What’s Behind the Drop in Blogging … Not the Results

May 18, 2012Joanne CostinLeave a comment

92% of survey participants said blogging was successful

“More Companies Quit Blogging, Go with Facebook Instead,” read the recent USA Today Headline.

When I read this headline I made a note to myself to take a closer look at the University of Massachusetts study on which the USA Today article is based.

I was puzzled by the findings. In 2010, 50% of the nation’s fastest growing private firms were blogging, up from 45% in 2009 and 39% in 2008. In this new 2011 study, the use of blogging dropped to 37%.

A note in the copy alludes to a changing mix in the Inc. 500 over the past two years.

“Changes in industry composition of the Inc. 500 over the past two years are reflected in our sample and have impacted our overall statistics in distinct ways. There has been an increase in companies providing Government Services (a result of some of the Obama initiatives). These companies increased their presence in the Inc. 500 in 2010 and again in 2011 and are less likely to use certain social media tools.”

Would an apple-to-apple comparison by industry would reveal the same kind of decline as the total sample?

The death of blogging may be exaggerated. Adding credence to this is the fact that in the very same study, blogging is rated as successful by 92% of those who utilize this tool. Among companies not currently using social media, 56% plan to add a blog.

Look who’s blogging.

Even with the recent decline, the nation’s fastest growing private companies are still “out blogging” the Fortune 500 by a considerable margin. Only 23 percent of the nation’s largest firms maintain a blog, compared to 37% of the Inc. 500. Do an analysis within your industry. If your competitors aren’t blogging it could be a huge opportunity for you to increase your traffic and raise your rankings. If they are, you had better be prepared to step up your marketing efforts, because successful blogs are proven to generate traffic and sales leads.

Professional business blog writers can ease the burden of creating quality content for your audience. Give us a call if you’d like to learn more.

Results of blogging and other social media 2011

Source: University of Massachussets Darthmouth

Content For Biz Most Popular Posts In 2011

January 2, 2012Mary KlestLeave a comment

The Content For Biz most popular posts for 2011 surprised us in some ways. The list contains how-to’s, but also an industry specific post. The favorite topics reflect our position as journalists who understand content marketing. The most popular posts reference audiences, press releases, content strategy and credible sources as well as methods.

How a Blog Helped a Chicago Commercial Contractor Win New Business

December 2, 2011Joanne Costin5 Comments

If you are a contractor and have doubts about whether or not a blog would increase your online visibility; listen to Chuck Taylor. He is director of operations for Englewood Construction Inc., a commercial construction general contractor based in Lemont,Ill., a southwest suburb of Chicago. I met Chuck at the Construction Writers Association annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas, where Englewood Construction received an award for the construction industry’s best blog.

Their commercial construction blog, Hard Hat Chat, has brought in new business and opportunities for Englewood Construction. “There has been a return on investment that we never anticipated,” said Taylor.

Before starting the commercial construction blog, the company’s visibility on search engines was low. But with updated, quality content that provides valuable information to their market, Englewood Construction’s online visibility has increased dramatically. According to Taylor, the blog has helped place the company on the short list with national retailers and hoteliers they were not previously pursuing. In fact, they recently won a job from a major insurance company who initially found them through the blog.

The Biggest Concern: Coming Up with Content

At the onset of the blog, Taylor was concerned about where the content for the blog would come from. He quickly found out that it wasn’t a problem at all. “We take for granted what we do on a daily basis,” said Taylor. “What our PR firm was able to do was ask us some engaging questions, such as ‘How did you overcome those challenges?” Posts are informative, keyword rich and optimized for local search.

Taylor and William Di Santo, president of Englewood Construction, share responsibility for the blog posts along with their PR fim. Chuck Taylor typically spends about four to six hours per month on a post. The company scaled back the frequency of blog posts during the market downturn, but expects that they will need to post more frequently in the near future, as more firms enter the construction blogging arena.

”Based on our activity we have more to talk about,” said Taylor. ” There are more opportunities coming in and it is not going to be long before the competitions catches on.”

Englewood Construction’s blogging efforts are focused on improving online visibility, rather than building a subscriber base or generating advertising revenue. “The end game is searchability,” said Taylor. “If you are not on the first page of the search results, you are not there.”

In fact, if you are a commercial contractor, Taylor would rather you wouldn’t read this.

Give us a call to discuss content for your commercial construction blog. And a special thanks to Englewood Construction for sharing their blogging experience with us.

Why Should Contractors Blog?

November 9, 2011Joanne CostinLeave a comment

Should more contractors trade their hardhat in for a keyboard periodically? We think so. We are pleased to announce that we will be launching a blog for Shamrock Tuckpointing, based in Alsip, Ill. I am confident the blog will increase this contractor’s web traffic dramatically. I have been monitoring the company’s website traffic since last Spring, when we launched the site. Analytics reveal that 76 percent of the visitors are finding the site through search engines, primarily through content found in the FAQ area of the site. This tells me there is a lot of potential for search traffic and a lot of questions that potential customers need answered.

Content Strategy for Blogs

Don’t start a blog without a content strategy. A content strategy answers the “who” and “what” questions about a blog. Who are we trying to have a conversation with, and what will we talk about? In this case, the “who” is homeowners who are considering brick or masonry repairs or maintenance as well as commercial property owners. The “what” is common problems with brick and masonry, information on the cost of various services, and seasonable preventative maintenance tips related to brick and masonry. Sharing the blog through social media will also drive traffic to the site.

Barriers to Blogging

One of the biggest concerns for this business owner was for the blog to be turnkey. The owner has little time to devote to it. As professional writers and journalists, we understand how to work within the constraints of a busy business owner or executive. We’ll be working with Shamrock Tuckpointing over the winter during their slow season to efficiently capture the information we need to produce content through the year.

Many contractors don’t blog because their competitors aren’t.(Don’t miss: Are the Top 10 Construction Management Firms Missing the Boat on Blogging?) Instead they rely on old marketing methods that simply don’t work anymore. Meanwhile they are missing a huge opportunity to build their online presence and drive traffic to their site. If you are a contractor, take a look at what marketing methods aren’t working anymore and invest those funds into upgrading your website or blog. The Internet is where contractors need to be today, and a blog will help your company get found online.

Blog Posts Cited As Most Valuable Content Type

October 22, 2011Joanne CostinLeave a comment

A new study from Focus Research ranked types of content for their value to supporting marketing objectives. Thirty-nine percent of B2B marketers responding cited blog posts, giving it the top ranking. Webinars were not far behind – gaining 37 percent of the “vote.”

Industry whitepapers had a strong showing among B2B marketers as well. Thirty-one percent of B2B marketers named them “most valuable.”

Focus Study on Most Valuable Content Types

*Content Types that are Most Valuable for Supporting Marketing Objectives According to B2B Marketers Source: Focus Research, May 2011

Online content that is valuable to prospective prospects generates sales leads. Blogging is one of the best ways to get that content found. Are you leveraging the power of blogs and webinars to generate B2B sales leads?

What are the biggest obstacles to blogging at your business? Lack of writing expertise? Lack of time? Lack of management support for blogging?

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Look who’s blogging.

The Biggest Concern: Coming Up with Content

More Content Equals More Visitors

Content Strategy for Blogs

Barriers to Blogging