Blogs can be a strong asset for brands interested in revamping their PR/marketing strategy. Not only do they help establish your brand as a thought leader and improve your rank in search, but they can fuel earned media and e-newsletter programs. However, we are often asked, “is a blog considered advertising?” The answer is no… and sometimes partially yes. Confused yet? Let us explain. Here are some quick insights into blogs and how they fit into your digital marketing and content marketing strategy.
What’s a blog?
A blog is written content that is often hosted on a brand’s website that shares information with readers. Blogs – like the one you are currently reading – are generally a casual form of communication, often written in a conversational tone. They can cover a variety of topics and, depending on the brand or individual, may or may not include other elements such as images, GIFs, infographics and other creative assets. Blogs can be integral to a brand’s content strategy, and HubSpot shares a few reasons why:
- Brands that prioritize blogs see 13-times more ROI than businesses that don’t
- 80 percent of internet users engage with blogs
- Blogs are the third most common content marketing strategy
- Brands that blog earn 55 percent more website visitors
- Companies with blogs, on average, get 67 percent more leads every month
Is a blog advertising?
So, now to answer this all-important question. Is a blog advertising? No. Simply writing a blog and posting it on your brand’s website would be considered owned content, which is not advertising. Advertising is the act of paying for placement of your marketing messages. There are tons of advertising opportunities with which your brand might pay to engage including Google Ads, Facebook Ads or video placements before or during content on YouTube. So even blogs that talk about your product or services are not technically ads.
How do blogs become advertising?
A blog becomes part of your digital marketing advertising strategy when it is used in conjunction with amplified content marketing initiatives. Basically, when you pay for a placement, like a Google Ad or Facebook Ad, and use your blog as the interesting content you are drawing readers into – then it becomes a part of your overall ad strategy. The call to action “click here to read more” now brings users into your blog eco-system, and hopefully they stick around for a while – exploring your content and beginning to feel like they know – and can trust – your brand. So, the blog itself isn’t advertising, but it can be an integral part of your ad campaigns.
Blog all about it
Blogs offer many benefits to brands that are willing to put in the effort to create them. They can become even more beneficial when integrated into a brand’s content marketing and digital marketing strategy. Blogs offer an opportune structure to build pillar content and drive traffic to your website. So, while blogs themselves are not advertising, they can be a wonderful resource to use in your advertising efforts.
Connect with one of our PR agency’s content marketing experts to learn how Beyond Fifteen can help you build a digital marketing strategy around your blog content.