Creating a high impact company blog

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Company blogs exist to promote the business and are targeted primarily at existing and potential customers and employees.

For small businesses owners who already have a company website, a blog is an easy and potentially valuable addition which provides a platform for the business to showcase its brand values, product and service offerings, and thought leadership. Another option for small business owners is to create a separate website for the blog.

The advantages of this approach are that it may be easier to manage as a stand-alone site (instead of having a single company website that tries to do too many things and is difficult to navigate), and a different aspect of the company’s brand identity can be presented to the world at large.

Some of the guidelines small business owners should follow in developing their blogs are:

• Adopting language and a tone that is appropriate to target audiences and is not offensive.

• Putting effort into generating content that is thoughtful and interesting, adding value to what is already available on other forums.

• Making the blogs interactive by allowing readers to submit comments and questions.

• Updating the blog regularly – this may require the small business owner to allocate a dedicated resource, or providing employees with different skills and viewpoints an opportunity to contribute.

• Ensuring the blog is user-friendly e.g. the ability to search or browse using different filters, having the option to sign up for newsletters and RSS feeds.

• Being able to drive traffic to the blog through links on other websites or web pages, search engine optimization, and word of mouth.

Small business owners should not feel compelled to create company blogs just for the sake of it. Depending on customer preferences and the type of industry the small business is in, company blogs may not be particularly useful despite being well-presented. As with other social media tools, small business owners should spend their money where they are likely to have the best return on their investment instead of over-extending themselves in the hopes that something will work.

Post By: Fadzai Munyaradzi

 

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  • Sarah Murray
    We are often so focused on selling selling selling that we can lose the personality that interested yourclients in the first place! I think a blog brings you back to what you really are and lets your customers know that you are infact a human being...
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  • Sylvesterfalata Falata
    That is so true I find that clients are really drawn to businesses with personality and its makes it easier to connect to the consumer when they can put a face (identinty) behind the business.
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  • Sarah Murray
    I personally love doing my blog it's such a great creative outlet and if it helps my customers connect with me hey 2 birds with one stone! There are days I feel great and full of fun and my writting will reflect that other days I'm missing family or feeling overwhelmed with life perfect opportunity for a sould warming recipe ideas! Your customers go throughthese ups and downs as do we and what a great way to connect!
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  • Anitanel Nel
    I agree. It also helps drive traffic to your website convert the traffic in leads and establish you as an authority in the field. However I think there is also much value in using blogs to test your market and to get to know your clients. That is however if you blog effectively.
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  • Sylvesterfalata Falata
    I also find that showing behind the Seams (Scenes) images and video make a very powerful impact and they also help with enlighteningclients about the process behind a product and it helps us share the story. the feedback is always encouraging.
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  • Sylvesterfalata Falata
    OH! Absolutely i love the idea of using the blog to the market the best thing aboujt iks that the response is almost immediate in most cases and its one of the most cost effective ways to do some research and Know the client.
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  • Sarah Murray
    @Anita and @Sylvester I have no proccess as such behind my blogs-I just go with what I'm feeling right then and there which works for me but wouldn't for everyone. But what of a business owner that can't just adliblike that any advice on how to start out and what to focus on? What will be most effective to warrant spending the time they need to on it?
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  • Anitanel Nel
    @TheTastyChef that is not ideal. You should carefully plan your blogs otherwise it will not have the effect that you want and may even scare away clients. Planning is really important but it is simple - you must know what you want to communicate and what you aim to achieve with your blog. The best advice I received on blogging is to a) use a very catchy simple heading (as short as possible - surely no more than 10 words) b) use easy to read language c) talk about relevant and interesting topics (no one wants to read about content that is not new and interesting) and (very important)add your company's personal touch and relevance to it as you spoke about earlier d) make it easy for people to share your blog on Facebook Twitter LinkedIn.
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  • Sylvesterfalata Falata
    I find having a rough schedule of what i would like to focus on for the week works. either a project or a product im working on the plan helps me structure the conversation online but more importantly for continuity it still leaves me with room to be flexible thought and go with what i fell at a certain point but there's a bigger conversation or story that i carry with the posts.
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  • Sylvesterfalata Falata
    I completely agree with you @anitanel. planning makes for a more cohesive story. and conversation and that has more of an impact i find. and its also encorages clients to come back and keeps them interested in the 'unfolding'. and look forward to what's next.
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  • Sylvesterfalata Falata
    To add on. There's also a lot of value in spontanious posts so the blog doesnt come across too rehearsed.Ifind that takes the personality away. so the flexibility is important.
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  • Sylvesterfalata Falata
    The trickiest thing for meissticking to a regular update. so that's one thing im working on regular updates make such a huge difference. its what grows following and drive traffic.
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  • Anitanel Nel
    I bookmarked this URL:https://www.alanizmarketing.com/blog/4-statistics-that-prove-the-value-of-blogging/ They quote interesting stats about blogging (this is mindblogging ;-): - By 2020 customers will manage 85% of their relationships without talking to a human. - Blogs have been rated the 5th most trusted source for accurate online information - B2B marketers that use blogs receive 67% more leads than those that do not. - Companies who blog receive 97% more links to their website. It seems that very regular blogging is a must - don't you just hate it to go to a website's blog only to find that it was updated 2 years ago? But @Sylvester and @TheTastyChef how much time do you have for blogging and do you think that a company should outsource this to a communications company?
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  • Sarah Murray
    Thanks for the advice will certainly make an effort to plan ahead.
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  • Clint Murray
    This is so interesting as I was thinking of doing a blog to boost my business I just don't know where to start though! Have you guys got some advise for me on how to do this?
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  • Sarah Murray
    Personally I wouldn't outsource it as it is my customers direct link to me to a piece of what is behind my food how I think etc. Coupled witht he fact that I really enjoy it I think it's important to do it yourself. It could be short sighted but for now I still make the time- who knows if business booms then perhaps it is wise to do so. How do you find the right copywrighter to follow your style and vision though?
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  • Sylvesterfalata Falata
    Perhaps having someone else on the team who is very clear on what the intention is and who undersatnds the business would help in managinf the blog. but i would say be as involved as you can. pre planning minimises the time one spends i find because there's time to preapare and have material on stanby so it becomes a matter of just editing and posting. I fing that a can mostly tell when a company outsources its social media communication and i personally disconnect. the tone is different when it comes from withing the business.
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  • Sylvesterfalata Falata
    I would definately encourage you to it trully makes a difference when you're looking to attract new clients and keep current clients interested. i find that the more light hearted it is the better clients connect. when it just you sharing either industry related information product information and information about your business. your story. i found that trying to sell a product didnt end well the few times i tried it merely a point of engagement and from there it becomes easier to convert that into a sale on either the website or on a different platforms.
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  • Anitanel Nel
    @Clint @SylvesterFalata makes a good point about the fact that people don't want to feel your blog is aimed at them buying your product or service. The blogs I enjoy are the simple ones - Lists and Steps. Either a list of for example Top 5 Tips on how to... or 10 Favourite... or 5 Steps to make your communication more effective etc. These are simple interesting and not long neither difficult to write.
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  • Steph Marcicano

    I feel blogs are useful in a few industries and useless in others.. thanks for the great article! 

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