Blogging is unquestionably one of the most effective online marketing strategies. A blog will present you as an expert or a great resource in the field, thus pulling in potential clients for your services. Search engines such as Google have long recognized the value of blogs in contributing to the overall User Experience. According to Google, if your content is not relevant, fresh or new, it would penalize you in the search rankings.
Statistically, blogging has resulted in several positive numbers. Among these are as follows:
- 61% of consumers purchased because of a blog
- 77% of Internet users read blogs
- 126% more leads are generated by small businesses that blog
- 70% of consumers learn about companies from a blog instead of an ad
- 434% more indexed pages for websites that blog
These statistics prove that you should blog! However, blogging is more than just writing content on a Word processor. Blogging is a process requiring a team to carry out. If you are a small business, for your blog content to be widely read, you may want to outsource online marketing activities. Here are the best ways to outsource online marketing for your blog:
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Outsource blog page design
Creating an effective blog takes into consideration two important elements: Design and Content. If you plan to be a blogger, your focus should only be on content.
Even if you have a working knowledge of graphic design, your time is best spent crafting relevant and highly engaging content. Knowing how to drive a car does not mean you can compete in the Indianapolis 500. It is best to leave design to those with the experience and expertise. After all, content is what sells blogs to readers.
The mistake enterprising bloggers make is to assume these downloadable free website templates are easy to set up. They adapt a one-size-fits-all approach and believe any website design will do. But there is more to graphic design than just putting together colors, shapes and images that appeal to you. Graphic designers design not just for you, but more importantly, for your market.
A graphics designer or web designer has both the technical expertise and artistic sensibilities to conceptualize a page design for your blog. The design must not only be aesthetically pleasing, but relevant and SEO friendly. The fees you pay the Graphic Designer will be worth it considering there are fewer possibilities for mistakes and your time will be directed at productive activities.
An experienced Graphics Designer will probably need 20 hours to design your blog page. If you decided to do graphics design on your own that may translate to 20 hours or more of unproductive time. That 20 hours could have been allocated to write 10 engaging, revenue-generating blogs.
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Outsource technical support
Technical issues are unavoidable when running a blog. There will be times when your blog may not be accessible, not download fast enough or worse, be compromised by a virus. Again, even if you have some knowledge of trouble shooting, your best option would be to outsource technical support.
For one, your skills and competency levels may not be up to par to remedy the situation. Second, because you are emotionally invested in your blog, you may not be objective enough to make the right decisions. It is bad enough that your blog page has been compromised – any wrong decisions can make the situation worse. Third, your time is best spent on blogging.
You should have a technical support person or group on stand-by whenever your site needs repair or maintenance work. Most of these website developers charge a reasonable monthly retainer fee. They will routinely audit your blog page or website to make sure it is always updated and in fine working condition.
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Outsource blog management
So you’re confident of your latest blog post. You believe it’s the best work you have done and feel more people will sign up because of it. Writing a blog is one thing; knowing when to post it is another.
The success of an online marketing campaign isn’t just based on what you post, but how and when you post. Marketing is never a random activity; it needs purpose and requires strategy. Designing strategy for your blog is time consuming. You have to do research and be consistent in adhering to your posting schedule.
Uploading a blog post will consume time and takes effort. Adding images and fine-tuning to optimize your blog will eat up approximately two (2) hours of your time every time you upload a new post. If you blog five days a week, that is 10 hours of productivity lost to non-essential work.
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Outsource SEO
Similar to graphics design and technical support, SEO is another skill that you must outsource. SEO or Search Engine Optimization involves a set of techniques that increase the visibility of your web page in the search engine’s organic search results. Put simply, SEO allows your blog page to be found by Internet users. SEO techniques include:
- Keyword research
- Website coding
- Link building
- Use of meta tags
- Google Analytics
- Content creation
SEO is not a skill that you can master simply by enrolling in a course. You need to put a good number of years experience under your belt before you can become competent in executing SEO techniques. Although SEO is guided by principles that are scientific in origin, to be effective, it must resonate and connect at the emotional level.
SEO should not only have your website found; it must pull in the reader and make him want to stay. Thus, effective SEO requires collaboration among the techniques and compel people to patronize your blog page.
SEO has evolved as markets and demographics evolve. You must outsource SEO to a professional who can optimize its benefits for your blog page.
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Outsource your writing
Even if you are a good writer, time may become a factor in creating blogs. The ideal length for a blog is 1,600 words and a posting schedule of four to five days per week is recommended. As an entrepreneur, you may have other things that you need to attend to outside blogging.
You may have to consider outsourcing your blogging activity. There are many talented writers. In fact, in Elance, writing is the most popular service. When qualifying a writer, it is not enough that you review his or her past works.
- Give him a topic and ask him to write a 500 word article in one hour. The article may be far from perfect but you will be able to gauge how he approaches his writing within a limited time frame.
- Interview him, but your tone should be conversational. Engage him in thoughtful discussions that involve situations requiring insight and introspection. You will know how he articulates his thoughts and have an idea of his decision-making process.
Generally, a writer who approximates your thought process and mirrors your values could potentially craft content like you do. If you decide to outsource writing, it is important that your writer’s content is congruent to who you are; it should mirror your previous works.
Blogging is an integral part of your online marketing strategy. And not only does it allow you to share your expertise, but it is a fun activity to do. It does take time and planning to be effective. The best option would be to continue blogging but delegate the support work to other people.