subject: Blogging for Beginners - 5 Reasons Why Every Business Should Blog [print this page] The Internet has re-shaped the way in which individuals and businesses connect with their customers. It has also opened up new channels of advertising and marketing, with a greater potential for customised products and services.
And with a potential consumer audience in the millions and billions, the opportunity for business growth is exceptional. But essentially the challenges facing businesses and companies remains the same finding ways to increase brand awareness and visibility, generating interesting and exciting new ideas or products, encouraging customer loyalty, and of course, sustaining or increasing sales.
A company blog, whether written by one anonymous individual on behalf of the organisation, or the sum of different contributors, can serve as a means to address all of these challenges. Let's take a quick look at why every business should have a blog.
1. Visibility
Increasing your brand's visibility is key to achieving brand recognition and ongoing brand awareness. A blog is a perfect platform to boost visibility, and can do this in two fundamental ways targeting keywords and interesting content. A successful business blog will firstly be a means to do some important search engine optimising, via targeted specific keywords that relate to your business service or products. But without unique, interesting content that engages your audience, keyword targeting becomes nothing short of a spam fest! If online marketing is not your speciality, then it may be worth your while investing in an advertising and marketing agency to take care of this important task for you.
2. Boosting Customer Relationships
It is commonly thought that the Internet has bridged gaps and broken down age, class, race and gender barriers. This is because for the most part, thanks to net neutrality, most people are on equal footing' when it comes to the Internet. This means that customised or personalised service, whoever you are and wherever you are, is becoming more commonplace. In fact, people tend to expect it. That's why blogging is vital to business, as it gives companies a chance to engage with their customers on a one-to-one basis. This is more likely to encourage customer recognition, trust and brand loyalty, if customers feel that they are receiving an overall positive experience'. It also allows you to ascertain your niche target audiences, to drive future sales.
3. A Platform for Ideas and Innovation
Fresh ideas and new innovations are crucial for any company's success in an ever-changing world of business. Blogging about developments, ideas or recent innovations is a fantastic way to conduct market research, by gauging customer feeling and latest trends, measuring perceptions about brands, companies or products, as well as using the blog as a platform to pitch or put the feelers out on new ideas or marketing directions. Your customers will feel as if you're really listening to what they want, and that again contributes to a positive experience for the customer.
4. An Expert Authority
If your company has a truly unique and engaging blog, then the chances are that you'll become known as an authority'. Never lose sight of the fact that your customers are clued up and probably immune to overt, in-your-face marketing campaigns. They want and need more from you. And they need to know that you REALLY know your business. Think about what you can offer them through your blog it could be information, tips and advice, an offer, or even just a laugh. But remember, you're continually giving them reason to believe that you're at the forefront of your industry.
5. Returning Traffic
Through your blog, your customers will not only get to know you and your company or brand, but you'll also be able to drive home your expertise, your unique selling point and why you can actually deliver on your brand promise. This is a means to show how and why you're authentic and trustworthy, something that customers really seek out. And it's worth remembering that with a blog, your readership is always connected to a bigger readership network, and on the Internet, word of mouth' counts for a LOT. It means more and more people will keep coming back.
Don't be afraid to employ the services of a marketing agency to help you with getting started or running your blog a successful, engaging blog takes a good deal of time and effort, but ultimately the pay-off can be substantial.
Blogging for Beginners - 5 Reasons Why Every Business Should Blog
