A recent statistic shows that 77% of businesses have a blog – that’s great!  Sadly, 85% of those have less than five blog posts – that’s less than great.  Essentially, companies slap up a blog because they feel they “should have one” but never do anything to keep it growing and really providing a benefit to their company.  If you think about it, blogs are like plants – the more you nurture, water, talk to and pay attention to them, the healthier and more vibrant they will be, giving “oxygen” to your business (ok, so maybe we took the plant metaphor too far, but you get the idea).

It is our belief that every company should have a blog.  BUT (and that’s in blaring all capitals,) a company should only have a blog if they have a sound strategy behind it and are committed to being consistent in their blogging.  Having a well planned, well written and on-going blog can help your company to build your brand, establish your company as a leader in your field, increase your customer base and improve your sales.

But before we move on to the great things a blog can do for your business, let’s step back and take a look at why so many blogs fail.  The reasons are actually pretty basic.  70% of small businesses say that they are “unable” to keep their blog updated.  This is usually just basic bandwidth issues, and makes so much sense for a small business.  Writing can be hard, and if you don’t have a really good reason to do it, there’s always a lot of other work to be done.  So the main reasons for business blog failure are:

  • No business strategy that includes a blog
  • No prioritization of time
  • No writers on staff
  • Lack of topic ideas

Actually, the last three points should be indented under the first because if you have a sound strategy that includes your blog, you’ll be able to have the other three.  

WHY HAVE A BLOG?  REASON 1: BUILD YOUR BRAND

Your blog is in your voice.  And that’s the voice of the company.  Start with a clearly defined identity of yourself and what your brand values and brand promise are.  From there, build out your business messaging.  What are the key pain points for your customers?  What are your strengths and areas of knowledge?  How can you best (and most uniquely,) address your customers’ needs?  

One of the keys in your blog is to not make it too salesy.  Think of it as a conversation with your customers.  Share your knowledge and information, maybe a little humor.  Whatever it is that best reflects who you are and what you stand for and that will give your customers a true vision of your company.  So relax, and enjoy the conversation.

WHY HAVE A BLOG?  REASON 2: ESTABLISH YOUR COMPANY AS A LEADER

With your voice established, and keeping sales messaging out of the mix, you can use your blog to become a true educator in your field.  Help your customers to learn something new about your field.  Or learn new things about their own industries.  Be a resource that they want to keep coming back to because they know they can find interesting, quality information from you.  The more time a customer spends with you (and your blog is an extension of you/your company,) the greater the likelihood that they will conduct business with you.  And when you can provide added value beyond the services that you offer/sell then they will be wanting to spend more time with you.

WHY HAVE A BLOG?  REASON 3: INCREASE YOUR CUSTOMER BASE

Your blog can be the ultimate free promotional piece for your business.  As you build your viewership, your readers will be increasingly more likely to share the content that they find of value with their peers and co-workers.  This could include email shares, retweets, shares on FB and LinkedIn and others.  In a sense, “if you build it, they will come”.  When blog content is valuable and useful, it will build upon itself and make its way to new customers.

WHY HAVE A BLOG?  REASON 4: IMPROVE YOUR SALES

Yes, we said “don’t be too salesy”.  So given that direction, how does your blog improve your sales?  Research shows, 61% of US consumers claim that they have made a purchase based on a blog post.  Additionally, business buyers are significantly more likely to purchase or conduct business with companies that they have an established relationship with or connection to.  By creating your blog as a resource for your customers, by educating them and making your company invaluable, you are creating that connection.  But not only are businesses more likely to purchase from connections, they are also more likely to purchase more and remain customers for longer.  So having a well established blog (and strategy behind it,) can help you in both the near and distant future to  keep your business booming.

Let us know how you’re using your blog.  Or if you don’t have a blog yet, let us know why.  You can reach us at @KCMPRBUZZ.  We look forward to chatting with you soon.