In a discussion with my students, they wondered why anyone would ever want to blog, and saw it as a waste of time, just another thing to do, and just more content in a world that is already overburdened with unnecessary content. I quickly turned the conversation from "don't think of the negative," but think of the positive, and in particular the business value of a blog.
A blog is a great way to start a conversation! The key to a blog is content. Think Content is King! And, a blog adds so much VALUE to your marketing activities. Social media is all about creating valuable content that your community will appreciate and want to share. Your blog can be the center point of your social networking activities. You can link to your Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, etc. accounts to your blog. Link to your company website, or pull in your posts, feeds, pictures, from these sites and link to your to your blog.
Some basics on blogs:
What is a blog? It's really a web log, or an online diary. The author creates posts and they appear in reverse chronological order, so that the newest entry always appears first.
Why blogging works for business:
- It builds trust.
- It builds an audience.
- Increases search engine visibility (This means that Google, Bing, etc. find more value in websites/webpages that are updated more frequently, so a blog is perfect for this. Now...think about if you're linking your company website, your Facebook page, your Twitter feed, and your blog. Wow! It is a VERY powerful for search engines to find you in these multiple locations, and you may show up organically in a higher position when searched for on Google for example).
- Traffic is driven to your website
- You're positioning yourself with experts in your field. Think about this--you own a floral shop or an organic food store. You can blog about seasonal flowers, seasonal fresh foods. News stories on shortages of peonies because they froze last year, or share a story on the nutritional value of grass fed beef versus non. Others who are interested in these topics are most likely to follow you, share your great content with others and it becomes the domino effect of spreading and sharing information.
- You're reaching a wider, broader market.
- You're creating VALUE for your customers. You give them more product or service information. You tell them things they may not have been told or may not have asked about through your website or in your retail location.
- You can create networking opportunities. The more connections you can create, the better!
(c) Amy Gajewski, February 2013
