The Power of Business Blogs

Written By: Tomer Garzberg

133 million. That’s the number of maintained blogs out there on the web, and if you’re thinking that blogging is a waste of time, then think again.

Up to 80 per cent of blogs are generally abandoned within the first month, while 20 per cent of bloggers update their blog on a daily basis.

A blog is the core ingredient of any online marketing campaign, and is crucial to both SEO and Social Media. If your website doesn’t have Wordpress or some other blogging platform installed, you’re doing your business or website a great injustice.

Here's why:

SEO

• Blogs increase the ‘fatness’ of a website, rendering it more ‘healthy’ in the eyes of search engines
• Original pieces increase the quality of a website
• Use of correct keywords in a blog allow you to rank better and spread your reach
• A typical blog is indexed by Google within 30 minutes, compared with a normal web page which could be over a week
• Blogs are great landing pages to measure specific traffic you’re marketing to with specific keywords

Social Media

• A great blog can help decrease your ‘Bounce Rate’ by visitors to your site, and can actually keep visitors there longer
• A regularly maintained blog gives you something to market to the world via Social Media
• A blog encourages external visits and commentary, increasing interactivity rates on your site
• A blog helps you promote your creativity and individuality
• Most good blogs are quoted by other bloggers, extending the reach of your work

Some of the biggest companies maintain a blog, and each has their own strategy. Here's five of the best:

• Coca-Cola: In this blog, Coca-Cola takes the interest marketing approach and shares insights and historical information with the world. An interesting read. http://www.coca-colaconversations.com/

• Telstra: A unique approach to blogging, whereby Telstra aims to provide a 'face' to its employees by allowing them to share their opinions about the Telco industry. http://exchange.telstra.com.au/

• Google: A powerhouse of information on releases, issues and all things Google. A fantastic place to visit to keep on top of Google developments. http://googleblog.blogspot.com/

• McDonalds: Notes and insights from the corporate team at McDonalds outlining an interesting look at just how fast the fast food chain keeps growing. http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/csr/blog.html

• Virgin Blue: A very entertaining blog that aims to publicise Virgin Blue as a fun corporate environment. http://blog.virginblue.com.au/

Should you blog on your website? Most definitely. Here are some tips to help you along your way:
• Opt for an internal blog rather than an external blog. A blog that lives on your website, for example, www.company.com.au/blog, is much better than on a third party site such as Blogger.com, Tumblr.com or Posterous.com
• As your developer to install Wordpress as your blogging platform. It's incredibly easy and Google loves it.
• Always brand your blog the same as your website. Credibility is in the eye of the beholder.
• Always link back to an actual blog page rather than your blog listings. This can help you measure your marketing efforts more effectively.
• Ensure you use the correct keywords when you blog. Ask your SEO or Social Media provider to give you a list of keywords that would benefit your site.
• Never delete negative comments - that shows a sign of weakness. Always respond to negativity in a relaxed manner.
• Thank everyone for their comments, this ensures they'll come back.
• Blogs only have to be around 200 to 300 words.
• The more often you blog, the more beneficial it is to your website.

If you’ve never considered a blog before, there has never been a better time than to get started now. Blogs show depth and increase your transparency with visitors to your site, and it’s that transparency that ultimately leads to trust, conversions, and even sales.