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SHOULD A BLOG BE PART OF YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION?
January 2006
Blog was the unavoidable buzzword of 2005 and it will be knocking on your door in 2006.
A blog is a frequently updated journal containing news, opinions, information, web links, or ideas. Blogs have been around for a few years, and business have started using them to connect with customers.
Adding a blog to your current site is a simple process with the Yahoo! Small Business integration with professional blogging tools WordPress and Six Apart. So, you can start a blog in a few simple steps, but before you hit "Go," Consider whether a blog can help your business generate new revenue.
Blogs can benefit your business by helping you start a dialogue with customers that you can't have over a static web site. Consider the following benefits:
Reaching Out
Since the very beginnings of commerce, word of mouth has been a key motivator in developing interest in products or services. If you were in the market for a new car, you might ask someone you know about their make and model. Word of mouth drives businesses and services in so many ways. Use your blog as a tool to carry on a conversation about products and services at the convenience of you and your clients. You can also use your blog to recommend products and services offered by other businesses, and hopefully they'll do the same for you.
Generating Buzz
Using your blog to introduce a new product line or service will serve as a great way to generate buzz-when the reader has time to pay attention to what you are saying. When someone reads your blog, they are essentially giving you a piece of their valuable time. An added side effect is that as your blog grows and generates more traffic, your relevancy rankings for search engines will also increase.
Getting Feedback
The key to a successful business is not only generating new clients, but maintaining the satisfaction of your current clients. The opinions, input, and experiences of your current customers are extremely valuable, as they help your company tailor products and services to fit the customers needs-and keep them buying your product. Use your blog as a sounding board of sorts, allowing customers to offer input, offer suggestions, or even share experiences about your products. Your blog will make feedback exponentially easier for your customers.
Although maintaining blogs is still a new concept for businesses, a few best practices have been