A common question business owners ask is how they can use a blog to promote their business. Blogging can play a key role in promoting your business its products and services across the web. A blog is almost like an online diary, updated regularly with informative content and information for your customers, incorporating promotional elements to raise awareness of a product, service or your business.
Blogs also offer a way for you to interact with your customers and keeps your online presence current. If the rest of your website has static content which is not updated regularly, a blog can provide a constant flow of new information and if the content is keyword optimized, help generate new traffic and interest in your website. It is important to deploy your corporate values, objectives and personality of your business into the content of your blog.
Content development
Planning the content for your blog, deciding the length of each post and frequency of adding new content should be considered. The content of your blog must be interesting. If you are for example a technology company, the blog entries should include how to tutorials, frequently asked questions, information on market trends and product information to name a few. Ensure that your blog is updated regularly, at least once a week.
What to write about
There are many topics that you can write about on your blog but make them relevant to your business, products and the market that you are in. There are several key types of content you can incorporate in your blog and include the following;
- Content to promote a new product or service - If you are launching a new product or range, announce it on your blog with a well written article, including a launch date and key product information.
- Offer tips, tricks and advice – Providing information such as how to guides and tutorials will allow you to become recognized in your market as an expert
- Share company stories - If you have a story where a member of your team went the extra mile to help a customer, include this in your blog
- Questions - Prepare an article in response to some of the frequently asked questions whether this is relating to a product, service or other element of your business.
- Promotions - If your business has recently won an award or received some kind of recognition, write about it in your blog.
- Recruitment - An effective way to fill new positions, particularly if your blog has a large following is to announce new jobs and provide information on the post and the ideal candidate.
Remember however to include keywords throughout your blog posts including tags and headers, ensuring that the keywords are incorporated effectively. Submit the URL of your blog to search engines and try to link your blog posts to social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
If used correctly, a blog can be a powerful marketing tool. Build your content carefully, use keywords and build a following to raise awareness, promote your business and secure all important new business.
