Bloggers are able to get reports on their actual views, whereas with Instagram the publisher can see impressions or how many people were possibly exposed to the post.
The idea of blogging may seem out-of-date to some. Did you know that social media influencing began with bloggers in the early 2000’s? With more than 1 BILLION monthly active users on Instagram, it may seem out of place to prioritize long form written content over short form posts. The team at Find Your Influence is diving deep with four ideas that will help you better understand the value of starting a blog.
SEO leads to Credibility
According to newscred.com, the median average time spent with an article published in Q1 2016 was just 37 seconds. The good news is that there is more to a blog than just eyes on the page. Having a blog helps to build credibility.
If you searched Google for someone’s name and they didn’t have a website, wouldn’t you question if they were legitimate? Even if a blog isn’t used frequently, it can be used as a landing page for people looking for you. When you effectively manage a blog, you are building up your SEO (search engine optimization).
The SEO of your blog may not seem like a big deal but if you are a food blogger in Arizona and an advertiser searches Google for “food bloggers in Arizona”, they are more likely to find your blog when you are writing content that optimizes for these search results. Even if advertisers don’t want to run a blogging campaign they are able to easily find your social channels.
Blogs Give You Total Control
A blog is the only piece of the web content where you have full control. Although your entire business may take place on Instagram, you are not a shareholder and you do not pay for Instagram. The truth is Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter could all disappear tomorrow and where would your content live? Would your followers know where to find your or interact with you? Committing to maintaining a blog ensures your ability to communicate with your followers at any time.
With a blog, you are able to collect emails of those visiting your site. A blog is one of the most seamless ways to build an email list. This list is another way to communicate with your followers long term if a social media channel like Instagram was eliminated.
Many blogs have a established a built in following by pushing content out to their email list. For example, I subscribe to Sivan Ayla’s blog, so when she posts new content, I get an email. I’m more inclined to open those emails because I trust her opinion and 80 percent of the time I buy what she’s talking about. Sometimes brands may have low email open rates so engaging with a blogger to push content to a list of dedicated readers boosts the likelihood of the brand being seen.
Many people get put off by the high cost of designing a blog. But there are indeed many affordable alternatives that don’t cost an arm and a leg. If you look around, you can easily find agencies that can design you a website within your budget.
You may even consider a DIY project and build one for yourself! Yes, that is indeed possible. See this blog to start with: Influencer 101: How To Start a Blog.
Blogs are Evergreen
Evergreen content is content that is relevant any time of year and not relevant to a specific season, holiday or event. Evergreen content is not time sensitive and can continue to drive traffic long after it was originally published.
With a blog, your followers can get more in-depth information about your topic. On Instagram, your followers aren’t looking for a long read but a short caption about the image or video you’ve posted. Longer form content equals longer shelf life.
Blogs Deliver Performance Metrics
Every social media channel have metrics available to show how content has performed. Bloggers are able to get reports on their actual views, whereas with Instagram the publisher can see impressions or how many people were possibly exposed to the post.
It’s easier to track conversions on a blog and bloggers can see exactly where people are clicking and where they’re going. Bloggers can even see if readers made a purchase from the link in the blog post on some reporting sites (i.e. Shopify).
At Find Your Influence, we understand that all social media influencers are different and each bring their own unique approach to influencer marketing. Content creators who are looking to establish long-term partnerships with brands can be most successful if they have a blog to offer that longer form content option.
To join the FYI community of influencers, sign up today.