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7 Reasons Why... People Read Blogs
If you are in business, the chances are you already publish blogs or worry that you should – possibly without really knowing why or wondering if it is actually worth the time and effort. You may have been told it is a vital part of your ‘content marketing strategy’ (formerly know as marketing).
Blogs, along with plenty of other ‘vital’ things you should be doing are often on to-do lists but don’t always get done.
There are plenty of compelling reasons to write blog posts, but if you want to come up with interesting blogs that potential customers will find useful and search engines can find, it helps to know why people might choose to read them.
So, why do people read blogs?
What would you answer?
– Ermmm, not sure
– I don’t read blogs
You might not think you read blogs but in fact it’s highly likely that you do.
If you search for written information online you will end up reading a lot of blogs without realising that’s what you’re doing. You don’t have to go to a specific company’s website or click on their newsletter link to read a blog post to be reading them on a regular basis.
Maybe you got here by typing “why do people read blogs?” into an online search engine. And now you’re reading a blog.
Hubspot decided they needed a better understanding of blog consumption so they asked people why they read blogs and gave them options to choose from, instead of asking if they read them.
The most popular response (33%) was “to learn something new“, followed by “to be entertained” (20%), and “to discover news or trends in my industry” (12%). The remainder said they read blogs for all of those reasons.
“70% of people would rather learn about a company through articles than an advert.”
Source: Demand Metric
Seven reasons why people read blogs
1. To learn more about something they are interested in
People love to educate themselves and learn. They may want general information about a topic they are interested in or they could be searching for more in-depth, specialist knowledge about a very specific topic. If you are an expert in an area you have something to offer people who find your subject fascinating but have not had the same training or experiences.
2. To learn a new skill
The internet is a terrific source of information on how to do things. If you want to learn or improve a new skill, you can find an expert with years of experience to instruct and guide you. Blogs are a great way to approach learning a new skill, especially as there are often many ways in which you can achieve the same result.
3. To solve a problem
With endless information available online it can be difficult to know who to trust for the answers to certain problems. Blogs can present the information you need in an easy-to-understand, easy-to-implement way. Guides and tutorials can walk people through issues and help them feel supported and less alone.
4. To be entertained
It is easy to assume that anyone who wants to be entertained online will be watching videos of cute puppies, hilarious fails, or the latest viral toddler meltdown. However, not all entertainment needs to be visual: otherwise no one would ever want to read anything ever again. Blog posts can and should entertain when appropriate, even on company websites. And don’t forget, one person’s education is another one’s entertainment.
5. To stay current
In this information age we live in, things change all the time. Innovation, and keeping up with it, is vital, particularly in business. People will read blogs to stay current in their personal and business lives. After all, no one wants to be missing out or to get left behind!
6. To find information to help make a decision
Social proof is a key part of the decision-making process when choosing what to buy or where to invest your resources. People will read blogs and the comments other people make on them to help ascertain whether a certain product or service is right for them.
7. To find sources for their own content!
As everyone feels the need to produce more and more ‘content’, they have to find inspiration somewhere! Whether it’s checking out what the competition is doing to make sure they have all the bases covered, or looking for credible sources to make or back up the points they are making, people are constantly searching for information for one reason or another.
Why will people read your blogs?
People will read your blogs for any or all of the reasons above: you just need to make sure you are giving them what they are looking for. If you can find the right subjects for your audience and write and present your blogs in a way that appeals to both the human reader and the search engines, you’ll be ahead of the curve.
Make sure you have all the right ingredients for a good business blog post! Using a professional SEO content writer will ensure you have a regular supply of high-quality, search-engine-optimised blogs to drive more organic traffic. Why not get in touch to find out more about my Maintain & Build Content Support Services? Let’s not forget, Hubspot research also found that:
Companies that blog have far better marketing results. Specifically, the average company that blogs has:
- 55% more visitors
- 97% more inbound links
- 434% more indexed pages
Hubspot