This week I was planning on writing a post about business blogging but realised that the key messages I wanted to share have already been covered off in one of my wife’s recent blog-posts.
So, I am taking the liberty of re-blogging “Five Reasons Why Your Business Should Blog”, giving Amanda full credit for this excellent post.
OK, so I admit to being a bit of a born-again blogger. Now that I’m no longer a blog-virgin, I feel compelled to share my new-found enthusiasm for social media.
But what about you? Are you still struggling to work out how and why you should become a business blogger? The reasons are many, and they’re also compelling. With all due respect to attention spans, I’ve produced a condensed list of the most important reasons for you to blog. They may inspire you, but if they don’t, you could wake up tomorrow still hopelessly blogless. Perhaps you’re allergic to the writing process. Maybe you’re short on time. Either way, please seek professional help. There are plenty of great writers who can blog on your behalf.
Why Blog?
One - Your Competitors Are Doing It
Blogging has crossed the corporate divide. Many businesses in your market are already using blogs to communicate with their customers. And they’re listening when their customers talk back. A blog is an excellent way to establish two-way communication in a 2.0 world.
Two - You’ll Improve Your Search Ranking
Google likes to see changes in your website content, and it will reward you with higher rankings. When you write a blog that contains relevant business content, you’re disciplining yourself to create frequent content updates, and that makes you more attractive to the search engines.
On top of this, when people follow your blog, and link to your content or respond to your posts with comments, you’ll be attracting inbound traffic to your site, which is also good for your site ranking.
Three - You’ll Become A Thought Leader
When you create a blog that contains informative, ethical and entertaining content, you quickly establish yourself as an industry leader - and draw attention to your products and services. Writing a blog is also an excellent way of keeping up to date with all the latest trends in your industry.
Four - Your Network Will Grow
Think of your blog as a conversational hub, an opportunity to network with anyone who comes into contact with your business. It’s a way of keeping in regular contact with customers, suppliers, channel partners, industry associations and employees.
Five - You Can Test New Ideas
A blog is a great way of sounding out clients when you’re planning a new product, or you’re in the early stages of development. And, once you’ve launched a product, your blog can act as a forum for feedback, allowing you to correct faults and strengthen favourite features.
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Sean O’Donovan is the owner of FunnelBuilders, an internet marketing consultancy that helps technology organizations develop and implement post-click marketing strategies that generate actionable in-bound sales leads -www.funnelbuilders.com