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To Blog or Not to Blog for Your Business Website

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Why every business (including yours) should have a blog? Not to sound too cliché, but that really is the question that businesses should be asking themselves.   To the educated blogger – we all know that although blogging started out as an online journal for many writers, it has since developed and continues to develop into a huge and powerful marketing tool for many businesses across the globe.

Surprisingly however, many businesses today have yet to understand the critical importance of a blog.  For some businesses, they find no purpose of owning one, and for others it may be a complete lack of understanding the blogospheric evolution which has taken place over the last half decade.

If you are unsure if you should start a blog for your business, ask yourself these questions:

  1. Do you sell anything?   Whether you sell binoculars or bird watching or unified communications phone systems, it doesn’t matter.  If you sell anything – a blog can benefit you.  I’ll explain further down.
  2. Are you knowledgeable about your line of business?   For example, if you have tips that you can share with others which would help them determine what kind of phone service is right for them – a blog can help you.
  3. Do you think you have to pay for a blog?   If the answer is yes, I’m very happy to tell you that you are wrong.  Blog platforms such as WordPress, Joomla or Drupal are free.  If you want custom work done – then it may cost you, but creating and using a blog can frequently be set up at no cost.  Do not let this hold you back from starting a blog.

Every business can benefit from a blog and here are two main reasons why and how:

A Blog Adds Value

Blogs can bring a lot of value to your business.   To address this point, let’s determine what value is within this context.  For business, value is something that a consumer or visitor to your site will gain or experience and walk away with.   If you are a Microsoft Lync Certified Sip Provider your blog could talk about the features and benefits of voip.  The greater the value, the more something is worth.  Therefore, the more value you can bring to your business website the more people will appreciate what it is worth.

Here is a practical example:   If you sell sneakers online, you might assume that those who come to your site already know exactly what they are looking for.   But since you are in the shoe industry, odds are you know more about shoes than your customer.

For example, you know what types of running shoes are best for people with high arches or those who have no arches.   You know which types of shoes are best for people who are on their feet a lot – such as waiters or retail store clerks.   You know these things – your customers may not.  Therefore, it’s up to you to educate them and this can be done through your blog.

One way to figure out how to add value to a blog is to think of questions which are frequently asked about regarding your products.   So if you sell sneakers, people may ask, what is the best kind of shoe for long distance cross country runners?   That question can give birth to a beautiful 400 word blog post that will get ranked, and will appear when people do a search using that question (assuming it isn’t highly competitive).

Your Blog can Bring in Sales

There is a catch – depending on how your blog is used, this may not guarantee fast and immediate sales.   Let me explain.   Using the sneaker example above, suppose you do write that post explaining why the XYZ shoe is best for long distance runners.  When someone searches on that topic and Google or whichever search engine, pulls up that particular blog post about running shoes– the customer learns what kind of shoes they should purchase.

Now it’s your turn to point them in the right direction.   This is where the marketing and sales merge.   Throughout the post, strategically place links to point the visitor to your purchase item page.   If you take phone orders, make sure to include the Sales Hotline number so they can call if they prefer to speak to a representative.

Not only has your blog added value to your company by answering questions from potential consumers, but it has also provided a new way to turn those visitors into actual customers.

Having a blog for your business can benefit you and your business, but learning how to use your blog strategically in regards to content is what makes the difference between a success and a failure.   Take the time to do it right, and you will reap the rewards over time.

About

Liz Krause works for EtherSpeak, Inc, a Provider of SIP Trunking for UC systems such as Microsoft Lync, ShoreTel, Asterisk and Zultys. She heads up the Marketing department and writes frequently on topics related to business voip and SIP .

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{ 16 Responses }

  1. Ann says:
    Hi Liz, Very interesting and informative post. You are completely correct that most businesses do not think that their business could benefit from a blog. But as you point out, they are so wrong. Aside from building social relationships with interaction, their products are marketed to the world. It is the fresh approach that matters too! Thanks for sharing.
  2. Noel Addison says:
    I think one of the reasons why plenty of online stores do not have a blog is because the owner focuses on the core processes like marketing. But if they are already outsourcing content making, they might as well have their writers take care of the blogging duties.
  3. Bruker says:
    Every business needs marketing, whether it is a big name company they need marketing to sell their product and blogging makes easy to the business for convincing people to buy the product. peoples comment their views about the product and get more information related to the business. So blogging is one of the best part of marketing
  4. Saket Jajodia says:
    Even I think every business should have a blog bcoz it really going to help thm. If have a blog, our customers (and even non-customer) will visit our website regularly It will help customers to know more about our business Sometimes whn ppl likes our blog post and share thm on Social Networks so that also helps in growing Even I am also going to add a blog to my up-coming business.
  5. kavya Hari says:
    In fact, blog will be create lot of values to the business. Thank you so much for given up here :)
  6. JR says:
    Great stuff Liz! A blog is definitely a must have for all business and ecommerce sites, Google puts a lot of emphasis on written content.
  7. Wong Chendong aka The Bad Blogger says:
    My father had a large company that does industrial gas and hardware and I'm helping, though we had a website, but I always consider of getting a blog for this business because it's much easier to do reviews of our industrial products and safety of it. But there is one problem, my father doesn't run the company, my uncle did, and because of that, it is really very hard to convince him for the reason, he still believe in his own old method of building business which I think is already lost in history. So, if I do have a chance to create a blog for my father's company, I believe it will not just benefit the company reputation but also the increase in sales. I'm sure of it because in our industrial gas market, everyone is looking online for safety use of the gas products and also reviews and that is where I can strike to increase the profit for my Father's company. But all in all, I still need approval from the old dude...
  8. Robert says:
    I think all businesses should have a blog, or at the very least a website which they keep up to date! It helps them to keep in touch with their customers so they know what's happening
    • Liz says:
      Yes you are correct. An interactive blog is a great way to get a feel for customer feedback and input on your products and/or services.
  9. Jamie Northrup says:
    I agree, a blog is a must, it's a great way to relate news, events, contests, and, of course, market your product or service. I don't know any business that can't use blog marketing for their product or service, even non profit benefit from blogs.
  10. Grady Pruitt says:
    I agree with Steve! In fact, the connection with people and the ability to respond to current events when needed is why I converted from static to blog (though I had been using Wordpress for CMS anyway). Thanks for sharing!
  11. Steve says:
    Liz, Great tips. Even when a blog is not used for any sort of direct monetization it is great for product/personal branding and building authority within a niche. To the point where i can see having some sort of a blog would (or will) become a necessity to proving your "cred" in just about any ncihe.
  12. Ming Jong Tey says:
    Hey Liz, I notice that there are getting more companies start blogging for their business, be it retailer, engineering firm, or airline business... I think it is important to get interactive action so that companies can build up social relationship over time. When the blog provides value, people will appreciate. Cheers, Ming
    • Liz says:
      Yes, I think you will see more businesses going this route.
  13. fran the Online Writer says:
    Lia I like the topic of your post. This question sometime occurs in my mind and today I got to read about it. However, a good blog takes so much time that if we spend the same time to promote our business directly, it will get the same resutls, same sales. So why Blog? I stil could not satisfy my curiosity on this topic. You have a well written post here and I like your style. Fran A
    • Liz says:
      Hi Fran, Blogging is very much about Marketing which works hand in hand with sales. It helps you appear in more searches and shows your visitors you are an authority on the topic at hand. If time is not available, you can always hire someone out on a per job basis to write for you - such as at elance.com.