In today’s internet-led world, a blog can increase interest in your business on a daily basis. Forget about advertising or marketing (well, not entirely!), a well-presented and well-written blog can be your ultimate advertising department, without costing the earth.
Reducing the costs of advertising
Whichever way you look at it, creating and maintaining a blog is cheaper than splashing out on a costly advertising campaign. However you choose to go about starting, whoever you decide to use, there is no other package that is as cost effective as using a blogging service.
Enhancing communication capabilities
Probably one of the greatest advantages is its ability to reach thousands of people all over the world instantaneously. There is no other media currently in circulation, which can be as effectively accessed as a well built and well maintained blog. Newspapers and magazines are all bound by geographical locations, where as blog has the potential to reach anyone, anywhere in the world. By using effective tags and keywords, within seconds, you could be placed at the top of search engines across the globe.
A website can offer the same coverage, but it tends to lack the interaction that a blog can offer. A blog offers your client an informal, but direct, place to chat with your company in a real-time situation. You are also able to keep your clients updated with the latest company information and products, without making them feel that they are under any hard sale pressure to buy – an important factor that puts many people off approaching companies.
Improving research abilities
With a blog, potential clients are able to research your company and see the latest products you have to offer on a daily basis. There is nothing worse than looking for something and having to trawl through mounds of useless information. It is able to present information in an ordered and concise way, a valuable tool for any company.
Generating valuable and targeted feedback
Are you worried that you are not stocking the right merchandise or that you need to improve certain areas of your business? If you are, just ask! Within the blogging culture, feedback plays a huge role and this can be used to your company’s advantage. Whenever something comes up that you are unsure how to handle, turn to your blogs visitors. It is the one place where you will get an honest and swift response.
Enhancing your online reputation
Many companies have a big corporate personality that surrounds them. By creating a blog, this can be translated into a one-to-one, hands-on image. If you let your clients see how you regard their opinion, you will certainly start seeing the benefits. There is nothing that can hook a customer quicker than openness and honesty.
Blogging for your business is simple and cost efficient. It has the potential to build the reputation of your company on a global scale and is a fun and easy way to promote openness and trust between you and your customers.
What more could you want from an advertising department?
What are the other advantages of blogging for business? Let me know if you have any!
Thank you, Joel.
It’s good to have reminders of the power of the blogging platform.
The other reason I would add, is that wordpress takes virtually all of the programming out of web-programming. WordPress makes it relatively easy for a beginner to put up an attractive website in very little time… with little or no money to invest.
I don’t think I would have kept my site going if it wasn’t for the ease of use of the wordpress software.
keep smiling,
Benjamin
It is amazing how much easier it is for people to make a website. Of course there is always a learning curve and technical frustrations but you’re right the cost and ease of implementation is amazing.
Thanks for stopping by!
Slowly. but surely is always a good idea! Thanks Amy.
I too struggle with the difficulties of balancing time for the blog and the rest of the things on my todo list. My hope is that as I continue to plug away, I can at least maintain a bare minimum while adding to my blog’s longevity and content albeit slowly.
Great point Cheryl, something I should do more often too so thanks for mentioning it!
Excellent list, Joel. I would add the ability to impact the number of mentions your business receives by increasing the number of posts that discuss your business. The more you point to your offering with useful tips and advice, the more people will backlink to you so they can share your valuable information with their readers.
Thanks Lisa, good luck with your blogging! It is hard to balance the two, I struggle with that myself.
Hi Joel:
Great article — Having a successful blog can be a huge boost to anyone’s business. I have both a blog and a website/business. I must admit that I let the blog side and focus on the business. I have to find time for both — just haven’t quite figured out how to do that yet!
Thanks again for the great post — I better get blogging!
I agree — blogs are an excellent resource for businesses. The one problem I see, and face myself, is finding the time to run the business AND keep up with the blog. Unfortunately, I usually let the blog go stale, which is a big mistake!
Haha, very true, thanks!
I can’t deny that blog is a superb way to promote yourself or your business to the entire world with extremely little cost. Probably it’s one of the greatest inventions.
It’s true that blogging can be in many forms, and you do a lot of video too which is another way of building trust and authority. Thanks Michelle!
I appreciate your comment Bruce, I like to think of it as my hub, Facebook, Tiwtter, guest posts, etc all come back to my blog.
It has to be, you’re right. Thanks Andrew.
The blog is your home base. You own it. It can represent you very well on the internet. People can return there over and over to get information. Everything else you do to raise awareness of you or your product or service or cause can encourage people to go to your home base and have a look around. It lets them know if you are “as advertised” I agree with your 5 points.
Even though I don’t ‘write’ everyday I see maintain several ‘blogs’.. Blogging can take shape many ways.. and I love having my websites on the wordpress blogging platform so I have the choice of adding content, or having a static front page. Blogging has increased my client base, given me an internet presence and connected me with people all over the world. I love it!
For me, the biggest factor is being able to communicate (and get feedback) from customers all over the world.
That has to be good for business.
Andrew
Thank you Krizia!
Blogging can surely change an offline business and increase the interaction and connection with clients.
You’ve written a great post Joel that will help a lot of businesses understand the important of blogging.
Krizia
An excellent point Beat, I do have a box of business cards that are lying dormant. Lots of people even type my URL directly into their phone now, they don’t need my address or contact info if they have my website.
Interesting about what you say regarding “oil spill” that will be an interesting thing to watch and only encourage search engines to focus on content and relevance even more.
Thanks Debbie! I think the name “blogging” often puts people off and gives them an image of something perhaps blogging was 5 or more years ago. I like the candy store description, thanks 🙂
Joel, there is much truth in your five reasons why blogging benefits your business. One thing I notice in the bloggers’ community, it has made the business card obsolete, or put differently, your blog is the new business card. For businesses that value openness and honesty, the blog offers an ideal platform. In reference to “using effective tags and keywords”, BP’s recent attempt at cornering the market for “oil spill” keywords may have changed the blogging landscape – and how search engines operate – in ways that I don’t fully understand yet.
Hi Joel,
Some people just don’t get blogging. I have a family full of that not getting. Guess they haven’t been in a situation yet, that they really need to find out some information. I do believe that the day is coming where everyone will be getting blogger information. What is really great about it also is the different personnalities you can come accross. Just like a big candy store. So much to chose from. It is really cool. Thanks Joel you just reinforced the need for me to keep blogging.
Have a great blogging day,
Debbie
It is amazing how many companies are now taking a more informal, but still professional, approach to customer and potential customer communication. It used to rarely be seen but now massive companies have people you can approach by name on their blog, Facebook page and/or Twitter. It leads to good things!
Thanks Corrine, those are good points. I’m under pressure now for a intelligent reply to your comment 🙂 Building authority is one of the best reasons for adding a blog to your business, along with the search engine results that (hopefully) follow.
Thanks Mitch. A lot of people have a very old view of blogging (hence “blogging is dead” that you hear around a lot), but you’re right, they must not get it.
A blog offers your client an informal, but direct, place to chat with your company in a real-time situation. You are also able to keep your clients updated with the latest company information and products, without making them feel that they are under any hard sale pressure to buy – an important factor that puts many people off approaching companies.
Hi Joel –
A blog can also be used as a reference when approaching a new client. It gives you authority and it gives them a way to evaluate you as a person.
The interactivity – not only what people say to you in comments – but how you answer back is an invaluable sign of your character and interest in your readers and clients.
Answering every comment with some intelligence and real interest is of utmost importance. Many bloggers do not pay enough attention to what they reply.
Another solid post, I think the only reason people don’t believe in it is that they simply don’t get it..