When many people see or hear the word “blog,” they think of something akin to a teenage confessional rather than a practical business utility. While blogging as we know it might have derived from something similar to a diary, it's practicality and widespread usage have evolved into something wholly different. So how would a blog benefit your company’s website? The answers are surprisingly simple.
Casting a wider net
The most effective business websites use clear, concise marketing language that encourages a call to action. Effectively educating consumers on your product offerings without a lot of excess baggage usually yields the best results. The byproduct of delivering such concise marketing language is that it often eliminates points of interest and subtle details that could be further discussed. Enter the company blog — a freeform platform to expand upon topics discussed elsewhere on the website, relay industry-related news, and (perhaps best of all) humanize your business, presenting your company in a relatable way that people want to support.
A blog can make your website go from a brief overview of your business offerings to an infinitely scalable resource. Over time, you could cover seemingly every topic related to your business. Wouldn’t it be nice to do a Google search for any topic related to your industry and be discovered in the search results? That’s a terrific competitive advantage. Without a blog, doing so is usually quite difficult. The bottom line — the wider net you cast, the more fish you'll catch.
Planting the seeds of interactivity
Consistently posting to a blog not only keeps your site fresh, but it actually helps your website ranking. Not only will it keep your website current and broaden your base, it has the potential to become a go-to resource for those seeking your services. Offering useful tips and commentary on current industry trends and openly communicating with your audience can separate you from the competition and make you a trusted authority on matters related to your industry.
After you have the solid base of a blog, you are armed with content that can be distributed among the major social media networks (like Facebook and Twitter), further reinforcing the presence and influence of your company. Without a blog, it can be a struggle posting interesting content to Facebook and Twitter. You will have a limited number of places on your website that customers can visit, and viewers could lose interest revisiting the same static content. In reality, most people use social media as an entry point to their websites and a way to engage their followers. There is little argument that social media can be an extremely valuable asset to your online presence, yet it is usually most valuable acting as a funnel, directing viewers to your website where new business is more likely to result.
Think viral
Perhaps the greatest way to create traffic to your blog and website is by creating viral content, which is content shared en masse by large amounts of people.
You don’t have to be the next YouTube sensation or have millions of hits on your blog to consider your efforts a success. That being said, a lot can be learned from nearly any successful blog that has gone viral. Your content must be compelling, and the headline must be interesting enough for someone to click.
Offering something unique that can’t be found elsewhere is another key ingredient. It’s tough to create content with wide appeal every time you post. If you have taken measures to make sure your content is always widely available, your chances of success are improved exponentially.
It’s not crazy to think that a single blog post can change the trajectory of a company. If something you write ends up in the right hands, there is no telling what could happen as a result. Be mindful that the number of visits your content receives will always be relative to the size of your niche or business interest.
Social bookmarking websites such as StumbleUpon.com are great places to repost your blog entries. Creating an RSS feed to syndicate your content is another easy way to share your content. With a little resourcefulness, patience and diligence, you’ll be able to determine the key websites and resources where your content may be shared usefully.
Even as blogs become more and more commonplace on business websites, a lot of businesses still view them with a healthy amount of skepticism. Luckily, blogs are fairly versatile. Often users don’t even realize they are on a blog. Some choose to isolate their blog content from other sections of their website, while others integrate it so well that users barely realize they are in a blog format.
A blog can be called anything you like. Some people opt for terms like “news feed,” “current events,” and the like. The name is unimportant; what matters is its function. Those who let the stigma of a blog dissuade them from implementing one could be missing a big opportunity, and one that costs nothing more than time.
Jonathan Moore is a partner at Trifecta, a digital design and marketing company based in Lexington (www.trifectaky.com).