SocMedDiscuss: Blogging
12:08 PM | Posted by
ZachBosch
Well, I just read two interesting articles about blogging and how it should be used in the business arena. Both articles were fairly in agreement with each other, both had some very good ideas and cautions for any small-business wanting to break in to the world of blogging. I will share my thoughts on both articles:
The first article mentioned a small-business owner named Mike. Mike approached the author, Rick Spence of the Financial Post, and asked his thoughts on starting a company blog. Rick had some very sound advice for Mike including the necessity of keeping content fresh, how difficult it may be to remain consistent for branding purposes and the fact that just because blogging is “so 2002”, doesn’t mean it can’t be an amazing marketing tool.
Fresh content is obviously a prerequisite for having a successful blog whether you are a personal blogger or blogging for a business. No one wants to read the same canned, stale crap that they’ve heard a million times over. The reason consumers visit the same blogs over and over again is because they are constantly being entertained or pulled in by one thing or another.
Consistency is key when business blogging is concerned. Consistency in style and branding in some form helps keep viewers able to relate and feel included in the conversation. Without consistency, viewers will constantly feel as though they are out in the ocean without any idea where to look for land.
Blogging being “so 2002” is actually a ‘hidden weapon’ of sorts in the social media savvy business owner’s arsenal. Many organizations these days view blogging as not worth the time or effort and hence, don’t invest the time in an online tool that could help them make the leap from ordinary to extraordinary. If a small-business owner feels they can find the time and energy to keep up with a blog, they should make the investment. If done properly, only good can come from blogging in the long-run.
The second article was written by Mary Rosenbaum of FoxBusiness. Mary provides the reader with a “checklist” of sorts on the ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ of small-business blogging. Here are a few of the points I felt were particularly interesting.
She mentions blogging as an opportunity to talk about your business in a “show” not “tell” fashion. I liked that point. Consumers are bombarded on a regular basis by businesses trying to tell them how awesome their goods or services are. A company that blogs (and is able to keep traffic high) can show their consumers how awesome they are and never have to feel like they’re ramming their agenda down the inboxes of consumers.
To go along with this last point, Rosenbaum urges business-bloggers to view their blog as a sort of “gift” to consumers.
“Don’t sell”, she says. A blog can be a free space for consumers, somewhere they can go and not feel pressured to buy anything. A blog is a place for a small-business owner to share information they find interesting or that they think their audience might find interesting.
Blogs have a very high potential, it is up to the person blogging to decide whether they will use it to its fullest capacity, or let it atrophy into nothing.
The first article mentioned a small-business owner named Mike. Mike approached the author, Rick Spence of the Financial Post, and asked his thoughts on starting a company blog. Rick had some very sound advice for Mike including the necessity of keeping content fresh, how difficult it may be to remain consistent for branding purposes and the fact that just because blogging is “so 2002”, doesn’t mean it can’t be an amazing marketing tool.
Fresh content is obviously a prerequisite for having a successful blog whether you are a personal blogger or blogging for a business. No one wants to read the same canned, stale crap that they’ve heard a million times over. The reason consumers visit the same blogs over and over again is because they are constantly being entertained or pulled in by one thing or another.
Consistency is key when business blogging is concerned. Consistency in style and branding in some form helps keep viewers able to relate and feel included in the conversation. Without consistency, viewers will constantly feel as though they are out in the ocean without any idea where to look for land.
Blogging being “so 2002” is actually a ‘hidden weapon’ of sorts in the social media savvy business owner’s arsenal. Many organizations these days view blogging as not worth the time or effort and hence, don’t invest the time in an online tool that could help them make the leap from ordinary to extraordinary. If a small-business owner feels they can find the time and energy to keep up with a blog, they should make the investment. If done properly, only good can come from blogging in the long-run.
The second article was written by Mary Rosenbaum of FoxBusiness. Mary provides the reader with a “checklist” of sorts on the ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ of small-business blogging. Here are a few of the points I felt were particularly interesting.
She mentions blogging as an opportunity to talk about your business in a “show” not “tell” fashion. I liked that point. Consumers are bombarded on a regular basis by businesses trying to tell them how awesome their goods or services are. A company that blogs (and is able to keep traffic high) can show their consumers how awesome they are and never have to feel like they’re ramming their agenda down the inboxes of consumers.
To go along with this last point, Rosenbaum urges business-bloggers to view their blog as a sort of “gift” to consumers.
“Don’t sell”, she says. A blog can be a free space for consumers, somewhere they can go and not feel pressured to buy anything. A blog is a place for a small-business owner to share information they find interesting or that they think their audience might find interesting.
Blogs have a very high potential, it is up to the person blogging to decide whether they will use it to its fullest capacity, or let it atrophy into nothing.
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1 comments:
Great job zach