Businesses are Asking: To Blog or Not to Blog?
Businesses are Asking: To Blog or Not to Blog?
That's the question lots of people are asking - and the answers
are as varied as all the blogs out there in cyberspace. Oh, and
in case you don't know what blogs are, they're web logs that are
updated regularly, sometimes daily, kind of like an online
diary. Even if you're aware of blogs, you may have thought they
were reserved for your teenage daughter...but think again!
Millions and millions
Blogs are growing like ... well ... blogs. Literally hundreds of
corporations now have their own blogs. If you're thinking names
like Microsoft, Cisco, Sun Microsystems and IBM, you're right.
But add to that some surprising bloggers, including Boeing, P.R.
firms Hill & Knowlton and Burson-Marsteller, Stone Creek Coffee
Roasters and even a Savile Row Tailor, Thomas Mahon, and you'll
get an idea of just how big the idea of creating on-line logs
has become. In fact, there are more than 9 million blogs out
there, with 40,000 new ones popping up each day. Admittedly,
some are just plain silly (and not just those teenage girls).
But even assuming that 99.9% aren't worth reading, that leaves
at least 40 new ones - every single day - that could be talking
to your customers or engaging your employees.
So, what does it all mean for business?
Blogs have evolved into the latest approach to web content.
Whether blogging is a here-today, gone-tomorrow fad or proves to
be a new way to communicate with customers - either existing or
potential - remains to be seen, but it deserves at least a
closer examination. Many companies under pressure to keep
website content fresh and attractive think blogs are the answer.
Innovative content is becoming a must for online businesses,
both to be found by search engines and to give visitors a reason
to return (and to buy). Business blogs let companies give
customers industry news and tell them how their products can be
beneficial. And the fact that copy is updated daily increases
the chances that search engines will find your site.
Ready to jump on the bandwagon?
If you decide to use a blog for your business, you must set a
schedule and stick to it. Tell your readers what to expect and
when to expect it. Blogs can direct attention to areas of your
business that you want to showcase. You manage the content, but
let your readers and customers guide you.
Blogs may or may not be for you, but you can't afford to ignore
them, because they're changing how businesses communicate.
Deciding to blog or not to blog is undoubtedly your decision,
but keep in mind that ideas circulate at warp speed and
customers are always out there, sniffing around for deals. And
thousands of companies are looking at ways to collect ideas from
blogs, dust ads into them, and even determine what their
competitors are up to.
Whatever you do, have fun and good luck!