More on B2B Blogging & Conversions

I‘ve got a guest post up on Mark Schaefer’s brilliant blog today about how business blogs often fail to convert visitors into clients.

By means of a follow up I was thinking about how we as online communications, marketer and PR folk can convince businesses that they really should invest in blogging.

It’s Not About Conversion

When it comes down to it, my experience with clients has shown that blogs aren’t really about converting to sales. Yes, they might be an important part in the process of generating a sale, funnelling site visitors to specific landing pages; but as anyone involved in B2B marketing will tell you, the sales process is much longer than B2C. You have to convince different levels of an organisation that your product or service is just what you need. And persuading everyone through to the top brass can take time.

So I tend to see blogs are part of that initial journey to the sale.

For small online businesses, or would-be internet marketers, blogs are a vital cog in the sales wheel because so many internet marketers make their money with affiliate links or the sale of ebooks or training courses. But the techniques they use, won’t / don’t necessarily wash if you’re selling printers; or consultation services.

So What Are B2B Blogs Good For Then?

One of my favourite justification for a blog is traffic generation. A well-coded, regularly updated blog that targets keywords will, over time and with considerable nurturing, get you noticed by search engines like Google and increase the number of visitors to your site. Tied in with a quality keyword strategy that targets your key audience and you’ll increase your chance of funneling leads to sales landing pages, product pages that highlight their value, and so on.

In other words, blogs can get you noticed. They can help raise your online profile. And that’s not a bad thing when you’re competing for eyeballs!

Showing Who You Really Are

Next, I think blogs are superb ways of giving visitors a clear indication of who you are and what you do. If you sell printers and your blog is full of tips to get the most out of your products, links to where to get new drivers, replacement ink cartridges, etc., you’re not just showcasing your wares, you’re showing your audience that you’re a business that cares about your customers, rather than those organisations out there there that use their website as a glossy brochure for their products.

The conversational tone of a blog also demonstrates that there are approachable, helpful people behind a company, and the kind of people you might want to work with, purchase products or solutions from.

The Number 1 Channel for Quality Content

Finally, I think blogs are brilliant channels to deliver a variety of content to prospects and potential customers: it’s so easy to embed videos, audio, images, PDFs, etc., that you can offer your audience a variety of takes on what you have to offer and who you are.

The better you show this – through a variety of engaging content – the more likely you’ll generate leads and promote a strong sense of value associated with your brand, although not necessarily immediate sales.

So, on the whole, I’m a firm advocate of B2B blogging. To succeed yu need:

• the right resources
• talented writers and multi-media content producers
• a great design
• and the tenacity to stick with the blog.

But given time, commitment and the right strategy, blogs are undoubtedly a vital part of the lengthy B2B sales process.