Back in the old days, blogging was the reserve of the individual with an opinion to give on the world. It never even occurred to the average business person to even think about blogging for their business; if they did they probably would have been seen as a sub-standard business to have lowered themselves to such a level.
Nowadays of course it is very different. Business blogging is very much in vogue, and it's not just the small time businesses that are getting in on the action either. Many major corporations have their own blogs, and these are often reached through a link on their website.
So what is the attraction of a blog for business purposes? Can it really make a difference to the fortunes of the business itself?
It seems that it can indeed make a difference. One of the major problems with online businesses is that they need to be able to establish trust between the customer and themselves. The customer cannot see the business and anyone with the budget to invest in internet marketing can create a good website that looks good. The only way to find out how good the service is, however, is to try it out.
A blog can help to establish that trust because it shows the human face of the business. In some businesses the CEO or one of the top managers will keep the blog up to date and tell the customers (or potential clients) what is going on within the business. In other cases, more than one person from different departments may contribute to the blog. Forthcoming launches, new ways of working and new ways of serving customers can all be covered, and they all help to ensure that the customer knows more about the business - thus dispelling any fears about whether the company is trustworthy and takes their business seriously or not.
A business blog can also be one of the most effective forms of online marketing that there is. Because it is linked (possibly via a sub-domain) to the main website, there is every possibility that a good percentage of visitors to the site will look at the blog too. And if the blog is optimised to appeal to the search engines it may even pull in more visitors in the first place. The key is to choose the most appropriate topics to write about, so that the right keywords in each case can be targeted.
But a blog can also be a two way experience with customers. If comments are allowed (and they can be screened for spam before they are actually published), then it's possible for the business to connect with the customers and encourage ideas and feedback for their products and services. They could even ask for ideas for future products instead of researching them in any other way.
In short, a blog is an essential part of any online business nowadays, and that makes it one of the best forms of advertising around today.
Web Profits specializes in search engine optimization, online marketing & web design, helping businesses generate profits from the Internet. For a free report on 'The Secrets of Online Marketing for Offline Businesses' visit SEO. |
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