12
2013
Giving Your Business the Edge by Starting a Blog
An article by andrewlisa
If you own a business, you should have a business blog. A business blog doubles as a wing of both your advertising and marketing strategies, as well as an outlet for customer relations and customer service. Show your customers you are committed to keeping them informed, that your enterprise is serious and permanent, and that you’re more than just the product you sell or service you provide.
Display Your Personality
A blog gives you a chance to humanize your business and yourself to your customers. People want to support small businesses, local enterprises, and start-up entrepreneurs.
A blog gives you the chance to introduce your clients or customers to the human beings behind the brand. Separate yourself from the corporate juggernauts by relating to your customers, let your sense of humor shine through, and use your business blog as a venue to let your customers know you appreciate them.
Enhance Your Reputation
For your business, your online reputation is the same as your actual reputation. Online review sites like Yelp are the new word-of-mouth advertising. Current or former customers are more likely to voice their opinions online, and potential customers are likely to seek out those opinions before hiring you.
A business blog gives you the chance to address negative reviews, thank people for positive ones, or to establish a forum for dialogue with your customers and clients.
Your competitors are also more likely to take you seriously if you have a blog, which is not only an extra stream of marketing and advertising, but an upgrade that shows you are committed and technically savvy.
Consider SEO
Your blog could be amazing, but without readers, you may as well open the door and yell your message outside. There are a million companies vying for those coveted few big ranking spots at the top of the major search engines.
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a strategy that aims to get your blog recognized as authoritative and important, and therefore ranked higher by search engines. SEO can be pricey, and if you hire a less scrupulous “specialist,” you can’t expect big results. Be careful and do your homework.
Cross Promote Through Social Media
If your business doesn’t already have its own Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ account, get with it. Social media is a powerful tool. It’s estimated that Facebook alone has a billion users. By using these programs simultaneously, you can cross promote and add links to exciting content that appears on your blog to your social media feeds. Even people who don’t read blogs check their Facebook page three or four times a day.
A business blog not only adds another dimension to your sales and marketing strategy, but it can help establish communication with customers to address their complaints and concerns. You can show them the person behind the business and, God forbid, have a little fun.
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Great post Andrew, thanks for sharing! I think it is really important to have a blog as a business owner, otherwise you are missing out on customers/clients. A blog is like a free promotional tool, and when people visit your blog they can see that you have the credibility and therefore they will also buy from you. Then you can also promote the blog on social media and communicate and build better relationships with the customers.
Navid, I agree with u..
Very Nice Content…
I agree with you. Blogs can be really helpful for a business. I have visited many companies which have a blog for announcing new events and many others. I believe that if you have a blog, you can increase your clients. But in order to do this, you must have many visitors. SEO can help you to increase the traffic and the activity of your blog. Remember to use only White Hat SEO. Promotion is one of the most important things for a website. Personally, I promote my website in social media ( Facebook, Twitter, MySpace etc. ), in promotion forums and in many famous and big forums. For example, I put the link of my website into my signatures. Finally, I want to say to you to be official. No one likes a blog which does not have good-looking, professional and big articles.
Hi Andrew,
you’re so right saying every new business should have a blog.
I agree with all of your statements, though I want to emphasize the importance of taking consistent and targeted action.
Starting a blog isn’t enough, I’ve experienced that you need to have a bullet-proof concept for your blog. Otherwise you’ll confuse people and won’t get any advantage from your blog.
Nevertheless, having a good blog is probably the best way to start a business nowadays. Especially when it’s an internet business.
Best regards,
Jan
Hi Andrew,
Great Advice. I am just starting my blog right now and I can all ready see some of the effects by having a subscribers list that keeps on growing everyday. Thanks for all the advice.
Thanks
Victor Björklund
A blog would be a great way to keep people informed about your business. People would normally think about using social media but I bet you not too many people will think of using a blog. Plus, you can personalize a blog a lot more than you can a Facebook or Twitter page.