Most people who use the Internet know what a blog is. 1999 saw the initial start of blogging platforms like LiveJournal and blogger.com. It seems crazy to think that in 15 or so years, the Internet has gone from a small number of blogs to millions of them.
And, it’s not just about personal blogs. You’re also looking a huge number of business blogs. The problem with businesses setting up a blog is that the company will update it every day for up to a month but start to post less and less, eventually never to post again.
If you don’t want this happening to your business, you need a long-term, solid blogging approach. What your business needs an organised person or team – someone dedicated to providing you with original, engaging content for the blog. You should have a publishing calendar so that posts are done on a regular basis. And, if you can’t do this yourself, be sure you hire someone who can do the entire thing for you.
Why You Need A Blog For Your Business
A blog that’s both well-planned and carried out is a great tool businesses can use for several reasons:
- It generates brand awareness
- It allows businesses to engage with their customers
- Businesses can become the industry’s leader
- It enables businesses to create relationships in the niche
- It produces leads
- It can showcase a business’ experience
When looked at from the search engine optimization point of view, blogging on a regular basis is extremely helpful to business. It helps to:
- Bring links by posting outstanding material
- Boost the amount traffic a website gets
- Rank the business’ relevant phrases and keywords
- Produce social signals
- Provide the latest material so the website ranks high
Now, you never want to update your blog… just because. Put your attention more on the quality of the blog material, not the quantity of it. Blog posts need to have some type of purpose behind them. You want them to solve an issue, educate or entertain readers. And, most importantly, they should be timed perfectly.
Don’t forget that updating the blog is just one part of what you need to do. You need to also promote the latest material. Use your Facebook or Twitter accounts to continuously mention your blog and its content.
Why It’s Important To Implement and Use a Blogging Calendar
If you’re going to get and stay organized with your blog, you need to use an editorial blogging calendar. You can either use the free Internet templates along with the free and paid plugins or editorial calendar software.
A calendar is a visual reminder of the picture – series of posts, patterns, theme, etc. It helps to ensure you cover a wide array of pertinent subjects at the right times. Use the calendar to remind you have ideas you’ve jotted down.
Why Planning Is An Essential Part To Your Business’ Marketing Strategy
Be sure to implement a long-term blogging plan in your marketing strategy. Be sure you put attention on the whole picture and focus on the following things:
- What you need to write about
- Why you need to write it
- Who is the audience you are writing for
- How you should write it
- When to write it
- How and where to promote the content
You want to be sure that the strategy is flexible and is current in the happenings going on in the niche. The strategy should work to increase the exposure for your brand simultaneously.
Special Note: Blogs can include more than just writing – pictures, podcasts, videos, etc.
If you feel overwhelmed by the amount of work laid out in the plain, hire someone to help you do this. You don’t want the ignore chances to help your business because the work is just too much.
Photo: Image courtesy of sunshinecity on Flickr