Why Your Business Should Be Blogging

Every day, more businesses, large and small, are joining the blogging world. Mid-2007, Technorati estimated there were 109.2 million blogs in Cyberspace. That's one blog for every 23 people! (And many have more than one blog). So you've heard about blogs. You may even read them. But why in the world should your business start blogging?

Blogs are the NOW. Just a few months ago, you could take or leave blogs. They weren't instrumental to the web that binds us all together. In early 2007, if you had a blog, you were an early adapter. Now you need a blog just to keep up with the Joneses (and the Smiths, and the water treatment company, and the retail store...)

Blogs are good resources for your customers. Anyone who's on the internet seeks information. Some people are really good at finding what they need, while others prefer to find a single source that compiles everything they need to know, saving them time and money. On The Marketing Eggspert Blog, I compile a lot of really good information about marketing so that my readers don't have to spend hours trying to do the same. I'm offering a value service for free. Which leads me to my next point:

Consumers have no time. They need information now, and they need it to be easily digestible. If your blog rambles on without getting to the point, you'll lose them. If you can give them the condensed version of what they're looking for, they'll be eternally grateful.

All this is great, but what about money? How do you increase sales for your business with a blog??

• Blogs keep you in the minds of potential customers. Because you're providing useful information for no charge, your blog readers will appreciate it. If you sell dishwashers and you have a blog that offers advice on decreasing water consumption with your dishwasher, a consumer will value that advice. When it comes time to buy a dishwasher, will she think of you or the brand that has in no way engaged her?

• Blogs promote your website. Because you're in control of your blog, you can promote your company and primary website as much as you want (although don't overdo it, as it defeats the purpose of a blog). You can include an About Us page that tells about your company and provides web addresses and contact information. You can link to your other site(s) on the blog sidebar. The more places your website can be found, the more likely blog traffic is to convert to becoming new customers.

• Blogs establish you as an expert in your field. Let's say you own a business coaching company. There are dozens of professionals doing just about what you do, and you're finding it hard to stand out. By creating a blog, you're creating a channel for your knowledge and expertise. You provide information and resources that people can't find anywhere else but in your head (and on your blog). Anyone considering your services can visit your blog and see that you clearly know what you're talking about. That's usually all it takes to push an unsure buyer over the edge to become your next client.

• Blogs are social networking. Especially if you run an internet-based company, it can be hard to build a community around your business. But because blogs are interactive, you essentially create a group that is interested in your industry. Blogs by their very nature encourage conversation. If you write a post on, say blogging for your business, readers can post comments and questions for everyone to read. This is a great opportunity to create a conversation that engages your future customers!

• Blogs help you capture new contacts. Because readers input their email addresses when they leave comments, as well as when they sign up for your RSS feed, you have a new and growing list of contacts. Don't abuse it, but when you have relevant information you want to share with your blog fans, you can.

• Blogs fill a niche. If your business is in an area with little coverage online (if that's even possible these days), you have a significant opportunity to fill that niche and be known for doing it first and best. Who knows? One day your blog on collecting gourmet jellybeans could skyrocket you to success!

I can see you're just about convinced that you need to start a business blog. But maybe you're timid about venturing into the unknown. Maybe you fear technology, and a blog just sounds so technical and hard to do. Don't fear! Here are more reasons you should start a blog today.

Easy. Blogs are simple to set up. They're designed for anyone, and I mean anyone, to use. Sure, you can get knee-deep in the code and programming of a blog, but it is not necessary. If you can use a Word document, you can create a blog. Blog creation sites like Wordpress help you every step of the way.

Free. Gone are the days of high budgets for marketing and advertising. Blogs are absolutely free (other than the time you spend or pay someone else to spend working on them). You can invest a modest amount of money on them if you choose to, to enhance the design and advertise it online, but that's up to you.

Flexible. You're thinking back to your last phone book ad, aren't you? Three months into your contract, your address changed, or you wanted a different design, but couldn't do anything about it since the book had been printed. Blogs, on the other hand, are completely flexible. Blogs are great in this respect, because you absolutely can change them any time. Got a new logo? Just stick it on your blog today.

Measurable. While it's hard to measure the success of a magazine ad or television commercial, blogs are easy to track. You have access to statistics that tell you how many people visited your blog, how long they stayed on your site, what pages they visited, and how they found you. You don't get better marketing research than that! You can use this information to hone in on topics more people are interested in, where to spend money advertising your blog, and how to get them to stay longer on your pages.

You're ready to start your new blog, I can tell. So let me part with some words of wisdom that will help make your blog a success.

Blogs are not for the weak-hearted (or weak writer). While I said they are easy to set up, you MUST write on them frequently. The more posts you have, the more traffic will find you. Search engines like new content. If you have one post you wrote over a year ago, your blog will get buried by others who are diligently writing 3-5 posts a week. If you can't dedicate that kind of time to writing a blog, farm out the work, or share the load with another writer. If you divide the work, you can cover a wider range of information if each writer specializes in a certain subject.

Do your homework. There are hundreds of articles about starting a blog, writing articles people will read, coming up with great headlines, tagging your blog...the list is endless (and useful). The more you know about blogs before you begin one, the better yours will be. Read other blogs in your field to see what's out there, and what's lacking. You might decide to cover an area no one else is writing about.

Marketing your business is ever-changing, so be prepared to be flexible. You can't decide a blog is sufficient. Now we're seeing the addition of videos and podcasts on blogs, so keep your eyes open to new tools to enhance your blog and attract more readers/customers.

Promote your blog whenever you get the chance. Your blog address should be in your email signature, and maybe even on your business card. When you're talking to new or old customers, tell them about your blog, which is a great resource if they are interested in learning more about [insert your subject here]. Visit relevant forums and other blogs, and when you comment on related topics (never do this blindly just to promote your blog), include the link to your blog in your signature.

Once you get started on your new blog, you will see how easy it is to extract all the knowledge you have been carrying around in your head and turn it into something that will generate more sales than you've ever had. But never assume you know everything about your topic. Keep up with the latest in your field, and write blog posts on breaking news. This is a good tip to generate a lot of traffic, if the news is well-covered in the media. One example, if it's relevant, is to parallel the Presidential Election. Say for example you own a promotional product company, and you see an increase in the purchase of red, white and blue products. You can write a post about how elections stimulate growth in many industries, including your own.