Chris's Blog

How blogging can benefit you and your business

Through a blog, or online journal, any businesses can generate additional interest in their products or services and drive traffic to their website.

How so?

Blogs can help create and strengthen your brand awareness through promoting your products and people, and thereby build the image of your business in your entries.

It helps lift the page ranking of your website and makes it easier for people to find because it improves SEO (Search Engine Optimisation). Place key words, terms and phrases in blog entries, and it enhances your search engine relevance and prominence.

Companies that blog provide assurance to their customer’s that there is someone on the other end of the domain name! They project accessibility. The web is an increasingly interactive medium, a place to converse and develop relationships with customers, and not just a poster site to stick up an advertisement, brochure or summary of what you do.

A blog is an important part of customer communication, and we're currently developing strategies and blogs for a number of clients.

A couple of very different but effective businesses blogs that I really like are from opposing ends of the commercial spectrum. They are those of Mark Price, M.D. of food retailer Waitrose, and The Tin Bashers-Butler Sheetmetal Ltd, a 'small family-run sheet metal shop languishing in the backend of Lancashire' (as they describe themselves).

Click here for Mark's blog

Click here for The Tin Bashers

Click here for all our news stories
Click here to see all posts and links

Will it blend?

Healthy eating, nutrition, kitchen appliances and viral marketing. Will they blend?

Judging by the success in North America of the Blend Tec campaign, the answer has to be a resounding and healthy ‘yes’. The Blend Tec blog and videos demonstrate that bold strategies and fresh ideas really do help differentiate a product and communicate a favourable buzz about the brand on social networks.

I hadn’t heard of Blendtec-and wasn’t sure it was even for real - but taking a sounding off a friend in Toronto it seems that this machine is ‘the hummer of blenders’ according to one commentator on his niece’s blog "Jumbo Empanadas".

Company chief executive Tom Dickson blends all kinds of things in video clips that have attracted more than 2 million views on You Tube. Blend Tec's website traffic is up 650% since the videos were released, and online sales have increased five fold. Such is the power of 'viral marketing', an industry in itself forecast to be worth £30 mill in the UK by the end of this year.

See how the new iPhone blends-click here.

Why blog?

I’ve now blogged since the spring. Mostly when something has caught my eye or been pertinent, or when I’ve just wanted to say something.

Is it worthwhile? Well, everyone has different reasons. Mine are: -

1) It enables my voice to be heard

2) It enables me to express an opinion or view on topics that may interest my customers or me

3) It says this is my web address, this is my business, and this is me.

4) And very selfishly, it improves my Google rank because my content changes frequently, there are external links etc

Generally, people can get to know me a little.

I tend to be selective about reading other blogs-preferring to subscribe to RSS feeds than search on Technorati and others.

However, it amazes me how much some people are blogging. Many writing several entries a day. To such an extent that I wonder if business bloggers hold down regular jobs, or they get any work done? The Economist reckons that some are making a living from it.

And is the business blogsphere really about thought-leadership, generating more business and WOM (Word of Mouth) marketing?

The jury is still out I fear.