Gone are the days when blogging was relegated to a community of teenage diary writers. Today, maintaining a blog is as much a personal choice as it is a business decision. From local plumbers to Fortune 500 companies, blogging has become a business necessity.
Working as an Internet Marketing Executive for Xanthos Digital Marketing, I have learned the value of collaborating with clients who are willing to put in the time and to knuckle down and write. Apart from increasing a company’s online exposure, a blog gives businesses a human face and a tangible voice. The value of this in a world of untouchable corporate giants is priceless. After all, it’s easy to do business with and to buy from someone you feel you can understand and interact with. It’s the perfect medium through which to create long-term customer relationships.
Setting a good example
Corporate blogging is not just for the Microsofts of this world. It also offers the opportunity to establish credibility within a particular field of expertise. If you own a small to medium-sized business, what better way to show you know your stuff than to write about it in a place where the world can see? David, the owner of Closer to Nature and one of Xanthos’ clients, does just this. His blog posts give his customers a unique insight into the world of birds – when to feed them, which ones to look out for, and what to feed. For a company that sells bird seed and bird feeders, his blog confers credibility on the products he has to offer. There’s an added bonus – every post David publishes acts as an entry-point into his website, ultimately increasing the chances of a sale.
Getting more online exposure is perhaps one of the key driving motivations behind why businesses get started using a blog. Many digital agencies will tell you that successful blogging is all about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) but the truth of the matter is: it’s about ‘attracting eyeballs.’ For every post you publish you increase your blog’s online reach. SEO still matters but it’s not the be-all and end-all though optimising each of your blog posts for specific keywords will increase the likelihood of your posts getting indexed and displayed by search engines.
It’s really that simple. All you need is time and the will to write.
Need a blog? Need a blogging strategy?
So you CAN write. Great. Now you need to make sure you’re writing posts in line with what your target audience wants to read. Don’t forget that blogging/content is now an essential part of a good SEO strategy. If you need help with your blog, find out more about the services we offer.
