You’ve got a Facebook profile, claimed your business on Google Maps and Foursquare, and you may even have a Twitter account. So far, your businesses is well situated to use the internet and social platforms to generate business and raise awareness of your brand.
But there is one other platform where your business is absent: Blogs.
The natural inclination of businesses is that blogs are time-consuming and labor-intensive. I won’t dispute that — blog posts require time and effort to write and publish.
But the benefits to maintaining a company blog are considerable. Consider the following:
- Distribute content. Having presences on social media platforms is great. In addition to communication platforms, social media are also distribution platforms. Post your blogs to Facebook, Twitter and anywhere else you are active.
- Improve SEO. The more of your content that search engines have to crawl, the better your search engine results will be when someone searches for your company
- Advertise products. Blogs offer businesses a place to advertise and discuss their products.
- Build reputation. Use a company blog to cement your company’s and your own status as an expert in a field, via informative posts.
- Create community. Use your company blog as a gathering place for customers. Stick to a content schedule so that customers are waiting for your next post.
There are more reasons to do it than just the five above, but that’s a good start.
In the rush for businesses to get on Facebook and Twitter, some are forgetting about the value of blogs to their business. When developing an online and social media strategy, don’t forget to include a company blog in the planning.
When used correctly, company blogs can become an asset to the company’s presence online.
Ben, I agree with all your points, but I especially like #5. The only way to really break into your relevant communities is to BECOME a part of the community. Twitter and FB just don’t cut it. A blog shows that you are interested in adding value to the discussion and that you spend time really researching and reading up on your area. People are wise to impostor; they know when you’re just trying to sell something as opposed to being part of the community.
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Great post, Ben. Having a solid presence on social media channels is important, but it’s far more effective if you have your own content to share. And a blog is one great way to create that content!