By : Fiona Powell
You’ve probably heard about blogs... the online journal popular with angst ridden teenagers or maverick political journalists.
Blogs have been around for awhile and are part of the Web 2.0 revolution where web content is generated by users, as opposed to the ‘passive consumption’ of websites which are more like watching TV.
Now the blog has evolved past its fad status and come of age to become a must-have communication device for business. Savvy business people have grasped the huge potential of the blog as a way to reach and communicate with, and promote to, existing and potential customers. Large corporations even hire writers to blog for their company.
Why blog?
In a business context, blogs are a great platform for communicating with your customer audience and to recruit new advocates.
Your blog can be utilised for any number of purposes; promoting and showcasing products, for industry comment, as a way to educate customers about new products, to invite customer feedback and questions, drive traffic to your website, highlight your success stories, create and manage your company perception and brand, build your business’ profile as an expert for the media and even used as an intranet for your employees.
There are lots of pragmatic reasons why blogging is good for business:
-Blogs invite interaction. Readers can post comments to your writing, so in affect you are creating a conversation that deepens the relationship and builds rapport and trust. Through your reader's comments, you'll discover what they're thinking about, what solutions they're looking for, or what questions they may need answering.
-Blogs are quick and easy to update making them an ideal online presence for busy business owners. No web guru required! If you can email, then you can blog.
-When done correctly, blogging is one of the best ways to get listed in the search engines through keywords and consistently serving your readers with fresh relevant content.
-Through your blog's RSS feed, your blog readers can opt into receiving your blog posts instantly to their desktops, a reader, or by email allowing you to stay connected, create your network, and build your list of potential customers.
-Blogging demonstrates to your customers that you are capable of adapting and that you are willing to try new things. Blogging also represents a form of transparency that many companies do not have when it comes to their communications with customers and employees.
Why blogs are popular
Blog readers are (according to BlogAds) older, wealthier, web-savvy, online information seekers and they consider bloggers as experts on their blog topics.
Blog readers want to know what’s hot and what’s worth buying and blogs provide them with this information in a unique way. Blogs offer fresh content on a regular basis, they’re written in an approachable first person voice (which welcomes comments), and they provide further information via links to other relevant blogs and websites. Readers can also subscribe to updates of a blog, like an opt-in e-newsletter without giving away their email address.
Getting started
There are a number of blog platforms with powerful functionality to choose from to create your own blog. Typepad is a popular business platform (www.typepad.com) with different user levels at varying, yet inexpensive fees. Wordpress (www.wordpress.com) is another popular platform and is free and easy to navigate and is available as a hosted system or an installed system. Each of these sites’ homepages highlight examples of various blogs using their platform and these blog sites are worth visiting for ideas on the potential uses for your own blog.
These blog platforms have lots of features and functionality; the ability for people to post comments to your entries, to upload your profile, categorise and archive content, invite guest authors, link to other blogs and websites, easy editing tools, and lots more.
You can even fire your web designer and use your blog site as your website, controlling the look and content yourself, and by pointing your domain name to your blog site. Or include a link on your existing website to your blog.
You can get your blog up and running in minutes, even uploading your own customised banner incorporating your business logo. If you have mastered email, then you can set up and publish a blog – it’s simple, inexpensive and not just for the tech experts.
Successful blogging
The most addictive and popular blogs are passionate, controversial or information rich with content added regularly.
Blogging takes energy and time and like a website needs a clear strategy. Determine the purpose of your blog and then commit to adding posts at least three times a week.
Most important of all, keep your blog lively and interesting - write content yourself, invite staff to contribute or hire a writer. Find your ‘voice’ and your niche through your blog and you’ll attract a keen and loyal audience.
Drive traffic to your blog by reading and commenting on other blogs and forums – be part of their conversation so they can be part of yours. Tell your customers about your blog; include your blog address on your emails, businesscard and marketing material.
List your blog on blog directories like BlogCatalog, and join blog communities like the women in business blog community flokka.com (www.flokka.com) where you can link your blog (or create one) so it appears in directories and so each entry you post to your blog is simultaneously displayed on the flokka site as you publish the post.
If you want to know more about blogging, search Google for helpful tips – there’s lots of advice out there and blog experts are willing to share their knowledge and what’s worked for them and what hasn’t.
The best advice is… just get started and have fun!
Go blog!
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