The world has officially gone blogging mad and to prove it I’m writing a blog about a blogging. Have I said blogging to much already?
The truth is, Weblogs (as they were originally known) are nothing new and the word ‘blog’ is now very much a part of our everyday vocabulary. There are hundreds of millions of them out there in the blogosphere covering anything and everything from fashion, cupcakes and travelling, written by a wide variety of people from stay-at-home mums to high-flying social media gurus. Blogging has completely revolutionized the way in which we interact with people and the internet and by understanding how a blog could add value to your business, we think you could be tempted to jump on the bandwagon too.
Search Engine Optimising- It’s no secret that blogs are great for boosting your SEO ranking. With regular posts, categorised content and key-word placement your blog should, over time, become well indexed with Search Engines and have you ranking highly.
Social Media Marketing- Blog it, Tweet it, Facebook it. At its best social media acts as a viral platform and ideal channel for you to widely distribute information. With a simple click of a button your blog can be shared and spread across the net like wild fire meaning it will reach a much larger audience.
Brand building- A blog gives your business / service a voice, so build upon your brand by using your voice wisely. Make sure your blogs are content relevant, consistent and deliver the message, image and promise of your brand each time. As traffic to your site increases and you gather a base of loyal followers you will create more and more brand awareness. Blogs will not transform your business / service over-night but, the long term effects will ensure that your brand becomes established.
Build a community- Blogs are a great way of developing relationships and building trust with your audience. Keeping your site live and updated with fresh content will stimulate your users, and in turn see them return to your site. Having a comment section on your blog can also give the user a sense of involvement and provide a great vehicle for feedback and user participation. Encourage them to join in, ask for questions and opinions in an effort to promote comments and always remember to follow up them up.
Media & PR- Chances are if you are running a blog you will not only rate highly above your competitors, but you will also stand out to the media and journalists looking for a brand with identity. Blogging is an easy, cost effective platform that can get your brand noticed by millions of internet users as well as people in the industry.
Low cost- Setting up a blog doesn’t cost very much (if anything) and maintaining one costs only your time. With a dating site already up and running you’re on the right path to setting up a blog. You’ve got your niche, you’ve got your subject matter and you’ve got your audience. The next key thing to remember are the three main principles behind blogging which are known as the three C’s- Create, Communicate, Connect. Make sure you create content that is punchy and relevant to your audience to effectively communicate and maximize your message, which will in turn help your users engage and connect with your brand values.
So what are you waiting for? Put fingers to keypads and start making a blog work for you!
Amy Loudon, Partner Team Assistant.