‘You cannot afford to close your eyes to them, because they’re…the most explosive outbreak in the information world since the Internet itself. And they’re going to shake up just about every business. Blogs are not a business elective. They’re a prerequisite.’ (Baker & Green, 2005, p. 56)
Blogging had a slow start however since their rise in popularity in 1999 the use of blogs has rapidly increased in the years following. A blog has been defined as ‘an on-line, web-based, chronologically organized entry on a multitude of subjects’ (Singh et al 2008). As blogging also uses social networks, user generated content and interactivity to spread the message, it can also be seen as a type of viral marketing (Singh et al 2008). Below is a graph that uses Tumblr as an example to show how blogging has increased in popularity :
So why should a company blog? In this blog I will give the strengths and limitations of having a blog and offer some tips on how to write a great blog.
To begin with, here are some reasons why a business should blog:
- Brand loyalty can increase as blogs engage the customer via ongoing communication. Blogs can demonstrate to users that they care about their customers and products which improves a company’s image and in turn creates loyalty and trust (Singh et al 2008)
- Blogging is the heart of a company’s content marketing and can really show people your brands true personality and build an image. Blogs can provide insight into your business, philosophy, employees, and ideas
- They allow you to develop a stronger relationship with your customers by encouraging comments, interaction and feedback.
- Every blog post is a new opportunity for somebody to discover your company. By creating engaging and relevant content on your blog you can ultimately drive traffic to your website
- Using for example keywords, categories, topics and new fresh content relevant to your business can improve your SEO
- Each blog post helps increase brand awareness and it promotes your product
- Every post you publish is a long-term asset that helps build brand awareness and promote your expertise, products and services.
- It’s cheap to set up
So it would seem that blogging is great and that businesses should embrace it however the limitations of blogging must also be considered:
- Due to their heavily viral nature, Blogs that are received negatively can potentially be harmful for a business and create bad publicity. Some critics have even argued that blogging only results in brand bashing (Murphy, 2006).
- Although blogs are cheap to set up, a successful blog needs to be updated which can be expensive and time consuming (Singh et al 2008).
- Having creative, engaging and unique content can be challenging for a business
- Not blogging regularly or for example not responding to customer feedback/comments can create customer dissatisfaction and a business can lose customers (Singh et al 2008).
boohoo blog
So if you do decide to have a company blog here are a few tips on how to have a successful business blog:
- Be consistent! People read blogs from people they know, like and trust and writing regularly makes you reliable.
- Write for your customers not yourself and post interesting and most importantly relevant content that your target audience will enjoy. Give them valuable content
- Write your blog yourself, authenticity is paramount! (Schwartz 2005)
- Always measure your blogs performance for example with Google Analytics so that you can see what content is most popular so that you can see what your customers like reading
- Promote yourself via social media, your website, email marketing etc so that people know your blog exists
Examples of companies who have really understood their customers and have in turn created popular and successful blogs are Fashion retail giants Topshop and boohoo . They have both mastered the art of blogging and their blogs have many if not all of the previously discussed characteristics of a successful blog. Blogs have no doubt exploded in popularity and for the reasons discussed above, incorporating a blog about your products and services you offer can be an integral part of your businesses marketing strategy, and done right blogging can be an extremely beneficial marketing technique.
References
Baker, S., & Green, H. (2005). Blogs will change your business. Business Week, 2(05).
Murphy, C. (2006). Blogging: Waste of time or corporate tool? Retrieved from:
Schwartz, J (2005). ‘If You Want to Lead, Blog’, Harvard Business Review, November,
Singh, T., Veron-Jackson, L., & Cullinane, J. (2008). Blogging: A new play in your marketing game plan. Business horizons, 51(4), 281-292.