Blogs are the most versatile of online platforms when it comes to publishing business level content. Cultivating a blog can deliver immediate and long-term value which can be measured in a number of ways. Blogs are appropriate to most B2C, and probably all B2B organisations.
The business features of a blog are hard to go past:
- Blogs have simple and self-contained content management systems (CMS) – only low level training is required to publish, edit or delete a post.
- Blog posts can incorporate all media types: text, images, video and audio.
- A blog’s visual elements can be fully customised to reflect an organisation’s branding livery.
- All blog posts are automatically indexed by Google, able to be served in standard search results for years to come.
- Visitors can ask questions or leave comments on your posts that can be responded to by the blog owner.
- Comments on posts are easily moderated whenever ready.
- When integrated to your website as a sub-domain or sub-directory a blog serves as a magnet for qualified search traffic to your primary web property.
- Past posts within a blog are quickly discoverable by visitors by browsing categories, tags, searching on keywords or viewing ‘related posts’.
- Visitors can opt to subscribe for email notification of new posts, or to new comments on any post.
- It’s easy to generate permanent URL’s (permalinks) to specific posts – great for sending to customers or clients for pre or after-sales service support.
- Hyperlinks can be inserted within a post to cross-reference other blog posts or website pages.
- Nobody but the blog owner can mine the content, its traffic or subscribers. The blog is fully controlled by the owner and not a third party.
- No third party advertising.
- Google Analytics can be hooked in to measure which topics are generating the most interest, and which posts are contributing to leads or sales.
- All posts are directly sharable to the major social media platforms by others.
Image by zigazou76