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A friend of mine was showing off her redesigned company website and I asked her if she had a blog. Her response was, “Why do I need a blog?” This is a question I am sure many entrepreneurs ask, but often do not receive an answer that motivates them into incorporating a blog into their website. Obviously, the choice to do so is up to the individual, but here are my top three reasons why every business needs a blog:
1.) People want to know the REAL you
Many companies have mission statements, about us pages, etc. informing their potential customers about the values their company represents. Let’s face it—everyone pretty much gives the same spiel about representing integrity, providing amazing customer service, etc. otherwise you would not be in business long. However, having a company blog sets your company apart from the competition because blogs enable people to learn more about you on a personal level. People are more inclined to do business with people who they feel they relate to and can trust.
Use your blog to share your interests, random thoughts (of course using common sense on which thoughts to share), highlight employee accomplishments, etc.—not just calling attention to your upcoming promotions. Take this as an opportunity to allow your customers to see that you are human and not just another money hungry business out there fighting to capture their dollar.
2.) Share and exchange ideas
When your prospects and customers get a feel for who you really are and what you represent they will feel more comfortable giving you their opinions. We all have suggestions on how various products and services that we use on a daily basis could be improved, but how many people actually share this information with the company? Not many because they feel that their concerns will not matter.
This is because many companies have gotten away from listening to and appreciating their customers. I mean I have walked into stores where the staff acted like they were doing me a favor by shopping there! Management needs to know about situations like the aforementioned, but oftentimes do not make it easy for the customer to do so. They may try calling customer service but get sick of getting stuck in what I refer to as “automated service hell” and give up. Therefore, your blog can be a platform to generate discussions (i.e. what you feel your responsibility is in providing customer service).
It is only natural for people to seek to improve or change products/services that they feel could be enhanced. The key to running a successful business is to anticipate your customers’ needs. I can’t think of a better way to gain insight into the mindset of potential customers and clients than through a blog.
3.) Sense of community
Who wants to feel like an outcast? Not me. Deep down inside we all want to feel like we belong. Sharing and exchanging ideas and then witnessing companies implement your contributions creates a sense of community. It takes time to develop a relationship with your customers—so don’t expect the comments to come pouring in right away. Think. You don’t offer advice to other people if you feel doing so will be in vain. This principal applies to prospects and customers too. Many have been conditioned into accepting crappy customer service, poorly made products, etc. because they feel like their opinion is insignificant.
Even when some have taken the step to complain or share suggestions by ironically contacting customer service their voices continue to go unheard. Ideally, it would be nice to have the owner write posts for the blog, but if this is not possible whoever is in charge of maintaining the blog should ensure that all complaints are addressed and resolved as quickly as possible. Don’t violate the relationship by having the blog become yet another failed medium people can’t rely on to solve their problems. People desire to be apart of the solution. The more people feel at ease with you the more inclined they are to spread the word about your brand.
Hopefully the aforementioned reasons are enough to motivate you into incorporating a blog into your website. A blog will open up the lines of communication and enable prospects and customers to get their voices heard by you. What you do with this information is up to you, but why not allow your company the opportunity to reap the benefits of having a blog? It’s free and all it requires is your time and effort, but you get back so much more in return.
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March 17, 2009 8:52 am
Great post, LaTosha. It is because of these reasons and more that my company has a blog. I definitely agree that a blog is a way to show another side of your company, to go past the mission statement and about us. Another great reason for a company to have a blog is to show your current and potential customers that you understand the importance of the Internet and Web 2.0 to business, and are willing and able to change with the times.
March 17, 2009 9:41 am
Thanks, Samantha. Great point about demonstrating to current and potential customers that your business is keeping up with the times by embracing various aspects of social media.
Sadly, I have read articles regarding companies that refuse to embrace any aspect of social media and I feel that these companies are bound to be left behind. Even if you choose not to embrace tools such as Twitter, Linkedin, etc. you should at least have a blog.
March 18, 2009 6:58 am
@Brian Thanks for the comment!
I definitely agree that online marketing has definitely evolved from monitoring traffic and conversion. I understand where you’re coming from on your point with Wal Mart, however, I believe that WalMart could stand to benefit from social media.
I know people who go out of there way to shop at Target because they do not agree with how WalMart treats their employees. This is where a blog would be a fantastic tool to combat this notion. Instead of always being in a position to react they would be able to be proactive and write a post about how important family is to you and this is how you consider your employees. What would demonstrate this further would be to have a guest post from one of their employees. I believe that all types of businesses regardless of industry and size stand to benefit from incorporating social media into their campaigns especially a blog.
April 23, 2009 1:50 pm
Thanks for your comment and glad you are able to use this information!
March 14, 2010 4:12 pm
Great article. Thanks for the great advice.
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