How a Blog Can Better Your Business

By: Jennifer Leahy
February 15th, 2012

To blog or not to blog? That is a question on many business owners’ minds. And while some are quick to tout the benefits of adding a business-themed blog to their company’s web site, others aren’t quite sure of the value.

In fact, there are a number of benefits that can be realized by adding an industry-specific blog to your website, including:

Assisting with search engine optimization. When someone searches for your business type online, does your company rank near the top of the results? A blog can help boost your online presence, which means when a potential client searches “remove ink stain from wool carpet,” your handy blog post about the hazards of removing such stains – or your home page – are far more likely to be at the top of the list. A web site becomes more popular (and more likely to appear as a result in search engine use) with each link and addition.

Providing a platform to share company news. It’s not likely that your current marketing efforts alert clients of every change and/or improvement made to your business. A blog provides a more casual venue to post a photo of a new piece of equipment and brief blurb about how it will allow you to better serve your customers, allowing you to keep them informed about your growth while subtly promoting your company.

When Jodi Teti and her partner began Blueprint, a Law School Admission Test (LSAT) preparation company in February 2005, they operated with a “guerilla marketing plan,” Teti says. With very little capital available to promote their business the team relied on word of mouth and on-campus promotions. Once the company was more established, Teti and her colleagues compared their actions and plans to their mission statement decided to branch out and establish a corporate blog. It now receives as many as 3,000 unique visitors per day and Teti says they feel it’s been an enormous asset as the company has grown.

Establishing you as an expert in your field. A blog can help position your company as a thought leader in your industry. Sharing tidbits about your core business operations and area of expertise goes a long way in establishing trust with clients and potential customers.

Providing a platform for the development of new relationships. Establishing a blog means inserting your business into an online “community” where you’ll interact with clients, potential clients and even competitors.

Teti says such interaction was an unexpected benefit for her company. “You get to know a lot of other people and it’s neat to make those professional connections,” she says.

Blueprint staff also noticed that after each LSAT was administered they would see a noticeable increase in blog traffic from students wanting to connect with others and discuss the nuances of the test. “And that happened on our site, which I think made our company part of the experience for those people,” says Teti.

The decision to publish a company blog is not one that should be taken lightly. Though a blog is less formal than traditional marketing materials, it’s important to remember that each and every word presented therein is a direct reflection of your company. As with any other promotional strategy, your blog should be governed by a written strategy and have a designated staff member or team in charge of its content.

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