8 reasons why companies should blog

The blog! It sounds eerily close to the title of the classic horror movie, and most businesses seem to find starting a company blog just about as frightening as the 1958 Irvin “Shorty” Yeaworth-directed Silver Screen classic. There’s good reason for concern. A poorly conceived and executed blog can easily evolve into the written equivalent of something resembling The Blob.

Then there’s the flipside. A well conceived and executed blog can do great things for your business, provided a genuine resource and time commitment is brought to the process. Before business leaders think seriously about going down that avenue, they want to know why they should even bother making the effort.

In other words, what’s in it for me? Good question. Any business person should be thinking in terms of cost-benefit analysis before launching a new initiative. Here are eight good reasons why business people should start blogging:

1. Keep customers apprised of company business. Yes, your account executives are paid to do that, but are you really comfortable leaving that entirely in their hands? How much more connected would your customers feel to your company if they received a steady flow of information from the executive suite? Need a good example? The top rated corporate blog, according to Technorati, a popular internet directory, is the Google Blog. Be forewarned that Google sends out a blog post every weekday and often writes long entries. Google is one of the most prolific companies in the world, producing an endless array of products, services and enhancements. You aren’t expected to be anywhere near that prolific. But you would do well to extrapolate Google’s best practices and use them in your own blog. Take a good look at the subjects tackled by the Google blog. Can any of them be applied, even tangentially, to your company? Notice the kind of information Google shares and the style by which it’s conveyed. How can you apply the same to your company? And don’t just stop at Google. Other top rated corporate blogs are Flickr, Dell, Adobe and Boeing. Notice that some of the companies maintain several blogs focused on different subjects.
2. Find new customers. Blog at least a couple of times a week offering good information and connect those postings to Social Media sites like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and many others, and you’ll be surprised how quickly your subscriber base will grow and the potential for bringing those people aboard as new customers. After all, it’s a self-selecting group. People will only follow your blog if they are interested in what your company has to offer. From there it’s just one small step to becoming a customer. Make sure you’re realistic about the time involved in getting a lift from your blog. It will likely take six to 12 months to start to see results, and only if you create a sound blog strategy that’s well executed. Keep in mind, however, that blogs are about the least expensive tool in your marketing arsenal, well worth giving a 12-month timeline, or even longer. Also, the longer blogs are around the more momentum they build, largely because as they accumulate a deep reservoir of relevant content they rank higher on search engine results.
3. Create community. You’ll know you have begun to achieve this when people start commenting on your blog posts, and other subscribers comment on those comments. Suddenly you have a dialogue going between you and your customers, as well as between your customers. This is a powerful dynamic that ties your customers more closely to your company and enhances your retention rate. Now you’ve created a feedback loop with your customers. They have become a focus group you can turn to again and again.
4. Dialogue with customers. Starbucks occasionally uses its Twitter postings to ask a Question of the Day. One of those questions was, “What concerns you?” You can do the same on your blog and carry it to a broader audience by using your Social Media integration tools. An open-ended question of that type gives your clients a chance to go just about anywhere. You might find they’re concerned about quality control, rising prices, customer service, a perceived lack of innovation – any number of things that you can address and, hopefully, assuage or eliminate their worries.
5. Drive traffic to your website. Assuming your blog is integrated into your website – which I highly recommend – as traffic builds your subscribers are increasingly likely to take note of the navigation bar that leads to other pages of your website. This gives you an opportunity to show off your products and services and start to make some additional sales.
6. Drive traffic to other media channels. The blog doesn’t have to be, and probably shouldn’t be, your only web-based communication channel. The blog gives you a golden opportunity to get your subscribers to also sign up for your company podcast, YouTube video channel, Facebook page, etc. The deeper the relationship you establish the stronger the bond and the more committed customers will be to your company.
7. Sell products and services. The more you’re able to communicate with your customers and would-be customers the more familiar you make them with your products, services and their attributes. You can also keep them apprised of products and services in development, creating a sense of anticipation and strategic direction.
8. Build your business. This isn’t just product sales, though it ultimately leads there if you play your hand correctly. Building your business has to do with creating devoted followers, controlling your message, augmenting your brand and increase mindshare and market share vis-à-vis your competitors.

Again, it’s important to remember that blogging – at its best – is not instant coffee. It takes both time and strong integration with Social Media sites to get traction and build momentum.

And there are certainly more than eight good reasons for companies to blog. You might know some you would like to share. Click the “comments” link and you’ll be communicating with me.

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