Why Blog

Blogging was introduced by a student from Swarthmore College named Justin Hall in 1994, since then blogging has evolved from only a few to over 112 million active blogs by the end of 2008 according to Technorati. Today even presidents or potential wannabe presidents have blogs to inform potential voters of their platforms and agendas. As for the people who read blogs how about a whopping 346 million blog readers globally, now that a target audience worth thinking about.

Why should a Company Blog?

There are many potential reasons for a company to get involved in blogging, but first you have to understand that blogs are a form of media, just like video, print, audio or a presentation. Blogs, if done correctly can deliver results. Below are just a few reasons a company should consider blogging.

• Customer Relationships
• Media Relations
• Internal Collaboration
• Knowledge Management
• Recruitment
• Test Idea or products
• Rank High in Search Engines

Customer Relationships: In a forum where you are not selling anything, blogging will give you a better personal relationship between you and your clients. It's a great way to provide tips and insights or receive feedback.

Media Relations: It a smart idea to create a blog so the media can regularly check up on what you have to say instead of being the recipients of the boring press releases.

Knowledge Management: Blogs are an easy way for the readers to find information and resources they want or need, also blogging could be considered on the job learning.

Recruitment: Blogs help portray your company as a thought leader and good potential employees who are searching can read your blog and see what you have to say and chances are good that you will attract them.

Test Ideas or products: Blogs are informal, it can be a place where people can comment, and the blog can provide you with a measure of value. Publish an idea and see if it generates interest.

Rank High in Search Engines: This is perhaps the most important reason for getting into blogging, Google and other search engine reward sites that are updated often and that link to other sites and most importantly, that has many inbound links. Blogging will boost your ranking.

Tips to improve your company Blog

These are my 5 suggestions for making a company blog better, after all if no one is reading your blog it's not beneficial to anyone.

1. Write Interesting Articles in your line of Business: What people really want is, to read blog posts that are interesting and relevant to your business, things that they normally do not see or know. Things that your company is good at.
2. Make It Easy to Promote your Blog: Once you're posting interesting articles make it easy to share with others who read blogs on the internet, particularly on Social Sites. Including just one "re-tweet" button or a facebook link can drive tons of traffic to your blog.
3. Introduce your staff and show some Personality: Don't hide behind a user name of admin; introducing the human element on a company blog can be really effective in terms of relationship building and marketing in general. You will find that readers with then began to bond with you and your company on a more personal level.
4. Be Active in Your Corporate Blog: Set a timetable on how often you are going to update your blog and stick to it. Readers will become accustom to your posting schedule and know when to check back for more information. If you don't update it regularly then you will lose readers.
5. Respond Quickly to comments made by Readers: If a reader posts a comment on your blog requesting more information, then by all means, don't keep them waiting for weeks on a response. This will cause your readers to bail ship; they will see it as lack of good customer service.

Designers and Blogging:

As a designer I think it would be good to inform your fellow bloggers about the latest trends you are working on or that have reached the market. This tells your readers that you care and seek to stay knowledgeable in your field and they can trust you to make in right choices when they do business with you. A designer can also post his latest piece of his portfolio to show work that he particularly proud of. A designers work is never done, so getting feedback on avenues that you are considering could be a very interesting topic, not only for you, but others who considering similar approaches. Staying connected and developing a good network of friends, colleagues and clients will keep your business on the right track well into the future.