New Survey Reveals Benefits of Blogging

CHICAGO—January 14, 2021—Orbit Media Studios, a leading website development company based in Chicago, released their 7th Annual Blogging Survey which shows that blogging remains a powerful marketing tool for businesses. The 2020 study questioned nearly 1,300 bloggers from all types of organizations and industries, focusing on the observed results of a blogging program, such as increased website traffic, improved search engine optimization, more leads, and increased sales.

According to Andy Crestodina, CEO of Orbit Media, in these surveys “we find over and over again that greater efforts [in blogging] leads to greater rewards.”

Among the findings of the 2020 blogging survey are the following:

• 54% report that their blogging program delivers “some marketing results.”
• 24% indicate their blogging program delivers “strong marketing results.”
• Bloggers who invest more time on each blog, as much as six hours, get better marketing results.
• Blogs inching toward 1,000 words are proving to be the most effective.
• Bloggers who write 3,000-word blogs report “strong results.”
• Bloggers who post once per week or several times per month are getting the best results; “Conversely, inconsistent bloggers are least likely to report ‘strong’ results,” says Crestodina.

When asked what type of blogs are most effective—those getting the most marketing results—the respondents revealed the following:

• “Roundup” blogs, 33% (A roundup blog invites several writers to address a specific topic.)
• Guides and eBooks, 33%
• Interviews, 33%
• “Gated content” blogs, 31% (A “gated content” blog requires sign-up information from a visitor to read the blog.)
• Infographics, 31%
• Lists, such as top ten lists, 31%

Finally, the respondents were asked how they are driving traffic to their content, giving it more visibility and exposure. The survey reported:

• Social media, 94%
• Email marketing, such as newsletters, 66%
• SEO (search engine optimization), 63%
• Paid services, such as paid ads in search engines, 15%

“This last point is interesting,” says Robert Kravitz with AlturaSolutions, which provides blogging and social media services for a wide range of B2B clients. “It appears bloggers are no longer trying to buy readers. Now they are trying to win them over with quality content.”