Photo by Steve Bridger
Before you start scrambling around to set up your new blog ask yourself these three questions:
- Do you have something new to say weekly or daily? One of the worst things you can do is setup a blog and then fail to update it. Having a poorly maintained blog can make your company look dead.
- Are your customers looking for an online connection? If you have no one to talk to then you shouldn’t start a blog. If you build it, they will not always come. If your company is retail or service based, it’s almost a no-brainer to have a blog.
- Do you feel comfortable giving up control? Having a blog on your site will give people a forum to talk about your company via blog comments. Yes, you can turn the comment feature off on most blogging platforms but if you do, you are missing a chance to learn from your customers.
If you answered yes to at least two of these questions, it might be a good idea to start researching ways you can set up a blog. There are a lot of people online that can help you with this, like ProBlogger. If you would like an idea on what is involved, check out this eHow article, How to Setup a Business Blog.
A blog can be a great tool to communicate to your customers. But, if you don’t know what to say you could end up with a blog that lacks updates. Here is a short list of topic ideas:
- Product Research: Write a post about a new direction your taking with a product, and see what your customers have to say about it. You don’t have to give away your secrets, but try to find a clever way to let them think they are in on the “secret”. It builds loyalty.
- Office Life: The great thing about a blog is that it can add the “personal touch” to your company. Write about the new dog someone got in the office or the April Fool’s joke you played on each other. These kinds of post can do wonders for building a personality around your products and brand, but it’s not for everyone. A trendy company like Mod Cloth can get away with posts like this, but a life science company might want to stay away.
- Little Things: Let’s say all you did was change the color of your product. It’s not something you would rush out and write a press release about, but it’s definitely something you should blog about.
- Industry News: If there is a new development that has something to do with your industry or products, write about it. Chances are your customers will find value in the information.
- Jobs: If you or one of your vendors has a job opening, write a post about it. I have seen a few companies do this, but I do not know the outcome.
On a blog you can post anything you feel comfortable posting. Before you get started, remember to set some boundaries. If you think your brand would not get any benefit out of talking about office life, then don’t post about it. Write posts that compliment the brand your company already markets.
Next week I will share with you ways you can have your customers do marketing for you with Social Media. This can also be helpful for companies that do not have a need for a blog, but have customers looking for an online connection.
