Why would a company need a blog?
April 8, 2009 6:06 PM Subscribe
Why would a company need a blog?
What benefits would a company receive by having a blog?
What benefits would a company receive by having a blog?
You feel more connected with a company when its CEO tells you "personally" through his/her blog the press release in human language.
posted by SirStan at 6:15 PM on April 8, 2009
posted by SirStan at 6:15 PM on April 8, 2009
A blog:
* can be a versatile marketing tool
* makes the company seem more human
* makes it easy to keep customers informed about important changes
* can be used for knowledge transfer within the company and to partners
* can be a powerful tool for bottom-up innovation and feedback gathering
* allows the company to comment on current trends, the industry, competitors, etc
posted by Foci for Analysis at 6:18 PM on April 8, 2009
* can be a versatile marketing tool
* makes the company seem more human
* makes it easy to keep customers informed about important changes
* can be used for knowledge transfer within the company and to partners
* can be a powerful tool for bottom-up innovation and feedback gathering
* allows the company to comment on current trends, the industry, competitors, etc
posted by Foci for Analysis at 6:18 PM on April 8, 2009
A company's website is typically filled with marketing and sterile speak about what they do and who they are. A blog conveys that by showing the more personable side of people, and allows a company to demonstrate their abilities through a different medium.
For instance, my company has the standard "hey this is what we do" site, but we keep a blog called HTMList that's not written for our customers or clients--it's written for others in the dev community.
We still want our customers to see it, though, so we feature it prominently on our site. Even if they don't understand a word of it, it still has the desire effect: customers get that we know our stuff.
I can tell you I know my stuff. I can show you in case studies. But when you see me talking about it in detail in a blog, you get a better feel for it.
It also humanizes an organization—you feel connected to them and the people behind it. We tell all of our clients that no matter what industry you're in, you should maintain a blog and post to it relatively regularly.
Finally, it helps a great deal in boosting your SEO results. Because keyword spamming your own site is only so effectively, and because most of a typical corporate site is static content, the blog helps by bringing about change, which is a nice SEO boost, and by introducing tangential keywords and search results you might not have been discovered for otherwise.
posted by disillusioned at 6:21 PM on April 8, 2009
For instance, my company has the standard "hey this is what we do" site, but we keep a blog called HTMList that's not written for our customers or clients--it's written for others in the dev community.
We still want our customers to see it, though, so we feature it prominently on our site. Even if they don't understand a word of it, it still has the desire effect: customers get that we know our stuff.
I can tell you I know my stuff. I can show you in case studies. But when you see me talking about it in detail in a blog, you get a better feel for it.
It also humanizes an organization—you feel connected to them and the people behind it. We tell all of our clients that no matter what industry you're in, you should maintain a blog and post to it relatively regularly.
Finally, it helps a great deal in boosting your SEO results. Because keyword spamming your own site is only so effectively, and because most of a typical corporate site is static content, the blog helps by bringing about change, which is a nice SEO boost, and by introducing tangential keywords and search results you might not have been discovered for otherwise.
posted by disillusioned at 6:21 PM on April 8, 2009
My employer uses its blog to put out press releases, announce upcoming events and point to news coverage which mentions us.
I work for a nonprofit, but most corporate blogs that I've seen seem to be more or less comparable, post-wise.
posted by box at 7:08 PM on April 8, 2009
I work for a nonprofit, but most corporate blogs that I've seen seem to be more or less comparable, post-wise.
posted by box at 7:08 PM on April 8, 2009
In general, it seems like it's just because blogs are the New Hot Thing according to the media, and someone in their corporate office said "hey, why don't we get in on that?"
posted by Kellydamnit at 7:36 PM on April 8, 2009
posted by Kellydamnit at 7:36 PM on April 8, 2009
A company would want a blog for the same reasons they would build an email list--to stay in contact with prospects so they don't forget the company exists.
Multiple contacts are often necessary before someone decides to buy. One way to make these contacts is to send out emails, such as an email newsletter, but that can seem spammy and get lost in the mailbox clutter.
A regularly updated blog provides multiple contact points that seem less spammy, and a blog that welcomes comments feels more like a conversation. A blog with interesting posts and comments also makes your site more sticky, which means customers spend more time interacting with your company, which makes them more likely to think of you when they need your service or product.
I have a business blog instead of an email newsletter. I use the blog to provide information that my prospects find useful, plus I post an occasional product or seminar announcement. The blog is my main source of new customers and gets far more traffic than my static site.
About a third of my blog readers subscribe to my posts through email, so the line between email list and blog readership is blurry. But the emailed posts contain links that people use to post comments, so while the delivery is through email, the interactivity still occurs.
posted by PatoPata at 8:10 PM on April 8, 2009
Multiple contacts are often necessary before someone decides to buy. One way to make these contacts is to send out emails, such as an email newsletter, but that can seem spammy and get lost in the mailbox clutter.
A regularly updated blog provides multiple contact points that seem less spammy, and a blog that welcomes comments feels more like a conversation. A blog with interesting posts and comments also makes your site more sticky, which means customers spend more time interacting with your company, which makes them more likely to think of you when they need your service or product.
I have a business blog instead of an email newsletter. I use the blog to provide information that my prospects find useful, plus I post an occasional product or seminar announcement. The blog is my main source of new customers and gets far more traffic than my static site.
About a third of my blog readers subscribe to my posts through email, so the line between email list and blog readership is blurry. But the emailed posts contain links that people use to post comments, so while the delivery is through email, the interactivity still occurs.
posted by PatoPata at 8:10 PM on April 8, 2009
Traffic, primarily. Obviously it will do some of the normal marketing things that are just press releases or event announcements anyway. But a good blog will be interesting and relevant to the company's content -- probably the single best example is Signal vs. Noise, by 37signals. At best, a blog will develop its own community and have an ongoing marketing "conversation".
Cynically, yes, many of them exist because it just seems more accessible than "> Press releases". Or because a usability consultant told them to link one off the main page, but they only update it every third moon. The existence of bad examples does not negate the good ones, though.
posted by dhartung at 9:28 PM on April 8, 2009
Cynically, yes, many of them exist because it just seems more accessible than "> Press releases". Or because a usability consultant told them to link one off the main page, but they only update it every third moon. The existence of bad examples does not negate the good ones, though.
posted by dhartung at 9:28 PM on April 8, 2009
So you don't have to answer the phone a gazillion times when something of interest to everyone happens.
My last "Residential Management" company sorely needed one. Example: When the trash guys failed to come by on pickup day, guess what? Everyone in the community, several hundred families, wanted to know What the F, and when they would come so we could bring the cans back in from the street without fear of missing the pickup. THAT is info you should be able to look up on a blog after the first person calls in. But no, I had to call, and the person who answered was expecting it. What a waste of time for that person.
posted by ctmf at 9:45 PM on April 8, 2009
My last "Residential Management" company sorely needed one. Example: When the trash guys failed to come by on pickup day, guess what? Everyone in the community, several hundred families, wanted to know What the F, and when they would come so we could bring the cans back in from the street without fear of missing the pickup. THAT is info you should be able to look up on a blog after the first person calls in. But no, I had to call, and the person who answered was expecting it. What a waste of time for that person.
posted by ctmf at 9:45 PM on April 8, 2009
To focus on various niches in your company. To show off the interesting things people inside and outside your company are doing with your product. Though sometimes I think its possible to go overboard (Autodesk has a blog for nearly every product, plus other specialized things like their programming interface).
Having a blog is one thing, but updating it regularly with (hopefully compelling) content is mandatory, otherwise its just like those static pages on your website that get looked at by the user once and thats it.
posted by SirOmega at 11:33 PM on April 8, 2009
Having a blog is one thing, but updating it regularly with (hopefully compelling) content is mandatory, otherwise its just like those static pages on your website that get looked at by the user once and thats it.
posted by SirOmega at 11:33 PM on April 8, 2009
Certain companies definitely benefit by having a blog. For example, a company that sells organic produce can show the progress of its crops, demonstrate they are cared for, and show what the fruits, herbs and vegetables look like as the season progresses.
posted by Piscean at 12:06 PM on April 9, 2009
posted by Piscean at 12:06 PM on April 9, 2009
A blog maintained on a weekly (or greater) basis is 52 chances a year to get your message right.
posted by Muffy at 3:36 PM on April 9, 2009
posted by Muffy at 3:36 PM on April 9, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by nitsuj at 6:11 PM on April 8, 2009