Should I start a business blog?

Very few businesses have a corporate blog.  Why?  Well, many companies don’t believe there is a tangible business benefit, and that the time would be better spent identifying new customers.  In some cases this is correct, and before embarking on a corporate blogging programme, a business should determine whether its target audience will actually read the blog, and what the benefits will be to the company.  Even once a business has decided to start a blog, it has to be done right.  A lot of firms that have a blog don’t tend to use it effectively: updates are sporadic, posts are too “corporate” and there is no attempt at an SEO strategy.   

Many businesses have ineffective and boring blogs simply because they haven’t been given any help or advice.  Your blog is another weapon in your communications arsenal, and it is vital to make the most of it.  An interesting blog will start a dialogue between your company and existing and potential clients.  It will also drive traffic to your main web site and improve your visibility on the internet. 

With this in mind, here are a few tips to help you get started: 

1.    Don’t be afraid to be controversial or outspoken.  Give your opinions on any relevant news stories, and don’t be afraid to say what you really think.  Many corporate blogs are far too conservative.   

2.    A blog can provide a great platform to demonstrate the personality of your company.  It is important to remember that people do business with other people, not faceless organisations.  Discussing an in-house charity fundraising event or posting photos from a teambuilding exercise are great examples of how you can show your audience the team behind your business.     

3.    Add new content frequently.  Services like Google and Yahoo tend to rank higher those that regularly add new posts.  Also make sure that the blog posts are linked to your SEO keywords, ensuring that searches for these keywords will bring up your blog posts. 

4.    Consider allowing employees at all levels to contribute.  That will take the pressure off one individual to produce content regularly and give readers a better sense of the culture of the business. 

5.    Don’t use it as a place to publish your press releases.  You can discuss company news, but you also need to offer something more in order for people to want to revisit the blog.  Discussing the problems that your products are designed to solve or linking your product launch to a topical news story are a couple of ways to achieve this.       

Don’t be scared to blog - your business will get a lot more out of it than you put into it.  So long as you are clear on what you want the blog to achieve, the type of content needed to reach these aims, and whether a blog is the best thing for your business, then the rest will just fall into place.