A business blog is a powerful online marketing tool that can save you significant costs while offering excellent opportunities with just a click. Blogs serve as user-friendly, customizable, and flexible platforms for sharing valuable information, effectively positioning your products in the marketplace.
Companies that engage in business blogging gain a competitive advantage. Here are some benefits:
- Word-of-Mouth: Currently, there are 14 million blogs, with an additional 80,000 created daily, and about 30% of the 50 million users read blogs. Consider the potential benefits for your company if your products are promoted through blogs. Information spreads rapidly online, especially when paired with compelling content. Your blogs could reach hundreds of potential customers quickly.
- Awareness and Loyalty: Open communication with your customers fosters trust and loyalty. Being responsive to their questions and comments encourages them to try your products and services.
- Feedback: Blogs are excellent for gathering product research and reviews. By observing your customers’ thoughts and behaviors, you can enhance your products and address their concerns promptly.
- Community Halo Effect: Bloggers are generally reasonable, friendly, and helpful. They are eager to create discussions about your product. All you need to do is engage with this community, and your product will likely be considered by their audience.
To achieve better marketing results, actively promote your business blogs by submitting them to blog search engines and directories. Don’t forget to include your URL. Ensure your blogs offer unique, valuable information and are regularly updated to keep readers returning for more.
Think of your blog as a booth at the largest trade show on Earth, with marketing opportunities waiting to boost your sales.
Utilizing Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds alongside your blogs is also crucial for maximizing benefits. Use effective keyword phrases to improve your search engine ranking, increasing the chances of attracting visitors to your website and blogs. More traffic translates to more potential sales.
For success, leverage RSS for news updates that can be accessed through RSS reader applications. This tool is invaluable for businesses and internet marketers.
If you’re convinced of the marketing potential of business blogs and want to increase sales, your company is ready to start blogging. First, align your blogging efforts with your business objectives to ensure it supports your goals.
- Read various blogs that teach the dos and don’ts of blogging, including consumer-focused blogs for insights.
- Set up several test blogs immediately.
If your initial blogging attempts are successful, you can proceed to establish your blogs.
- Explore blog design. Blog hosting services offer pre-designed templates, but if you choose a paid service, consider hiring a designer to create a blog that reflects your company’s identity and needs.
- Select a topic. It’s beneficial to have a list of potential blog topics that align with your business objectives. This will test your flexibility, as results may differ from your initial goals.
- Keep these safety measures in mind while blogging:
- Legal issues can arise; it’s wise to include disclaimers and liability limitations.
- The corporate communication and legal departments should educate senior management on the impact of blogs on business.
- Establish blogging policies to define who can blog and what information can be shared.
- Avoid overtly promotional content to retain reader interest.
- Ensure content is updated, relevant, and fresh.
- Reinforce the company’s core values.
- Encourage employee participation.
- Start blogging and aim to complete 20 posts before marketing.
- Begin your marketing efforts.
- Regularly monitor reader engagement and gather updates. Measure your results.
- Make adjustments as necessary. You can modify your blog design as long as it aligns with your company’s identity.
- Maintain consistency in your topics.
- Incorporate unrelated topics that have broad appeal.
- Schedule regular updates, with Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday being ideal days for blog updates.
Once you’ve completed these steps, you can fully enjoy the advantages of business blogging!