Articles10 March 2022
This article brings together the main platforms where informational content can benefit your company.
A modern website brings together a clean design, an intuitive interface and useful content. Content deserves more attention: it helps prospective customers find a page through search, learn about a product and decide whether to buy. It is also a source of trust.
Terms such as SEO, traffic and paid search advertising are familiar, but there are other ways to promote content too.
As a colleague of mine puts it, “A blog is the engine of a website.” Much of a company's content now lives on its blog. It can help you:
High-quality content backed by expert insight, a responsible editor and skilled writers can become part of your company's identity. Readers may visit not just to buy, but to find a perspective they value. Without a blog, you miss these opportunities. According to TeamWorksCom, 70% of consumers prefer to learn about a company through blog articles rather than advertising.
A blog also gives you room to experiment with formats, promotional materials, partner articles and new ideas. Third-party media often impose restrictions, while your blog is a channel you control. You can try video, written articles and even podcasts.
What about formats?
Audiences are especially interested in first-hand experience. When someone tells a story in the first person about a challenge and how they solved it, readers can relate to their experience. The same is true of interviews: people are always interested in hearing other people's stories.
How-to guides come next. If you explain how to use an IT product you sell or share practical advice such as “How to wallpaper a room in a day,” readers will appreciate it. A company they trust gives them clear next steps. They don't have to search Google to find out how to connect, disconnect, write, link or build something; the answer is already on your blog.
You can also run quizzes. Entertaining content can keep people engaged for hours. They might take a break to find out what kind of marketer they are today, estimate how much they spend on infrastructure without cloud services, or test their recruitment knowledge. Those are all ways to engage an audience.
Don't be afraid to experiment. Try video, podcasts and live streams. Experimenting gives you more channels for promotion and can help you reach a wider audience.
If you start a blog, remember SEO. Search engines need clear, relevant content to understand your pages, and there are other channels that can help you distribute it. We'll cover some of them below.
The main principles of blogging are to publish regularly, offer useful material, support claims with evidence and help people find your site through search.
We explain why SEO matters in this article.
In 2022, having no social media presence was like not washing your hands after coming home. Launching an Instagram or VKontakte account, or starting a Telegram channel, had become standard practice for companies across sectors. According to Data Insight, social networks accounted for an average of 40% of online revenue at the time.
Unlike a full blog, social media is built around shorter formats. You can:
Social platforms regularly add features that give you more ways to promote content. Choose the formats that suit your audience. Recommendation systems, including Instagram's at the time, can also help your content reach prospective followers.
Social media lets you talk with followers, hear their feedback and earn their attention in creative ways.
The original article's guidance for Yandex Zen recommended publishing frequently: at least 10 articles a month, ideally 20–30. Shorter pieces of around 1,500–2,000 characters were considered sufficient.
The article also recommended an entertaining style, curiosity-driven headlines, myths and first-person stories to attract visits to a product. For a more formal brand voice, it suggested practical guides, lists, tips, common mistakes and useful shortcuts—for example, “How to prevent car breakdowns: six tips from mechanics.”
The article estimated that Yandex Zen could bring up to 10% additional website traffic. It also cited Yandex Zen's own estimate that users spent an average of 30 minutes a day scrolling the feed. These are historical figures from the original article, not current benchmarks.
The article suggested improving articles for search and staying active in the channel by liking and sharing posts, replying to comments, and reading other content. These activities were presented as ways to increase reach without additional advertising.
The original article noted that Yandex Zen's rules restricted promotion of medical, cosmetic and pharmaceutical products without supporting documents. This is historical platform guidance from the article, not current regulatory advice.
The article presented Yandex Zen as both a source of traffic and a way to give a brand useful information for its audience.
Broadly speaking, PR articles in the media fall into four categories:
Popular publications to consider include:
Most publications do not set unusually strict requirements. Strong material can be accepted even by major outlets, especially when it offers a timely story during a quieter news period.
The article argued that going without media coverage can cost a company visibility, audience loyalty and perceived expertise, and may also reduce referral traffic. It cited TeamWorksCom research saying that 8 in 10 people prefer to learn about a company through the media.
Email marketing remains a useful content channel. It has come back into fashion despite repeated predictions of its demise. During the pandemic, some public figures launched paid newsletters and attracted many subscribers.
Benefits of email marketing:
To avoid being seen as a spammer, follow three simple rules:
Newsletters are another way to promote contentand bring visitors to your site, including to older content. If a post or article from six months or a year ago still fits the topic and remains relevant, include it in a newsletter to bring in new visits.
The original article estimated that a company without a newsletter could miss out on 2–3% of traffic and reach—about 300–400 people, which it valued at 40,000–50,000 RUB. These are historical estimates from the source, not current performance benchmarks.
If your website has a customer account area, consider sending newsletters with special offers, discounts and personalised messages that make subscribers feel valued.
Newsletters can go by email, SMS or Telegram. Find out which channels your audience prefers and adapt your communications accordingly.
Blogs, media articles and newsletters can build awareness and trust, and help introduce people to your product. The original article estimated that these channels could bring 20–40% of a site's baseline traffic without additional advertising. Explore the agency's services here:service page.
