Alan DraperIt is interesting how often content marketers are asked the above question. As content marketers (aka copywriters, aka writers) we have always known that what we write has to be understood by our target audience and be written in a way to elicit the response we are looking for. Why is it that many of us have difficulty writing that way for ourselves?
We often become tongue-tied when it comes to explaining to a business owner (aka potential client) why his company will benefit from our services, and specifically from a blog. 
Many business owners still think of blogs as a waste of time and resources. They may not visit websites themselves. If they do, they may not understand that many of the results returned from an organic search on Google, Bing or other search engines are actually blog posts! They look like websites. One question routinely asked of me is “How do I know I’m reading a blog?” (Answer: if it is an article that looks like it is a webpage, it is probably a blog.)
So our first job is to make people understand what a blog is. The next job is to explain why they need one.
We have a lot of facts and figures at our disposal – But are we saying the right things?
For example, we can tell the business owner that…
81% of U.S. online consumers trust information and advice from blogs. (Source: BlogHer) or that by 2013, it is projected that 128 million people in the US will be blog readers. (Source: MyMarketingDept.)
But what does that mean to him and his business?
Maybe what we should have said:
92% of companies who blog often have acquired a customer from their blog. (Source: HubSpot) or that B2B marketers who use blogs generate 67% more leads than those who do not. (Source:InsideView) or even that 61% of U.S. online consumers have made a purchase based on recommendations from a blog. (Source: BlogHer)
Do you have his attention?
Once business owners understand that blogs are tied to bottom line results, it is time to tell him that in order to get those results, companies have to have a defined strategy, blog often, and find someone who can write the copy that provides both useful information and a (very) subtle sales pitch. And that’s where the Content marketer (aka copywriter, aka writer) comes in.
This article was written for Business 2 Community by Alan Draper.
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Good post, Laura. You mention some useful statistics. Another one is that leads from blogs or other forms of content marketing are about 60% less expensive from those from traditional forms of interruptive marketing. This is simply because the prospect is more informed and farther along the sales cycle by the time they contact you.
Thanks Andrew!