Should Your Business Hop On the Blogging Bandwagon

Blogging is a great resource for a businesses of any size. Having a blog allows your business to communicate with customers in a very unique way. You can use your blog to dispel negative press, to provide upcoming news and current events, as well as to introduce your customers to new products, services, partnerships, and new information and news in your industry.

By having a blog, customers can view your business from your company's point of view, and, if utilized correctly, your blog can serve to show your customers the more personal, human side of your company. This can help build trust in your business and brand, and can get your customers to evolve from customers for now to customers for life.

However, if you are thinking of starting a blog for your business, beware. It is not the end-all, be-all for a marketing campaign, and if you don't do it right, it could actually end up hurting rather than helping your business. Blogs that are visually unappealing, lacking in content, or are not updated on a schedule will not attract and audience.

Your blog's look and feel should be streamlined with your company's website. Look at your blog as an extension of the site that your customers already love. A similar color palate, layout, and logo will help your customers feel at home and as if they are in a familiar environment. Blogs that are not streamlined with your website will cause your readers to feel as if they have entered into a completely different area, they may even think that they have reached the wrong site by mistake. By allowing your blog to have a similar look as your website, you will help your customers feel more comfortable.

Content is of the utmost importance in any marketing campaign. If your blog has awful content, or articles that are too long or too short, readers will be unimpressed and will most likely not visit your blog too often, if ever at all. Articles should always have a purpose, they should not be spewing out information willy-nilly, they should not be about a random topic that your readers have no interest in, and they most definitely should not be poorly written, with spelling or grammatical errors. Your content should also be well organized. Headings, subheadings, and bulleted lists allow readers to take in information quickly, while still understanding it. Readers will appreciate this and over time will come to know your blog as providing a wealth of information in a fast, easy to read format.

Finally, your blog should have a strict schedule for posting. While it is not necessarily essential to post an article every day, going more than two days without posting anything will lose readers. People like blogs that they can depend on, where they are sure to find new and interesting information on a regular basis. Irregular posting will not create a loyal following, while regular posting will always have your readers coming back for more. It also helps to have different themed posts on different days. This will give your readers something to look forward to, and they will always know that new content is on its way.

If you are toying with the idea of creating a blog for your website or business, remember these points. Blogging can be an extremely helpful part of your overall marketing campaign, and can help engage customers who will then share your blog with their connections.