Here’s How Often You Should Blog & How You Can Repurpose Content Later

If you’re planning out an editorial calendar for your brand and wish to see an increase in leads and monthly Website traffic, one of the things on your mind is probably how many blogs to publish each month. After all, according to HubSpot, marketers who treat blogging as a priority are 13x more likely to see positive ROI. While the exact number of blogs you should churn out is subjective (and, also depends on what your competition’s blogging frequency is) research indicates the following –

• Brands that publish 16+ blogs per month witness 3.5x more traffic than those with 0-4 blogs per month
• Brands that publish 16+ blogs per month receive 4.5x more leads than those with 0-4 blogs per month
• In particular, B2C brands that blog 11+ times per month draw 4x more leads than those with 4-5 blogs per month

While some blogs might provide an instant boost in traffic, leads and overall brand awareness (i.e. topical content and/or high-profile interviews), it is important to remember that the vast majority of blogs will work for you well after they have been published. If your content offers value, people will discover it through Google searches and social media, as well. For example, when HubSpot analyzed their blog’s lead generation, they discovered more than 75% of their blog views and 90% of their blog leads came from previous posts! The tipping point, according to their analysis, for most companies is when they reach a total of 400 blog posts. Let’s take a look at some specific data –

• B2C companies that published 401+ blogs in total draw 2.5x more traffic than companies with a range of 301-400 total blog posts
• B2B companies that published 401+ blogs in total draw 2.5x more traffic than those with less than 200 total blog posts
• B2B companies with 401+ total blog posts generate 4.5x more leads than those with less than 100 total blog posts
• B2B companies with 401+ total blog posts generate 3x more leads than those with less than 200 total blog posts

As you can gauge from the above numbers, you should look at blogging as a giant marathon, not as a quick sprint. In fact, experts recommend committing to blogging for at least 1-1.5 years before assessing effectiveness. Remember – Google prefers Websites and blogs that publish blogs at a consistent frequency. Don’t rush to cross the 401+ blog post mark with 10 posts a week and suddenly switch to 1 post a month. In fact, your readers probably prefer balanced communication from you rather than an overwhelming amount of content – a 2012 survey Michael Hyatt did indicated 81% readers wanted him to post less than 3 times a week!

A few more pointers to keep in mind regarding blogging –

1. Make sure you promote your content (i.e. boosted social media posts, newsletters, etc.) so your content doesn’t go unread. 
2. Note down dates you reach blogging milestones (i.e. 100th post, 200th post, 300th post, 400th post, 500th post)
3. Pay attention to Google Analytics and note down any dates there are significant peaks in traffic (and, cross-check if it is related to a particular blog)
4. The best time of day to post blogs is 9:30 AM – 11 AM EST.
5. The most social shares and comments happen on posts published between 9 PM to 12 AM EST.
6. Blogs posted on Mondays witness greater traffic, but Saturdays draw increased comments and weekends are linked with better social shares
7. The average word count of Google’s top ranked content is 1,140 – 1,285 words (SearchMetrics), however, the average blog post length is 1,050 words (Orbit Media). In fact, only 18% of company blog posts are over 750 words (Curata). 
8. Longer, detailed blog posts generate 9x more leads than shorter posts (Curata) 
9. Blog titles with 6-13 words receive consistent traffic (HubSpot) 
10. 47% of B2B buyers read 3-5 blogs or content pieces before they speak with a salesperson (DemandGenReport)
11. 29% of top marketing professionals reuse/repurpose their blog content (Curata) 

If you’re curious about the last point above (reusing/re-purposing blog content), here are some useful tips to give you more bang for buck on resources you’ve invested in producing solid blog posts.

Tips To Repurpose Blog Posts

1. Podcasts
2. Case studies 
3. Throwback or roundup posts (monthly, quarterly, yearly)
4. Cross-posting on LinkedIn Publisher with a link to the original source (i.e. your Website)
5. Infographics (these are 30x more likely to be read than text-based articles)
6. Newsletters
7. Informational videos
8. eBook
9. Republish on sites like Medium or Reddit
10. PDF tool / cheat-sheet for current and prospective clients 
11. Online course or Webinar

We hope these stats and tips help you revamp your company’s blogging strategy so you can generate more business and visibility moving forward. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team right here.