The Power of Blogging: How to Reach 77% of Internet Users by @rachelccool

by Rachel Cool | Featured Contributor

You’re an entrepreneur with a great product, service and business; you just need more customers. Many business owners think of marketing as an overwhelming process and feel like they don’t even know where to start.

Believe it or not, just one marketing tactic can help you reach the majority of Internet users and packs a lot of punch.

What is this secret solution? Blogging.

That’s right. Blogging has been shown to reach most Internet users and when you learn to harness its power, you can make your business even more successful.

I’m not suggesting that your blog can replace all other forms of advertising and marketing, but I am suggesting that it should play a major role in your marketing strategy.

The Numbers Speak for Themselves

According to Social Media Today, 77 percent of Internet users read blogs. But, that’s not all. The site also reports that 23 percent of time people spend on the Internet is spent on blogs and social media.

Search Engine Watch reports that businesses can reach 8 out of 10 Internet users with blogs and social media.

These numbers illustrate just how much reach your blog can help you achieve. With your blog, you can reach most Internet users, bring people to your website and convert visitors to leads.

You’re Ready to Blog. Now What?

To see the results these statistics prove are possible, you need to use your blog strategically. Setting up a blog and producing content is just the first step.

Get to Know your Audience

The first rule of blogging is to know your audience. All of your blog posts should be tailored to your readers’ needs and be on topics that will capture their attention. You can’t run a successful blog and reach your audience if you don’t know who you are writing for.

Categorize your audience as your customers, potential customers, business partners, community or any other group. Then, do some market research to find out as much information about these people as possible. Learn what motivates them, what their needs are and how your business can benefit this group.

Provide High Value

To get the readership you need to make your business successful, your blog needs to provide high value to your market. It needs to be a resource people turn to, offer advice, provide solutions and be so valuable that your market won’t want to miss a single post.

When you know who your audience is you can create content that offers that value. What is valuable to one market may not be valuable to another. Think about your average reader and what she would find valuable, and then base your content plan on those ideas.

Use Social Media as an Extension

As we saw with the above statistics, social media is important if you want to reach a bigger audience. Look at your social media accounts as extensions of your blog and use them to attract more readers and get your content in front of more people. Share your blog posts and add your voice to the online conversation so you can establish your expertise.

Blogging is an invaluable tool to entrepreneurs in any industry. If used strategically, your blog can help you get the attention of Internet users, reach a wider audience and grow your business.

Have you seen the power of blogging at your business? What’s your best advice for someone starting a new blog?

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Rachel Cool has a bachelor’s degree in communications with an emphasis in public relations. She has experience working in public relations, journalism, Internet marketing and search engine optimization.

Rachel’s passion is writing and she loves helping brands tell their stories, reach their markets and influence their audiences. She feels that a business’ copy, whether it is online or print, is an integral part of its marketing and communications strategies.

When she’s not writing, Rachel loves to cook and get lost in a mystery novel. She also likes to get competitive over a good card or board game, watch movies, fish and spend time outside.

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