and ask questions. You may find you have completely different interactions on Google Plus, for example, than on the comments section on your own blog. Focus on the networks popular with your target customers and be sure to follow the etiquette of that community.
Conclusion
However great your content is, never lose sight of your end goal, whether it is to drive sales, promote your company as thought leaders, build community, or provide excellent customer service.
- Make sure content links back to your website, product, or sales pages
- Ensure communication is two-way
- If you want to create a conversation, ask questions and listen to the answers
- Don’t be overly pushy with your sales massage
- Think what your customers or audience want to hear, not just what you want to tell them
- Make your content easily shareable
- Don’t try and stretch yourself too thinly: concentrate on the networks where your audience gather
Originally posted in AmericanExpress Open Forum