Blog

If you look at the origins of blogging, you’ll see that blog posts were referred to as “online diaries” or “personal pages.”

According to Hubspot, the first blog was created in 1994 by Justin Hall on Links.net. There is some debate around that date because no one was expecting the significant impact that blogging had on the world. Consequently, historians were not keeping careful records.

Justin’s blog was a review of HTML examples from various online links. At that time, the term “blog” didn’t even exist. Justin referred to the article as his “personal homepage.”

Today’s blogs have come a long way. They allow readers to envision themselves benefitting from a product or service.

The Evolution of Blogging and How It Attracts Consumers

Initially, blogs were technical and written in the 80s by some of the same people who understood the value of the World Wide Web.

Currently, a blog’s purpose is to be a source of valuable information that educates and engages readers. By addressing topics related to a specific brand’s industry or niche, blog posts position the brand as an authority. This builds consumer trust and increases the brand’s visibility in search engine results.

Most buying journeys begin with a consumer’s search for information or solutions to their problems. At FineView Marketing, we structure our blog posts to appear prominently on search engine results pages (SERPs). This visibility captures the attention of potential customers and drives them to your brand’s website.

Optimize Blog Posts for Search Engines

What good is your blog if consumers can’t find it? If you want to attract potential customers, you must optimize your content for search engines. Incorporating keywords and relevant topics into your blog posts attracts organic traffic and introduces consumers to your brand.

Adding relevant keywords to your blog post can increase the chances of ranking higher in (SERPS). However, be careful of keyword stuffing. This can negatively impact the readability and user experience of the post.

In addition to keywords, other search engine optimization (SEO) techniques include optimizing meta tags, improving website performance, and building high-quality backlinks. Implementing these strategies leads to enhanced visibility of your blog posts. This results in more organic traffic and potential customers.

Understanding the Consumer’s Buying Journey

SEO is crucial for visibility. However, if you want your blog to lead to a purchase, it’s important to understand the consumer buying journey.

The consumer buying journey is a multi-stage process. Consumers typically move through three stages before making a purchase. These stages consist of awareness, consideration, and decision. Each stage presents unique opportunities for engagement with potential customers.

Awareness: The Buyer Has a Problem

In the awareness stage, consumers become aware of a need or desire for a particular product or service. Blog posts excel at generating awareness because they provide valuable and informative content that educates and engages readers.

For example, a family needs to move their elderly loved ones out of their home. The home has been sold. This leaves them with a four-bedroom house full of furniture and nowhere to put it. This is a problem.

Blog posts play a crucial role in this stage. The goal is to capture the attention of buyers and introduce them to the brand.

By addressing common pain points and offering valuable insights, blog posts can spur consumers’ curiosity, and encourage further exploration.

Consideration State: The Buyer Defines the Problem

The consumer is overwhelmed and doesn’t want the hassle of selling the household goods. The problem is defined. Now is the time to research options that will lead to an informed decision.

Their options are limited. Should they have an estate sale, store the goods in their attic, or move the items to a self storage facility? The objective is to decide the best approach for this family.

When it comes to the effectiveness of blog posts in driving purchases, it’s essential to shift the focus from the product or service to the customer. Demonstrate that you understand their needs and desires. Illustrate how your self storage services have positively impacted others with real-life examples and, if possible, testimonials.
Decision Stage: The Buyer Has Decided on the Solution
The consumer has decided that self storage is the best solution for their current situation. At this stage, the buyer will make a list of available self storage facilities, review the costs and features of each, and make a final decision.

A blog can establish a powerful emotional connection by making the consumer the hero of your story. Don’t simply promote your service. Address the customer’s pain points, and position your blog content as a solution rather than a sales pitch. Focus your blog on the ease, flexibility, and affordability for the consumer.

At this point, the buyer is ready to make the final decision.

Track and Measure to Determine the Impact of Blogs on Sales

If your sales aren’t where they should be, take action by measuring the right metrics.

By learning how readers are interacting with blog posts, brands can identify areas for improvement. To determine the effectiveness of blog posts in driving sales, brands need to track and measure their impact.

This can be done through various analytics tools that provide insights into website traffic, user engagement, and conversion rates. Metrics such as bounce rate, time on page, and click-through rates can provide valuable insights. Monitoring these metrics provides information to make data-driven decisions that will drive more sales.

Conclusion

Over the years, blogs have evolved from personal homepages to sources of valuable information that attract and engage readers. However, if you want your readers to be able to locate your information, it’s critical to optimize the content with keywords. It’s also vital to understand the consumer buying journey.

Without the right keywords, you won’t have the high search engine rankings needed to maintain visibility. Without visibility, the buyer won’t be able to find your content, and they will continue their journey elsewhere.

However, with careful planning, execution, and tracking, your blogs can become powerful drivers of sales in today’s competitive landscape.