You know you should do it. You know it will make you feel better. And you know it will bring results. Yet, somehow, you never quite find the time or the motivation to make it happen.

You probably think I’m talking about almost everybody’s New Year’s resolution—to exercise regularly. Actually, I’m talking about its marketing equivalent—to blog regularly. And just like exercise, some people love blogging and others would rather visit the dentist.

If you need some motivation to get you going, take a look at these six benefits of blogging that can be yours:

1. Boost search results: Blogging gives search engines the fresh content they love. Every new post is another indexed page for search spiders to find, which improves your results ranking and drives traffic to your website. Plus, with all the changes to Google’s algorithm, it’s clear beyond a doubt that high-quality, useful content is a must-have for search engine optimization.
2. Increase leads and sales: More web traffic means more opportunities to capture lead information or close sales. Entice users to sign up for your email list by adding white papers, e-books and offers to your site. Then, you can continue to dazzle them with your amazing content!
3. Give them something to talk about: Every blog post is something new to share on social media. When your company appears in your follower’s feeds more often, you create more awareness. Highly shareable content = more fans, too.
4. Position yourself as an expert in your field: Your customers and fans are looking for information, guidance and advice. By answering their questions and solving their problems, you increase their trust in your company, and boost your own credibility and value.
5. Support email marketing efforts: As a direct line of communication to your customers, email marketing is very effective. People open emails, especially those they have opted to receive. But in exchange for their time, they want valuable information. Quality blog posts will help you stay in their inboxes.
6. Short-term effort, long-term returns: Just as today’s core workout brings tomorrow’s six-pack abs (for some people, I suppose) blogging offers long-term returns. If a kitchen store manager writes a post today about favorite kitchen gadgets, it will rank for “favorite kitchen gadget” searches and generate web traffic for years. If a marketing executive writes about her company’s participation in a trade show or convention, that post will appear in search engine results, long after the event is over.

It’s true—blogging is like exercising. It’s sometimes difficult to motivate yourself to do it, but it’s worth the effort, because it brings results. And, like exercise, once it becomes a habit, it gets easier. And who knows, you might even start enjoying it! If not, remember we can help you create interesting, informative content that your customers will love.