Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Is Blogging Right for Your Business?

Blogging emerged as a popular pastime for individuals soon after the internet went mainstream. But only in the past several years has it gained recognition as a powerful tool for businesses. As part of your online marketing strategy, blogging has several benefits:

• Online reputation as an industry leader: Your blog is a place to show how much you know about your industry and subject area. You can show that you're up to date on industry trends, write about excellent customer results, and generally set your company apart as a place where people really know their stuff.

• You'll get the conversation started: Believe it or not, people will respond to your blog. Their comments, questions, and feedback are an incredible resource for you as a business owner. Once you've established a strong relationship, you can even ask for your readers' insights and preferences-giving you a deeper understanding of your audience and prospects.

• Your web traffic will pick up: As readers begin coming to your blog on a regular basis, you can also steer them toward other parts of your website. Thus, your blog can be a part of your sales funnel!

• Search engines like well maintained blogs: Your blog is a great place to update your website with fresh, relevant, keyword-rich content. Search engines loves keywords, and they also love websites that are updated on a regular basis. With a blog, you get both.

Best Practices for Blogging

If you're going to start a company blog, you certainly want to put your best foot forward! Dedication and planning are key factors:

• Figure out the appropriate posting schedule for your field. For most industries, weekly blogging is sufficient. If you're in a more high-tech industry, you may need to step it up to a few times per week.

• Start with a keyword report. Though your keywords shouldn't totally dictate your topic choices, they are an excellent guide. Build your editorial calendar around your targeted keywords to ensure that your blog really supports your SEO efforts.

• Let your blog reflect your company's personality. The blog is a great place to post a little free PR: quirky pictures from company outings, profiles of new or loyal employees, whatever works with your corporate culture.

• Find your blogging voice. It's important that your blog dovetail with your other marketing efforts-both online and offline. Set some guidelines for the tone of your blog and decide on mechanical conventions so that different writers are all consistent.

• Be responsive. Once you've started a blog, you'll need to keep up with comments and other community management factors. Resist the urge to turn off the comments!

If you need additional insight on the benefits and applications of a corporate blog, be sure to consult an expert!



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