Why would companies start a blog?
Blogging is hot these days. At first geeks started logging online their work in progress. In a second phase people like you and me started writing about their own lives, and experiences. More recently, we see that corporate blogs are really mushrooming. It is obvious that corporations are looking for a maximum exposure on the net, and blogging seems to be the most appropriate vehicle these days. Moreover, it doesn’t matter whether you are working for a multinational corporation or for a local small business. Everyone gets equal chances on the web.
The basic question remains: why are companies starting a blog? I would like to give a few answers to that question, though I suppose you could come up with more possibilities.
First of all, starting a blog is a the ultimate way of giving your business a human face. Since a blog is always a personal tool (even if you are writing on a group blog, it is YOU who are writing, not the group), it is a great opportunity for big corporations to humanize their business. For local businesses this human and personal character of doing business is already their first concern; blogging will even improve this image.
Secondly, a blog is an enormous treasure when it comes to free market research. If you have a product launched, you can ask people for reviews on your blog. You will get in touch with your clients, ask them what could be improved (and why?). Of course, this approach means that you need outstanding products, and that you know how to deal with criticism (even if you don’t share the point of view of criticasters). Let me put this straight: even if you didn’t have a blog, you would still have to deal with criticasters. Leading them to your blog gives you the opportunity to start a discussion with them and to (subtly) rip off their incompetence masks.
Maybe the most important thing you should bear in mind, is to remain faithful and consequent. If internet marketing is strategic to you, you will have to think about adapting your strategy to your blog and not the other way around. As a matter of fact, it is of utmost importance that you really walk your talk. If you promise something on your blog, you will really have to stick to that. If you don’t, the blogosphere will spit you out. And that could be painful, not only for you as a person, but also for your business.
One final, more technical issue is that you should consider using RSS on your blog. Some hardcore bloggers even say that a blog without an RSS feed isn’t considered to be a blog. RSS stands for Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication. It is an XML format for distributing and sharing content on the web. This is especially useful if you add posts on a daily basis (as a large corporation, that is really considered a minimum), so that readers of your web log instantly see what’s new on your site.
A nice side effect of this all is that you will get a higher ranking in search engines. As you know, a higher ranking leads to more site traffic. Especially in combination with a “normal” corporate website, it would definitely lead to more and more valuable web exposure. If you keep in mind these simple guidelines, the world could be at your feet.
