WHAT IS A BLOG? 

A blog is a frequently updated online journal or diary and the abbreviation originates from its original name ‘weblog’ (Byrd, 2011).

Businesses that don’t have blogs rely on third parties like Google or Facebook to make their offerings visible on the Web. (Chef, 2013)

Why rely on others when you can take matters into your own hands? Don’t be the one to fall within the category above which relies on Google or Facebook to make your offerings visible on the web. Be proactive and start blogging!

WHAT MAKES A BLOG SO SPECIAL? 

There are many things that make blogs such a treasured marketing tool, but in order to answer this question we must compare a blog with something your company is likely to already have. Lets say your company newsletter, which highlights who won the friendly 5-a-side game you played last week, employee of the month and maybe some upcoming charity events that you are partaking in. This newsletter probably goes out to all of your employees maybe shareholders but thats probably as far as it gets. Therefore your companies newsletter has a limited life cycle and circulation due to the costs, whereas these limitations do not apply to a blog! Anyone inside or outside of the company can view it and information can constantly be updated giving it an endless life cycle. It has lower costs to produce and can be easily found due to electronic search! (Falls, 2012).

THE IMPORTANCE OF A BLOG: 

Blogging is quickly working its way into the list of most important online marketing strategies. If crafted successfully your blog has the ability to:

• accumulate product sales
• drive herds of traffic to your companies main website,
• create an additional customer service tool
• and provide additional advertising income.

(Gehl, 2006)

THEY PACK A POWERFUL PUNCH…

Not quite convinced yet? Let me tell you some more about what a blog could do for you…

• Give your target market just what they’re looking for – due to automatic archiving features (by date and category) it is easy for your readers to find the information they’re looking for. If you regularly update your blog you are well on your way to building a loyal following who are likely to be your best potential customers.
• Establish your credibility – with frequent blog postings you can establish yourselves as a trustworthy source on your area meaning your readers will feel at ease buying from you.
• Give your brand a personality – due to the informality of a blog your posts will be in your own voice providing the company with a personality. This seems to reassure the consumer, as people tend to feel more comfortable when dealing with a real person as they feel a sense of security and that their needs will be taken care of.
• Improve customer service – you can answer consumer questions and provide updates and how-to posts in order to encourage customers with your excellent customer service.
• Accumulate extra income – there are advertising programs available which allow you to monetise your blog and generate additional revenue.

For further information on why blogs pack a powerful punch please read this article.

IMPLICATIONS OF BLOGGING…

Although brand personality is great, it creates trust between you and the consumer it can also have a negative effect as it is thought that anthropomorphised brands that undergo negative publicity are favoured less than when a non anthropomorphised brand does (Marina, 2013).

Also there is the view that the lack of rules of the blogosphere has created the analogy to the ‘‘wild west’’ (Cox, 2008)  and there is limited control to how people respond. However no word-of-mouth (WOM) is bad as it provides the opportunity for you to showcase your customer service skills.

WHO IS DOING IT BEST…

Target – despite being a large corporation with employees nationwide, target allows the reader to get up close and personal to the company with its “Get to know us” section, which introduces employees and events; therefore humanising the company. It also has a clear layout and structure for ease of navigation. (Flies, 2014)

Google! It is no surprise that web royalty google has an excellent blog, keeping customers up to date on products, technology and culture. It is very informational and updated regularly, including quizzes to directly engage the reader; which has generated a loyal following.

QUICK RECAP…

So we know that a blog is like an online journal, we know that they’re becoming more and more popular. We know that a blog can bring substantial benefits to you company and we know that when crafted correctly they can pack quite a punch. What we don’t know is why you haven’t already made one!

REFERENCES:

Byrd, K. (2011). WHAT IS A BLOG?. Available: http://blogbasics.com/what-is-a-blog/. Last accessed 26th April 2015.

Chef, T. (2013). The Actual Purpose of Business Blogging is Not What You Think. Available: https://blog.serps.com/the-actual-purpose-of-business-blogging-is-not-what-you-think/. Last accessed 26th April 2015.

Cox, Martinez, Quinlan. (2008). Blogs and the corporation: managing the risk, reaping the benefits. Journal of Business Strategy. 29 (3), 4-12.

Falls, J. (2012). The Power Of A Blog. Available: http://www.socialmediaexplorer.com/social-media-marketing/the-power-of-a-blog/. Last accessed 26th March 2015.

Fleiss, W. (2014). LEARN FROM THE 10 TOP BUSINESS BLOGS THAT DID IT RIGHT. Available: http://www.outbrain.com/blog/2014/08/want-to-create-the-best-company-blog-ever-learn-from-10-top-business-blogs-that-did-it-right.html. Last accessed 26th April 2015.

Gehl, D. (2006). How to Harness the Marketing Power of Blogs.Available: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/84232. Last accessed 26th April 2015.

Google. (2015). Which animal are you? Take the Google Doodle Earth Day Quiz. Available: http://googleblog.blogspot.co.uk. Last accessed 26th April 2015.

Liu, Yong (2006), “Word of Mouth for Movies: Its Dynamics and Impact on Box Office Revenue,” Journal of Marketing, 70 (July), 74–89.

Marina, Hyokjin, Joseph. (2013). When humanizing brands goes wrong: the detrimental effect of brand anthropomorphization amid product wrongdoings. Journal of Marketing. 77 (3), 81-100.