DOES YOUR BUSINESS NEED A BLOG?

The difference between a blog and a website.

I know what you’re thinking: “Fantastic. Another thing to do. I’m still getting the hang of this Twitter thing. I’m Pinging to all my social networks, but that means I have to develop relationships with even more friends and followers. And I still haven’t sent out my holiday cards. Now I need a blog, too?” Maybe.

First, let’s get clear on the definition of a blog. A blog, short for Weblog, was originally a “log” (on the Web, of course) of your day’s activities, news and revelations. An online diary, if you will. The blogger community was made up, primarily, of angsty teenagers and frustrated (largely unpublished) writers. While these demographics still have a little corner of the Web, blogging has changed dramatically.

Business owners realized blogs can be a powerful marketing tool, giving customers and prospects a glimpse into the intimate life of a company. What can a blog do for your business?

A blog provides a means to:

• share exciting company and industry news
  - “personalize” your company
• Establish you as the expert in your field
• Draw traffic to your website

But good business people know it’s not about them, it’s about the customer. So what can a blog do for your customers?

A blog can:

• Provide important industry news and information
• Help them learn more about the company they’re thinking about hiring or buying from
• Get tips on solving problems and challenges
• Give them a reason to visit your blog every day or week

The difference between a blog and a website

Some small businesses set up a site through Blogger or Wordpress and call it their company website, but it actually functions as a blog. A blog can be a part of your larger company website, but ideally, you’ll have a site set up where you provide company and product information, testimonials and contact information, where you may or may not post your blog. Remember, all blogs are websites, but all websites are not blogs.

Do you need a blog?

People have been doing business without blogs (or Twitter or Facebook or any social media, for that matter) for thousands of years. But if you feel you have good information to share with your customers and prospects – and want to reach out and get more in touch with the market – a blog is a great way to do so. A blog permits you to start personal dialogues with the people who may use your business. A blog’s interactive nature is like no other advertising medium.

Don’t use your blog to overtly sell. It’s okay to include a link to a specific product or service every so often – or to use your blog as one of many ways to tell your readers about special sales – but, like Twitter, a blog is not a conventional advertising medium and if all you do is hawk your products, people will get tired of reading. Think of a blog as a “value-added” aspect of your business.

Are you ready for the commitment?

Like any other aspect of your business, blogging requires a time commitment. You can set up perfectly nice blog platforms for free, so the cost is primarily that of time – unless you choose to hire a professional blogger to maintain your blog for you.

If you’re writing the blog yourself, expect to spend at least a few hours a week researching and writing posts. It doesn’t matter if you update your blog once a week or everyday – but it’s important to be consistent about it. Readers want to know that, if they check in on a regular schedule, they’ll see fresh content, otherwise they’ll stop visiting.

When you launch your blog, it may help to outline some ideas that you can write about. Whenever an idea comes to mind, jot it down. When it comes time to update your blog, refer to the list and see what inspires you that day.

You’ll also want to take time moderating comments and replying to visitors who are kind enough to comment about your posts. Maintaining a blog requires a commitment, but the payoff can be well worth it.

Stay tuned over the next few weeks to learn more about starting a blog.

Dawn Allcot

December 09, 2009 12:10 PM Eastern

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