Mike Allton
When I mention to a business client that their new website can have a blog, I'm often asked, "what would I use a blog for?" Most of us have seen how individuals might use a blog as an online journal of their lives - a place to vent and talk about what's important to them - but how does a business use a blog to actually benefit the business?
Here are a variety of ways that a business can make great use of a blog format.
Source: http://www.thesocialmediahat.com/article/6-business-uses-blog
If you ever receive questions about your business or industry, either direct or implied, you can answer those questions in your blog. You simply start by posting the question, leaving out who asked it of course, and then answer it.
If you just completed a large or interesting project, or simply have something nice or compelling to say regarding a specific client, use your blog to share. It's a great way to illustrate how you might handle a specific project or even a challenge. Be sure to get the client's permission before you post your entry.
If you read an article in the newspaper or some other online source that you think your customers should read, post a link to it in a blog entry and explain why you think it's relevant to your clients. Conversely, you could also use this method to respond to negative press your business or industry may receive online.
Regularly take a topic or issue from your industry and teach your clients all about it. This method involves a little more work on your part, but is eventually even more rewarding and compelling than others.
A particularly common technique is to make lists. You can list anything you want, anything that might be interesting to your clients, and talk about each list item for a moment before moving on to the next. An easy topic might be Do's and Dont's for your clients as I'm sure nearly every business has common pitfalls that their clients struggle with, as well as things every new client should be doing. List.ly is obviously ideally suited to assist with this technique.
Use your blog to talk about and announce upcoming events and conferences, if it's something you think some of your clients may want to attend or be interested in. If it's a conference for vendors like yourself, then talk about it afterwards and share some of the things you learned that might prove valuable to your customers.
We are on the cusp a new era in global sourcing. A wave of technology has made it easier for consumers to shop all channels, at all times, and has eroded brand loyalty. Major retailers have responded by increasing their private offerings and taking more control of their sourcing.
Content Marketing Practitioner. SiteSell CMO. HootSuite Pro & Author. http://owl.li/xhoK0 Specialties include #Blogging, #SocialMedia and #minestrone.
