10 Reasons You Should Have a Blog
Monday, 11 January 2010 09:41 | Written by Kate Bishop | 
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I’ve recently been telling several of my clients that they should add a blog to their website. Some people don’t quite understand what a blog is and why having one would benefit their business. A blog is an online journal that rather than being private and kept hidden, is out there on the internet for the entire world to read. There are several different types of blogs – some people blog to make money by selling ad space on their site, others blog strictly as a way to share a hobby or even keep in touch with friends and family, but a business blog can be very different. It doesn’t have to be time consuming, you don’t need to update it every day (or even every week!), and it doesn’t need to be perfect. If the idea of writing a blog seems intimidating, my advice is to just relax and pretend that you are writing a letter to an old friend.
Here are some reasons why you should have a blog:
1. It’s a great way to keep your customers/potential customers current on what’s going on right now. Newsletters can share what’s already happened and what is coming up, but are usually only once a month. A blog lets them know what is going on NOW. “This is what we are doing right now – come by and check us out!”
2. A blog helps you educate your customers/potential customers. By sharing some inside info from your industry, you show that you know what you are talking about. It gives you credibility. It also points out to your customers/potential customers the things they should question about your competition.
3. You can really express your personality and passion through a blog. One of my clients recently told me about a job that she had. In explaining the challenges and solutions and how happy both she and her clients were with the results, her excitement and passion just radiated! A blog would allow her potential clients to experience that and realize that this isn’t just a paycheck to her – it’s her passion. Wouldn’t you rather hire someone who is thrilled about what they do over the person who just wants to get the job done and take your money?
4. A blog is a great way to show case studies. What you’re really selling is a solution to a problem. When you can show people how you solve problems for others, they will see that you can solve their problem as well.
5. Search Engines love blogs – even if you don’t update them every day! A blog is a great way to work in some keywords for people searching for your services and products. While nothing should be written strictly for the search engines but rather for real people, it can be a real help when those people are looking for your services.
6. A blog can bring new traffic to your site. When someone enjoys your blog, they can easily share it with others via e-mail or social networking. Most of the blogs that I read I discovered via a link that was shared on Twitter.
7. A blog can bring repeat traffic back to your site. With an RSS feed, you can easily and automatically notify people of new blog posts and bring them back to your site.
8. A blog allows you to open a dialog with your customers and potential customers. If you allow comments (which can be set up to be approved before showing up on your site), you can get direct feedback from your target audience. They may have questions they’d like to ask you, you may want their opinion about your product or services – it’s all possible to achieve this with a blog. By communicating with your target audience you let them know that you really care and are there for them.
9. It’s a great way to archive news and information right on your website. Different blog posts can be organized into categories to help people easily find what is of interest to them. With the addition of a search box on your site, your customers/potential customers will have a wealth of information that they can easily search to find what they are looking for.
10. If you have several people that work for your business, they can all participate in the blog. This not only makes less work for you, it also really shows that your business isn’t just a cold, faceless logo – it’s made up of real people who want to help your customers/potential customers solve problems. In this day and age of electronic communication where you may do business with someone half way around the world that you never meet in person or even speak to on the phone, it’s nice to be able to put a personality with a face and name!
Ready to add a blog to your site or still have some questions? Just click the comment link or send me an e-mail and let me know!
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