Your business can benefit from launching a news section with a strategy and pipeline of stories to engage the widest possible audience, writes Osborn director Chris Leggett.
Depending on your goals and resources, in general building a website can take from around one to six months, according to experts.
Given the effort required, it is perhaps not surprising that getting a website finished means busy business people move on to other tasks often without thinking about how it will be used to share company news.
But opting not to have a news section or launching one without a content strategy for updates can represent significant missed opportunities to reach new audiences and engage new customers.
As a society, we are increasingly going online for news, with 71 per cent of the population getting their news digitally, according to Ofcom.
Here’s why your business should consider having a news section:
Increased brand visibility
- SEO Boost: Regularly publishing high-quality content can improve your website’s search engine ranking. SEO experts will vouch that search engines, including Google, prefer websites that regularly update their content as frequent updates indicate a site’s reliability and relevance, leading to better rankings, while fresh content keeps your audience engaged, encouraging them to return to your site more often.
There is no mystery but a clear logic to how in recent years Google has helped site owners by emphasising the Google E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) framework, particularly in its core updates.
By targeting relevant keywords and optimising your news articles, you can attract more organic traffic.
- Social media shares: We all know that sense of disappointment when you look up a company on LinkedIn only to see they have not updated their feed regularly since the pandemic.
Sharing news articles on social platforms increases your brand’s reach and engagement, providing the fuel to rocket the social media traffic to your website. Encourage your staff and followers to share your content with their networks.
Build credibility and trust
- Show your progress: How many times have you visited a website and clicked away because there is no sign of life? Research shows consumers spend 54% less per month on average on websites that have not been updated regularly versus those that have.
- Thought leadership: You know your sector, your clients and their headaches better than so many others – so share your knowledge. By sharing industry insights, expert opinions, and original research, you can position your business as a thought leader in your field.
- Transparency: A regularly updated news section put together with thought and planning allows you to be transparent about your business activities, milestones, and achievements. This can help build trust with your audience.
- Crisis management: No-one wants to think about worst case scenarios, but as our partners in our network attest all organisations should be ready to prevent or overcome crises so they can avoid the damage to lives, livelihoods, business and reputation caused by a mishandled crisis. If a crisis strikes, a well-managed news section can be used to communicate with stakeholders and mitigate negative publicity.
Take your customer engagement to the next level
- Finally have that content for the email newsletter you always wanted: Many businesses think each year of communicating regularly with their customers. Using the news from your website can be the material you share, using analytics to see who is engaging and what they are interested in.
- Share relevant content: By providing valuable and informative content aligned with your audience need, you can attract and retain customers who see you as the go-to solution.
- Generate two-way communication: A news section where people can share, like or comment on your posts can foster a sense of community and encourage dialogue with your audience, especially if you act on their recommendations. Consider adding comment sections or social media sharing buttons to your articles.
Fuel your sales and marketing efforts
- Make your sales leads’ jobs easier: “People cannot see us and do not know enough about us when we approach them,” you may hear. If you share news they will know what is going on with your business.
- Lead generation: Your news section can be a valuable lead generation tool. By offering exclusive content, such as whitepapers or case studies, you can capture visitor information in return for access.
- Product launches, staff appointments and business announcements: Use your news section to announce new products, new colleagues or promotions, fresh services, or celebrate successful partnerships. All of this and perhaps the occasional award win can generate excitement and drive sales.
- Get on the media’s radar: A well-maintained news section can be a valuable resource for busy journalists and media outlets. By providing easy access to press releases, media kits, and contact information, you can simplify the media outreach process.
By investing in a well-maintained news section, you can enhance your brand’s reputation, drive traffic to your website, and ultimately boost your bottom line.
As an award-winning PR agency who knows the media inside out, Osborn Comms can help you understand and explore the website news tactics that will help you achieve your goals. From our base in the West Midlands, we have the tools to help you build your reputation where it matters most. Drop us a line to book in a chat.