Blogging used to be a way for individuals to express their opinions publicly, while others used it as an online journal. Now, blogging is an important business tool, just like any other.
The tone and style of a blog differ from one industry to the next, but they all serve the same cause. For a business, a blog can be for marketing, raising brand awareness, traffic, a direct channel for communication, and entertainment all at the same time.
While the benefits of blogging for any business are almost too good to be true (from higher page ranking to increased conversion rates and traffic), only 53% of businesses use content marketing, and only half of that is blogging.
So, if the results are so easy that even a patched-up blog can still reap the benefits, why aren’t more businesses investing in blogging?
Objection #1: Results take too long

One of the first objections to come up when someone considers starting a blog for their businesses is the time it takes. Launching a blog doesn’t take more than a couple of days, from registering a domain and customizing the appearance of the blog, to pinning down the niche and upload schedule.
But just because a blog is online with a handful of well-written posts and articles, doesn’t mean it’s going to start bringing in results immediately. For a blog to become a vital cog in a business’s marketing machine, it needs anywhere from 3 to 6 months of hard work, commitment, and dedication.
Why it’s worth it: Starting a blog early on allows it to grow along with the business. Business blogs are a tool to gather an audience and, eventually, sell them a product or a service.
Having a big and popular blog without being able to handle the demand is identical to throwing money down the drain. The gradual and prolonged buildup of a new blog brings in an interested audience in a manageable trickle that grows side by side with the business.
Objection #2: Requires a lot of effort

Starting and maintaining a blog is its own marketing strategy and needs similar effort as any other marketing medium. Nowadays, having a blog isn’t as simple as dropping a random blog post now and then and expecting great results. A proper blog needs proper care, from developing a content strategy to marketing the blog and keeping everything up to date.
Why it’s worth it: Running and maintaining a blog is relatively easy when compared to other types of content marketing (videos, infographics, social media posts, etc.) Over time, blogs become self-sufficient, pulling in traffic with minimal marketing.
Objection #3: Requires constant maintenance

Similar to 99% of things in the world, blogs require constant maintenance. Whether it’s the technical aspect of having a blog with traffic and engagement or the logistical aspect of consistently updating its content and marketing it on different social media platforms. Having a successful blog is hard work.
Things posted previously on a blog can’t be ignored in favor of newer ones. A competent blogger needs to stay on top of SEO trends and industry news. If an update to old information occurs, it’s the blog manager’s job to edit outdated data and info.
Why it’s worth it: Unlike with video or graphic content, if the blog and its posts were made and managed with integrity, updating older posts with newer information takes no more than 10 minutes and little effort. With the exception of a couple of tweaks here and there every once in a while, a good blog is forever.
Objection #4: Too saturated

Business blogging has been growing exponentially in the past decade, making blogging a monopoly in the hands of a few major sites. This is one of the biggest reasons many businesses decide against starting their own blog, as it’s hard to compete for the first half page of Google with household names in the blogging world.
In addition, many business owners and entrepreneurs think that due to the large number of blogs, there aren’t any topics left to write about, since most already have a dozen posts with half of them being from major sites.
Why it’s worth it: The key to avoiding being in the shadow of major sites is niching down. While a smaller business might not rank very high for a general search term, they can easily rank for more specific searches. The narrow nature of said topics, helps smaller brands build a direct relationship with their readers and future clients. One that’s more personal and authentic than any major site could.
Objection #5: It’s already too late

This ties right back to the previous objection. Looking at the state of the internet now, it feels like the golden age of blogging has long passed. People already have the blogs they trust and get all of their news and information from. Making it near impossible to barge into the market and claim your spot as an authority in your niche.
Why it’s worth it: While establishing yourself as a major site can be hard to do in the span of half a year, it’s not impossible to gather an interested and loyal audience. The number of internet users is growing and so is the shift to reading blog posts instead of watching paid ads.
It might be too late for an overnight success as a blog, but it’s not too late to take the longer route. Who knows, in a couple of years, your blog could be the new household name in your industry.
Objection #6: It’s too expensive

With the rise of blogging as a marketing technique, a lot of people are taking it upon themselves to learn the skills required to write engaging and informative blog posts that tie in together with a complex content marketing strategy and selling their services.
According to the American Writers and Artists Institute (AWAI) the price of a blog post ranges anywhere from $150 to $800 per post. It depends on many factors, including the post’s length, complexity, keyword optimization, industry, and the writer’s reputation and qualifications.
Why it’s worth it: While starting a blog canbe expensive, it doesn’t have to be. The price varies depending on how often you plan on posting and the length and complexity of the posts, along with which writers you decide on hiring, a beginner, or an industry veteran. In fact, businesses that blog receive twice as much traffic as ones that don’t, making blogging the perfect investment.
Objection #7: Other types of marketing take the priority

Blogging is an indirect form of marketing. Meaning, it doesn’t directly present and sell a product or service to people. Instead, it works on guiding them thought a long sales funnel and gains their trust over time by offering value free of charge.
For a blogging strategy to work, only a small percentage of the posts need to have a direct sales pitch embedded within them. Otherwise, they’d be classified as ads and no one is paying attention to those anymore.
Why it’s worth it: This might’ve been true 10 years ago, but blogging is now considered to be the 5th most trusted source of information out there. Also, people are 6 times more likely to purchase from a company they read useful content from.
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It’s safe to say that more businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs are investing in blogging each year. While it might’ve been considered a risk 10 years ago, nowadays, it’s risky not to invest in a blog.
Marketing is a crucial part of any business’s success. And a content marketing strategy built on blogging is the way to go.