I’ve been in the business blogging world for 10+ years. I thought that interest was high back in the early days. And it certainly was. Over the last several years there have been some ups and downs when it comes to interest. But the general trend has been steady increase.
It seems that many businesses are looking to start blogs. And many others are looking at getting back into blogging after giving it a little try at some point in the past.
If you’re thinking about a business blog you may be thinking about the strategy for it.
Here are some thoughts on how to use a blog for your business…
1. Customer Q&A
A very successful film director once said that his main goal with each film was to educate and entertain. He would settle for one of the two, but if he was able to find a project that did both he knew it was very likely going to be a winner with audiences.
The same is true with blogging. And I find that a great source of education is to identify the questions your target audience is asking and provide the best answers you can with blog posts.
Many people wonder about SEO. Well, Google’s stated goal is to help their users find the answers they’re looking for as quickly as possible.
If you align your blogging strategy with Google’s, but really focus on your target audience you’re going to be in good shape.
2. Company Announcements
Your blog on your website can be the official source for company news. You can publish it on your website and own the content and control the content. You can reshare it on social media to bring more attention to it. You can still do press releases and media spots, but those can sometimes have issues with the message. Certain details can get lost.
A blog can provide you with the platform where you control the message. If something is wrong somewhere else you can provide clarity on the announcement on your blog where people will know that they’re hearing it directly from the source.
3. Interviewing
The interview format has been around for a long time. Many people loved to read interviews or feature stories in magazines throughout the last century. Some in the Rolling Stone have been wonderful with the rock stars of the era. We’ve also watched interviews in midday and late night television. And podcasts have really brought the interview to the forefront once again.
You can do interviews on your business blog. The format is very well received by readers. It’s comfortable for the writer and for the subject. It offers the opportunity for a lot of valuable information.
You can interview folks in your company. You can speak with vendors, clients and many other folks. You likely have a vast network of people that would have interesting things to say for your readers and customers.
4. Company Stories
Sometimes the best form of communication is a story. Even with all the information available online there are still many gaps when it comes to company history and entertaining stories. The about pages on most company websites are very thin and vague.
When people want to do business with you they really want to get to know the history of the company. They want to get to know the people, the values and all the little nuances. That can come through by telling company stories.
You might know some that you can write on your own. You can also do interviews with folks that have been around for awhile.Share their stories. The funny stories. The stories about landing big clients. The stories about losing big clients.
Conclusion
Many folks in business understand the value in a blog. They see it. They may have even tried it. But it can be overwhelming to consider how you’re going to actually do it. Try one or two of the areas here to help bring focus to your effort. You can always expand beyond these, but these areas will give you a good start and really you could continue down the same path for the long-term.