Corporate blogs don’t only engage existing buyers, they help attract (and close) new ones, a recent study found.

Also, companies that maintain on-site blogs generate more new leads than those that don’t, according to the new HubSpot study.

How so? Blogs give customers a reason to visit your website on a daily basis — to check for new posts or updates on existing stories.

Effective blogs build an online community where customers can exchange opinions and interact with one another (and the company) via comments sections.

The Key: Ensuring visitors register before leaving comments — enabling your company to generate high-quality leads on a daily basis.

The study also found several correlations between the number of posts a company leaves on its blog each week and its ability to acquire new buyers, such as:

• 100% of companies that update their blogs multiple times a day report acquiring new customers as a result of the blog.
• 90% of companies that update their blog at least 2-3 times a week are acquiring new customers.
• 58% of companies that update their blogs once a week acquire new buyers.
• 38% of companies that update once a month acquire new buyers.
• Only 13% of companies that update their blog less than once a month acquire new customers.

That means it’s critical to update your blog on a regular basis.

Other suggestions ripped straight from the research:

• Don’t use corporate blogs as a way to advertise products. Customers have to feel like your blog provides valuable insights before they’ll bookmark the site and come back on a regular basis. Write posts about topics prospects have a genuine interest in before promoting your brand.
• Encourage visitors to leave comments at the end of every post. Ask for their opinions, conduct surveys, and ask for feedback about new products and services. Engage visitors as often as possible. Doing so boosts the number of registered users you have, which boosts on-site traffic and increases the number of leads you’re generating.
• Send automatic e-mails to respondents when new comments are posted. It encourages debate, gives them a reason to check back and helps build your online community.

Info: “The State of Inbound Marketing 2010,” by HubSpot, February 2010.

Does your company maintain its own blog? If so, what strategies have you used to boost traffic and generate more leads? Let us know in the Comments Box below.

Tags: blog, blogs, buyers, customers, high-quality leads, HubSpot, leads, online community, research, study