Brad Businesses are looking for ways to gain an advantage over their competition during this recession. One way to grow profits through their organic search results was through integrating a blog into their internet marketing plans. Blogs connect people to your business. The social aspects allow for more interaction than boring sales pitches or copy on web pages.
A well-done blog which allows a business to quickly publish content and interact with customers is priceless from a web marketing point of view by creating a collection of relevant and authoritative content. It sets you apart from a competitor who is not blogging. A blog for the purpose of internet marketing builds awareness, establishes expertise, and communicates with customers, both new and returning.
What will be the ROI from a blog? Are users more inclined to make a purchase since you have a blog? These are just some of the questions being tossed around by small business owners and intrigued marketers alike. Here are just a few steps to think about when creating the perfect business blog.
Create content from the user’s point of view, and not from yours. This is the most commonly made mistake from businesses new to the web marketing and blogging arena. Consider why a visitor would come to your blog, and what information they might be looking for. If you blog for a finance or re-mortgaging company, then your blog should help them quickly and easily understand what it is you exactly do and how you can provide them with a beneficial service specific to their needs. Think about the information that your visitors would be looking for, and craft your posts with that in mind.
Focus on your customers. Create connections with them and open dialogue as well. Allow some of your better and more trusted users to write a guest post, even. The idea is to let the average user have more input into your business. Studies have shown that people connect to and trust people they see as more real than with an anonymous business. It also creates some new and exciting content, as well.
Make sure your readers don’t forget about you. I’ve found the best way to do this was by adding RSS subscriber buttons to the blog so followers can receive new content as soon as you post it. Feedburner is by far and away the best in my opinion. Create an account and burn a feed for your blog. While you’re at it add buttons for Bloglines, Google Reader, and Netvibes, as well. There are countless ways an RSS feed or Feedburner can benefit your blog. The point is to give your readers the ability to quickly and easily subscribe to your blog.
