The simplest way to think of a blog is to compare it to keeping a journal, only it’s very public; the whole world can see it if they choose to look on the Internet and search for your company name.
Not to be intimidating, but it is important to realize that what you put out there will affect your company’s reputation. So you want to map out a plan that will work positively for you.
1. What is the ultimate goal of your blog? Is it for branding purposes, reputation management or link building and lead generation, or is it a combination of these? You must have a clear goal for your blog to reach its potential.
2. Who is the best person to write your blog? Maybe having several people from within different areas of your company contribute to your blog is the best idea; that way you can cover a wider variety of topics.
3. What will you write about? Of course, you will write about what you know – that’s what writers do. But in the world of blogging, you can also share information from other writers with links to their blogs. If you help spread information from other sources, they may share your information with their audience too.
4. How often will you blog? Consistency is important if you want readers to come back to your blog. If you blog sporadically, they will not consider you very reliable, so choose to blog on a weekly, bi-weekly, or daily basis, depending on your resources.
5. What will be your approach? All the “experts” will tell you to be sincere. I think this is a great approach for writing a blog. As a matter of fact, I think it is the best approach for life in general.
Blogging is not a difficult thing to do and the rewards can be great for your business. Let other people know what you know, and you will discover other bloggers who have good information to share with you.
Do you have any blogging tips to share with us? Leave us a comment and share what works for you.