Illustration by cambodia4kidsorg:Flickr.com
I was looking through a client’s non-profit website recently because she asked me to help her with her company site as well. I created the non-profit website in WordPress and set it up so that the homepage is their blog. I was dismayed to notice that their last blog post was nearly three months ago.
When I set up a client’s site I discuss the power of blogging with them. If they are not interested, I design the site without a blog, just static information that they can change whenever necessary. But when a client is highly communicative and passionate about their business, I recommend a blog.
Why Blog?
- Search engines are hungry little bots. They are tired of “eating” the same old information sitting on the web day after day and are always on the lookout for fresh material to chew on. When they find it, they determine your site to be a living, breathing entity and rank you a bit higher on search engine listings. When you have lots of new content, like blog posts that people have been clicking and reading, search bots rank your site even higher on the listings.
- Aside from search engine rankings, your blog is your most visible salesperson. It is a round-the-clock point of contact with your site visitors. A blog that entertains and is chock-filled with information draws readers. People tend to share posts that excite them; they pay it forward, so to speak. A popular blog post can make the rounds, giving your company and products visibility and branding your name. When your blog fans subscribe to your blog, they receive your new blog posts as rapidly as you can post them, further selling your brand and eventually bringing you their business.
- Your blog gives you a platform for having a conversation with your readers. They comment on your post and you reply back. You are no longer a faceless company; you are someone who listens and responds. Powerful!
How Much Blog is Too Much?
Although there is no set formula, there are some valid points worth following:
- Most visitors scan web pages rather than slowly reading them. Rather than large blocks of text, break up your content with white spaces. Uses frequent paragraphs, even after each sentence. Break down thoughts into bullet points or numbered sentences. Less is more.
- Three solid paragraphs is all you really need to write. However, if a topic is juicy and you want to relay information, keep writing. If your post gets too long, break it up into two or three separate posts that are linked together.
- Conversational English is best for blogging. Business writing is best saved for white papers.
Most of all, bring your passion into your writing and your readers will feel it and respond accordingly. You will soon agree that blogging is your most formidable tool in your marketing toolkit.
As for my non-blogging client – after our conversation, she promised to schedule a time to write her blog at least once a month. She realized that blogging allows her to communicate to her clients and prospects and build her name as an expert in her field. Quite a return for a few hours work a month!
Thank you Fern for your inspirational leadership! The concept of blogging is still new to many of us, but you have helped take some of the mystery of it away! Thanks for shinning a light down a new, positive path.
Bernice
The concept of blogging is especially well-suited for small to mid-sized businesses. Large corporations are too impersonal to used it effectively, with some notable exceptions. There is no better way to impress and engage a new prospect, in my humble opinion! So glad you share my passion for it!