Blogging for Business

Once upon a time, a business could get a huge bang for its buck just by having an online presence—and we mean any online presence at all. One-page websites were the norm for a pretty long time, with content that was nothing more than a virtual brochure. So what’s changed recently?

Content remains king.
Photo credit: Kaotiqua / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA

Today that basic approach to generating buzz online doesn’t fly, because content has been re-crowned the supreme king. Since nearly every business has at least a simple website these days, you need to take your online presence to the next level if your goal is to outperform your competitors on the web. As we’ve seen, part of that is SEO and part of that is being active in the social media sphere, but blogging and blogging hard is one of the most effective weapons in your online marketing arsenal.

Blogging for business isn’t the same thing as keeping an online journal, and your business blog isn’t your personal playground for rants, raves, and recreation. Business blogs, while they can be fun and engaging for readers, serve a very specific purpose, which is to develop your brand and give you yet another way to connect with potential customers while also making your business website even more search-engine friendly. When you blog, you add content to your website, demonstrating to the search engines that your site is being continuously updated and expanded, thus earning you credibility. Interestingly, people also see your regularly updated content as a sign of reliability and trustworthiness, so blogging is like hitting a double when it comes to enhancing your online presence. When you leverage the blog for PR and social media as well, it’s a home run.

Why Should Business’s Blog?

Why should you blog, even though some pundits have said it’s passé? While there are hundreds of millions of active blogs out there, most of those are practically invisible. Having an active and engaging blog can be a huge benefit to a business trying to get noticed on the web. While many businesses have blogs, not nearly as many have blogs that are updated regularly and convey the passion the writer feels for his or her topic.

Photo credit: the tartanpodcast / Foter / CC BY-NC