There’s one common misconception many businesses are guilty of— that blogs are for sissies. I pretty much felt the same way before I committed myself to it. I used to consider it as a venue for spoiled teenagers to rant.
I’ve come a long way from that sort of thinking and I believe some online marketers have too. Now all that’s left is to turn the non-believers to absolute business blogging practitioners.
For this post, I’m going to give you a simple yet in-depth look as to how blogging can help your businesses. So if you’re one who’s yet to experience the power of this online marketing tool, then you may want to take note.
Clearing Your Misconception
Now I understand that committing yourself to daily, creative and engaging updated posts is a lot to think about. As a businessman/woman, you’d rather invest your time out there, selling your business to people directly instead of wasting your time writing on what seems to you an online diary.
What you need to realize is that blogging is not just about sharing your random thoughts and emotions to the public. Business-wise, it is about having a place for you to impart your knowledge and expertise to people who need it. So forget about the misconception, forget about marginalization. It’s all about taking advantage of an easy and effective communication tool to reach your market.
How Can Blogging Help?
In order for you to know the mechanics of business blogging, I’ve listed some of the benefits you will experience once you do it right. Here are some of them:
It introduces you to the world.
Sometimes we forget just how big the scale of the Internet is! Say for instance you’re selling customized merchandise for skateboarders in Singapore. You’ve managed to create a well-designed, cohesive and user-friendly blog about it, Once it’s up, customers all the way from California, Tel Aviv, Sydney and the rest of the world can see it.
That’s the beauty of blogging. It’s using the power of the Internet to your advantage. It is your vessel to be known by everyone, whether you’re just a start-up or an established business already. Just imagine: people from all over the world will know about you by just a few clicks!
It gives you the chance to lead.
If your competitors don’t blog, it puts you in a very, very good position. You have the edge of easy visibility, access and engagement. Compared to those who only rely on word-of-mouth recommendations, print ads and trade shows, blogging lets you have the opportunity to lead and be the trusted agent about whatever products/services you’re selling. It imposes the idea that you’re the pioneer, the tycoon, the go-to of people since you are marketing online. Wouldn’t you want to experience that kind of opportunity?
It connects you to your audience.
I’m going to break this down into three points: customer feedback, customer appreciation and employee engagement.
Let’s take customer feedback first. If you have a venue (say, a blog!) for people to let you know what they think about your products/services and how else you can improve it, customer satisfaction will be a lot easier. It’s not foreign language for anyone in the world of business to consider what their consumers have to say. After all, they are the ones who experience what you sell. So let’s never take that for granted.
As for customer appreciation, when you have a blog, you have the opportunity to make them feel special. Groupons, exclusive promos, limited offers, and customer-of-the-day contests— you name it. With a business blog, you can reach out to your audience and give back to them. The results? Happier and much more loyal customers.
Employee engagement is a good way to let your customers be introduced to the people who make your products/ services possible. When you have a blog, you can have an entire section there that shows your partners or employees. I see this as a humane, connection-drive strategy that well, works.
It lets you play out on your ideas.
Another amazing way that blogging can help your business is that you can use your site as a stepping stone to introducing new or improved products/services. When you ask your followers what they think about your most recent idea, they’ll be more than happy to give inputs. Remember, it’s your website. It’s a place for you to put whatever you want in it. So might as well use it to play out on potentials.
It manages possible crises.
There are good days and bad days in business. Bad days may include facing crises, controversies or even just very bad product reviews. Now instead of calling on to the media or calling for a press conference, you can use your blog. Set the record straight there. Be at the comfort of your own home or office. This allows you to collect your thoughts better rather than being surrounded by people who ask too many questions.
At this age where blogging is one of top sources of information in the world, you need to invest on it if you want your business to flourish. Just make sure that you commit yourself 101% and sure enough, it will pay off sooner than you think.