The 5 Hidden Powers of Business Blogs

By Neal Schaffer

Business blogs are becoming an increasingly common way to expand a company’s online presence.  Six months ago I asked does your business blog? According to Hubspot, the number of companies that blog has risen 17% in the last two years to represent 65% of all businesses surveyed.  That increase is not at all surprising to me.  After all, as well as improving search engine rankings, blogs can be one of the most cost-effective marketing tools available to businesses. With so much competition online, they have become a powerful channel for both developing brands and generating sales.

While blogs continue to mystify many companies who think that they are just for people expressing their personal opinions, more and more businesses are realizing the hidden powers that a business blog can provide to their sales and marketing efforts.  Even successful B2B blog case studies are beginning to appear.

If your business still hasn’t started a blog, consider the potential hidden powers that a business blog holds for your company that you might not be aware of:

1) Communicate Freely

Unlike web pages that often remain static for too long, business blogs provide a quick and convenient platform for new company information.  For providing resourceful industry information, background regarding your press releases, in-depth analysis of new product launches, promotions, or simply conveying up-to-date company news, they are an invaluable tool for many current businesses.  Especially if your website isn’t updated regularly, blogs can be a very effective means of promotion, keeping regular customers informed, and attracting new customers to your web presence.

2) Loosen Up

A business blog allows you to communicate in a more informal setting, which can help you to connect on a more personal level with your customers.  Unlike the more formal aspects of a main business website, a blog can afford to be more conversational.  Under the leadership of your social media content czar, blog writers from both within your company as well as from outside sources can write regular and diverse content that can still relate closely to your company’s philosophy and meet your fluctuating needs.

3) Boost Your Ratings

Even with a standard blog on your main website, there are many opportunities to create links to and from your site, enabling visitors to find relevant information with a single click.  This can encourage visitors to discover other relevant pages on your website, and it will also naturally help your search engine optimization.  As the blog brings in more people to your website, you have more opportunities to promote your products and services, which can convert into more sales.

4) Save Money and Time

With a regularly updated blog, you can afford to spend less money and time on expensive advertising.  Giving a worldwide audience new company information will cost very little, if anything at all.  It’s your choice whether you want the blog to be updated every day or every week.  Whatever you decide, you can be in complete control of the content and branding and feel comfortable in the fact that search engines will be indexing your content to provide potential clients new ways of discovering your company online.

5) Get Feedback

If you need to know what your average customer thinks about a new product or future company plans, surveys embedded in blog posts or simple comment boxes can provide you with immediate consumer feedback that would otherwise take weeks or months to obtain.  You can even use the blog to answer visitors’ questions.

Even though blogs are an excellent marketing tool, they do require time and management to keep them up to date, but they should not be dismissed because of the real value they can bring to almost any business.  As a tool for organic SEO, a vital link to potential customers, and a means of inexpensive, effective communication, business blogs can possess powers that are hidden to those who don’t use them.  If your company doesn’t have a blog yet, there’s never been a better time to start blogging.