Blog is short for weblog. It is a type of site that provides commentary or information about a particular subject. The content is displayed in reverse chronological order. Other forms of blogs include diaries and photoblogs.
Reasons your company needs a blog:
- Fresh content – Fresh and up-to-date content leads to a more successful website.
- Increase your traffic from search engines – Content is King. Google loves fresh content and original content written on a consistent basisy. Blogging software such as WordPress is very optimized for the search engines already.
- Get more sales – Plug your own products or services.
- Increase traffic to your website – Link to your website within posts while plugging your products or services. Don’t overdo it. The Google gods will strike down on you if you do it to frequently.
- Be known as an expert in your field – by writing posts (articles) about your interests in your field.
- Keep in touch and in front of your clients with RSS – If you write interesting posts and frequently enough, people will subscribe to your blog through RSS. RSS allows readers to have your posts sent to them via their RSS reader or email. RSS is usually built into the blog already. If not, install plug-ins such a feedburner feedsmith.
- Backlinks – Other bloggers and websites will link to your posts.
- Be sociable – Blogs such as WordPress have numerous plug-ins so you can link or display your social profiles from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and many more.
- Be more personable – Your company becomes humanized. By reading your posts, clients will get to know you better.
- Educate clients on your products or services – A how-to section will cut down on customer support or pre-sales questions.
- Announce new products and services – Keep customers informed.
- Company news – Keep customers up-to-date with happening in your company.
- Customer interaction – Customers can participate in your blog by leaving comments and questions.
- Free publicity – A newspaper may cover your business in a story because of #5 above.
- You can do it all without the help of a webmaster.