What are the benefits of setting up a blog?

Yesterday we looked at why blogs are special and how they differ from standard websites. Today we are going to look at the different benefits of running a business blog.

Your blog and how you use it has to be personal to your business and aspirations. There is no one size fits all formula. For winning results you’ll need to put on your thinking cap and ask some important questions about your business goals.  And as with all digital marketing you should be willing to try new things, measure their success and tweak accordingly. 

What are you blogging for? There are many valid reasons to blog. The driving force behind your business blogs will usually be to sell products and services. With this in mind all decisions should be focussed on the return on your investment (cash and time).  There are a number of ways that blogs can help win business:

1. Create a sense of authority.  By self-publishing articles in a blog a business can demonstrate their extensive knowledge.  This is particularly useful for high ticket items (like expensive garden sheds, websites, wedding venues etc) where consumers will only buy one in a small period of time.  By demonstrating expertise you can help set yourself apart from your competitors and help sway any potential clients your way.
2. Increase traffic.  You will be encouraging traffic by publishing useful and relevant content. You may be able to encourage repeat visits and visitors sharing links with their friends/colleagues.
3. To keep up with the competition.  This is a valid reason! If your competitors are all blogging then you might want to consider setting up a blog too – even if you don’t exactly know why at the outset.  It’s never a good idea to get left too far behind.
4. Search engines.  Not only will visitors be interested in your blog but search engines also love new and keyword rich content.  Some companies will start a blog purely with SEO in mind, set up the right way the content can really help with lifting your search results on Google.
5. To keep the website clear of clutter.  Some companies simply have lots of content that they would like to share with visitors without cluttering up the main website area. News and events, FAQ’s or case studies are all ideally placed into a blog without creating a bloated website.
6. To promote a different voice. Depending on how you set up, design and build your blog you may be able to set a different tone to your content.  A marketing consultant may want a very professional looking brochure website and then a slightly more informal blog.

Tomorrow we will look at how your business goals should affect the layout, design, functionality and tone of your blog.  We’ll look at different navigation/menu options and how to decide which features are important for your business.