subject: Can Blogs Help A Business? - Top Three Reasons To Start Your Blog [print this page] So you've been wondering what this whole blog thing is all about, right? Well a blog is not just a way for bored people to express their thoughts to the world anymore. A blog may actually be one of the biggest marketing tools that your business can use to increase its web presence and drive profits.
The term weblog was coined by Jorn Barger in 1997 to describe the Internet journaling that was then in its infancy. The shortened term "blog" caught on and then the popularity of blogs exploded in 1999 when several companies and developers made easy blogging software and tools. Since then the number of blogs on the Internet has exploded from a few thousand to over 100 million. So can blogs help a business? You bet! Here are some reasons for starting or increasing your blog activity.
The Top 3 Reasons to Blog
1. It Drives Targeted Traffic
You can optimize the use of your blog posts to drive in new traffic and create much needed business for your website. By simply incorporating keywords into your blog posts you can quickly see your blog posts ranking for many different targeted keywords. It is important to always write blog posts for people, but there should always be elements of marketing and search engine optimization in all your posts. Maximizing your blog to offer value can drive targeted niche traffic to your primary website and increase sales.
2. It's Easy and Fast
With today's easy blogging sites and software, you can put up a post in minutes - avoiding any techy stuff like bothering with html or source code headaches. In addition you can cross promote your blog posts with Twitter, Facebook, similar blogs, and other Social Media sites to increase your web presence and raise the SEO rankings of your posts.
3. It Allows You to Share Your Expertise and Strengthen Your Brand
A blog is more than just a journal; it is a communication tool between your company and the outside world. It lets you connect with your target market on a regular basis. You can share your expertise with your market niche, promote new products, write a how-to guide, or simply update readers on your industry.
All of this lets you strengthen your brand by providing value to your target market. As your potential customers trust you more and more as a source of information and relevant content, they will think of you first when they are ready to buy your products or services - and therefore build long-lasting business relationships with your company. And that will drive up sales and profits.
