The Ways That BLOGS Can Provide Business Benefits

Part 5 of our 10 Part Informational Series -WordPress as a Content Management System

WordPress is one of the worlds most popular content management systems (CMS) and is an elegant, well-architectured personal publishing system. Whether you intend to keep up with your website updates and changes or hire a website maintenance team, WordPress is the perfect choice for an easy to use and maintain Content Management System.

At it’s core WordPress is a powerful blogging platform. This month we discuss the benefits of blogging for your business.

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Every business has news. A store has news about new lines of products, new customers, new managers and new projects. More than likely, it also has interesting stories about staff, customers or even suppliers. A service business like a management consultancy firm has similar news and, in addition, may want to publish information and insights about its specific field. Many establishments use printed newsletters, advertising, press releases and traditional websites to circulate this kind of information. But increasingly, companies are also using blogs. There are two main reasons for this. The first is that blogs allow instant interaction with the public; the second is that such interaction is informal. That’s important because it helps build a strong relationship between the business owner and its customers even though they may never meet in person. A blog helps build the brand and cement loyalty in a way that’s impossible by any other means. That’s the good news. However, not all blogs are good for business.

Be careful with your content

There is one major potential pitfall that is a potential problem for all blogs: that is that some blogs can become little more than gossip sites. These blogs continuously produce a lot of uninspiring and trivial content despite clear evidence that it’s achieving nothing and may even be doing harm. But just like gossips, the business owners don’t notice that people are steering clear of their blogs. The solution is simple.

The first prerequisite of a successful blog is that it must always consist of new and interesting information. New information and even interesting information may not turn up every day. If there is nothing new or interesting to publish then the blogger should publish nothing. Lackluster information is a sure way to kill a blog. A few boring blog posts can turn readers away and it’s very hard to get them back once they’re gone.

Boring the reader is not the biggest danger of a dull blog; brand damage is. A bad blog is likely to do more damage to a brand than any other marketing medium, because of the intimate nature of the interaction. Customers tend to trust what they read on a company’s blog more than they trust conventional advertising. They may even ridicule an advertisement, yet still buy the company’s products, but if the blog’s content is dull and uninspiring, customers take that much more seriously.

Hire a professional if necessary

This raises a “Catch 22” situation. Aware of the dangers, some business owners feel that their company produces too little new information to justify starting a blog. The problem with that approach is that these days most people expect a blog and are often frustrated or even suspicious when they don’t find one. One solution is to employ professional writers to produce interesting content. They’re easy to find and are usually very affordable. Good blog writers can produce snappy, interesting articles for any kind of business. The business owner can add the latest company news as it arises to keep the blog current. Customers often add their own comments to the blog posts that they find interesting, stimulating further responses that lead to on-going positive interactions focused on the company, its products and services.

A blog can be a powerful business device and a great tool for enhancing an existing online marketing strategy. A well thought out blog can boost customer loyalty, attract new customers and generate extra sales. Poorly planned however, it can turn potential customers away and actually do harm to a company’s brand identity. The key to a successful blog is good quality content that is both interesting and relevant.