Given the fact that I’m a marketing content writer, it’s probably no surprise that I’m a big believer in the power of business blogs and newsletters. I’ve seen that they can be especially helpful for service providers and business-to-business marketers—provided they are done well.

Here are seven things that blogs and newsletters can do for your business’ marketing efforts:

1. Drive traffic to your website – Regularly posting relevant, high-quality content can boost your website’s overall search engine optimization (SEO). Your blog posts will also bring people to your website who are looking for the specific information you are presenting. These people, of course, are likely to be ideal potential clients for your business.

2. Build influence and authority – Your articles can position your company as a thought leader, the “go-to expert” in your field. This enables you to subtly sell without making people feel “sold to.” Worried that posting “how to” articles will make it too easy for people to do it themselves? Don’t be. You can explain things well enough to help prospects become educated consumers of your services, while making it clear that these services are best left to a professional like you.

3. Create trust – People like to do business with people they know, like and trust. Sharing your expertise in a way that helps people solve the problems and challenges they face is a great way to build trust and confidence in your brand. They can trust you to help them because you’ve already proven that you’re an expert.

4. Keep in contact – All businesses should have a system in place for regularly reaching out to their customers and prospects. Newsletters are a great way to do that. Every issue is another opportunity to remind these people that you’re still in business, ready to serve them.

5. Expand awareness of your offerings – Never assume that all of your clients and prospects are familiar with all of the products or services that your company offers. You can boost awareness of the breadth of your offerings by writing about them.

6. Generate leads – You can add a lead-generating “call to action” at the end of your blog posts to encourage readers to either pick up the phone and call you or fill out a form to provide their contact information.

7. Drive sales – The ultimate goal of all of the above!