Why Should I Go To The Trouble Of Having A Blog

The Need For A Corporate Blog

Of all the various social media platforms there is no doubt that Blogs have a unique and vitally important role for all digital media marketers to include a s part of a blended and proactively designed social media structure where every cog supports and synergies with the others.  Specifically blogging is the number one source of information for many markets and for women in particular is often the unquestioned number one source of  gaining information about required areas of need.

The Key Options

Naturally for such a popular and universally used social media option, there are many available options for bloggers to use. At the top of the list are Google's Blogger and Word Press. Now there are pros and cons for both but essentially you can boil it down to this.Word Press have a slightly more functional platform while Blogger is a Google product. In the end they are both great options and together make up probably around three quarters of the worlds blogs.

Feebly, Ghost, Tumblr and Live Journal are other excellent options that provide some other tactical variations that again should be explored and considered in making a decision on what the best option for you may be.

What Makes A Good Blog Post

There are some key aspects required to make your blog a great read that people will embrace and support over time.  Amongst the key aspects are:

• Regularity:  Readers expect your blog to be delivered on a regular basis e.g. weekly
• Consistency: If you blog around 500 to 700 words each post don't throw in 200 word posts
• Informative: Provide relevant information that gives readers additional knowledge and insight
• Relevance:  Regardless of what your topic is provide content that directly feeds into that
  

 Strategically Different and Aligned

Each of the different platforms each perform an important task and the role of blogs is to inform. Blogs are by and large not necessarily visual or are they generally set up as a discussion forum. Their main function is as a provider of new, important and sought after information. As such blogging is a vital link in virtually all social media networks and needs to be planned, resourced and prioritised as highly or more highly than any other element of the social media mix.

Digital Enterprise Program

To learn more about blogs, the different types and all aspects of content creation please fell free to join us at any of the Digital Enterprise Program (DEP) workshops and gain access to a free four hour coaching session for your business.

So until next time, good luck and good marketing.

Regards,
Daniele.

The Question Is No Longer To Blog Or Not To Blog. But Rather How Often.

Over the last couple of years as the importance of blogging has been so beautifully highlighted by virtually all of the leading, social media marketers, I have made a concerted effort to encourage (and in some cases even cajole) my clients into starting and being committed to a business blog.

In my recent times it seems I'm repeating the same answer in the same discussion undertaken again and again, about how often should a blog be updated each month.

To answer this question there is some exciting new data by leading Social Media firm Hotspot. In a recent survey with over 4000 businesses, several key strategic insights were clearly revealed and providing a tremendous lead that we should all follow.

Amongst the most revealing data captured is the fact that Business-to-Business (B2B) businesses who blogged just 16 to 20 times per month received 3 times more leads than those who didn’t blog at all. Whilst Business - to - Consumer (B2C) businesses that blogged just 16 to 20 times per month got over 4 times more leads than those who didn’t blog.

So clearly its a case of blog, blog often and commit to producing quality content that helps position you and your business or brand as a thought leader or industry leading product amongst your preferred target audience.

To build up a good following takes time not a few weeks but rather one to two years but once it's done you will have a powerful resource at your disposal that you can leverage to great success. But more on that another time. For now the take out is simple. Your firm needs to blog regularly and engage the community of customers and prospects alike.

What about you. How often do you post to your blog and what are the key barriers that you think hold you back from posting more frequently. Please share your comments below.

And until next time, good luck and good marketing.

Daniele.