Is Blogging Still Relevant in 2024?

Regarding business practices that significantly impact growth, success, and sustainability, blogging is one of the most effective tools for establishing credibility and authority as a brand seeking to build a community. According to a recent study by Demand Metrics, businesses with blogs produce about 67% more leads per month than companies that don’t. So, why is it so effective? Let’s explore how blogging evolved into a productive marketing strategy.

How Has Blogging Evolved?

Blogging, a virtual community hub, has become a powerful tool for businesses and individuals to share information and engage with audiences over time. To study its evolution, we must consider three factors that played a crucial role in shaping the blogging landscape: social media, video content, and changing trends in online consumption.

• The Impact of Social Media

• Social media platforms have revolutionized the sharing and consumption of content, profoundly impacting the world of blogging. Bloggers now utilize social media to broaden their audience and enhance engagement.

• Video Content Consumption

• The growing popularity of video content has impacted blogging, as many bloggers now include video elements in their posts to meet evolving consumer preferences.

• Changing Trends in Online Consumption

• With the rise of mobile devices and voice search, there has been a shift in how audiences consume online content, prompting bloggers to adapt their strategies to remain relevant.

How Blogging is Relevant for Your Business

Blogging is crucial in today's digital landscape as it allows individuals and businesses to establish authority, share valuable content, and connect with their audience personally.

It's a place where you, as a brand, can provide value by addressing how your products or services address your target consumers’ pain points and everyday challenges. 

Blogging is a powerful business tool that, if executed effectively, expands your community, provides an opportunity for them to understand your brand, and fosters a lasting connection.

Optimizing your content through search engine optimization (SEO) is critical in utilizing marketing to grow your brand and engage your community.

SEO improves a website's visibility in search engines to receive more traffic and improves your ranking on Google for popular search terms your target audience seeks.

Another effective way to grow your brand is through niche blogging. This refers to creating content that is specifically tailored to a particular segment of your target audience.

By doing so, you can achieve better engagement and connection, as your content will be more relevant and valuable to your audience. 

Lastly, businesses can monetize their blogs by exploring affiliate marketing and digital product offerings. 

Case Studies

Let’s delve into some inspiring case studies that underscore the power of effective blog strategies. Consider the journey of Buffer, a popular social media management site. They initially focused on raising awareness through guest posting on authoritative sites within their industry.

This strategic move led to increased exposure and authority, and within just nine months, Buffer's user base skyrocketed from 0 to 100,000. This success story is a testament to the transformative potential of blogging for businesses. 

To maintain relevance and to grow its brand, Coca-Cola launched its Content 2020 campaign in 2011 to double the consumption of Coca-Cola by 2020.

One of the most successful campaigns during that time was their “Share a Coke” Campaign, which launched personalized Coca-Cola bottles in Australia with 150 of the most famous names in that country.

With relevant content that appeals to target consumers, personalization in content marketing allows companies to connect with them and grab their attention. Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” Campaign went viral, selling around 250 million in Australia and launching worldwide. 

To gain social proof, Busabout, a hop-off tour operating company to several destinations across Europe, sought to get their customers to assist them in marketing themselves by collecting user-generated content from customers.

They then created a map of Europe where potential customers can select various locations and look at pictures shared by Busabout’s customers of their experiences at each location.

They generated a library of thousands of images from travelers. As a result, 99% of Busabout’s content is user-generated, which led to them significantly cutting their content costs by 65% and increasing their web booking in the UK by 33%. 

The Future of Blogging and Conclusion

Over the years, blogging has been a means for sharing thoughts and ideas, and it has now evolved to be used by brands for marketing purposes to share news and insight.

As digital consumption grows, blogging as a source for connecting and communicating with the world has also experienced consistent growth each year.

Statista reported that there were around 31.7 million bloggers in 2020 in the United States alone.

Number of Bloggers in the United States from 2014 to 2020
(in Millions)

Want to hear an exciting tip?

Blogging is a popular search method for potential consumers to research brands before a purchase. Brands that blog gain 55% more traffic to their websites and 97% more links to those sites than those that don’t. As a result, lead acquisition is positively impacted.

With all of the fantastic benefits of brands incorporating blogging into their routine marketing practices, there are a few challenges to keep in mind.

For instance, in efforts to be more user-friendly, Google has placed user query results at the top of search results in snippets, causing competition with organic community boards like Reddit & Quora.

To rank higher in search engines and to be competitive, blogs need to use relevant keywords and keep search intent in mind to be able to pair their content with users’ goals for making searches.

So what is search intent?

This refers to why the user searched for a term in the first place. For example, if a user searches for chili, they’re most likely not looking to find out about the origin and history of chili but perhaps a recipe or top-rated chili store brands.

Today, brands must build relevant, fresh content around these queries to stay competitive, as Google seeks to provide more value by delivering more accurate information.

It's important for businesses to stay updated on these changes and adapt their blogging strategies accordingly.

High-quality content delivered consistently will generate targeted traffic and help build your business in the long run. It takes diligence and patience as momentum builds over time.

By implementing effective blogging practices, your business can attract more valuable traffic to its website through search engines, social media platforms, emails, and more.

The key is to consistently share relevant, fresh, and personalized content that resonates with your target consumers.

This approach not only boosts engagement but also makes your audience feel valued and understood, fostering a stronger connection with your brand.