Written by BBS on April 2, 2009 – 4:57 pm
It is not a question whether your company should have a blogging platform installed together with or in addition to your Web site; it’s just a matter of asking how soon you can start it.
Blogging started out as a medium for individuals to express their thoughts, make announcements, or publish their works. But now, it has gone beyond that. Prominent journalists keep their own blogs, politicians have their own sites and social networks, and most big-time and successful corporations maintain their own blogs.
Benefits of corporate blogging
To see the obvious reason you should have a corporate blog is to compare it with its “predecessor”—the company newsletter. As far as objectives are concerned, a corporate blog has the same objectives as a newsletter—to update the shareholders, the employees, investors, customers, and all other stakeholders. However, in terms of how each has accomplished their objectives, the two are definitely a mile apart.
- A newsletter does not reach as much audience as a blog can.
- A newsletter can easily be misplaced; a blog, as long as your readers know the site, will be there for a lifetime .
- A newsletter is definitely expensive to produce; a blog is almost free once the site is running.
- A newsletter is limited to static images; a blog can even include a movie or an audio file, and more .
- A newsletter encourages feedback but seldom receives them; a blog can easily accommodate feedback as soon as the reader reads the article/post.
The list can go on and on, but the winner here is clear. Consider this: There are still so many benefits that a corporate blog can do. The following are just some of them:
A blog is a lead generator. Millions of people are online in any given time—they are researching information, looking for products and services, and so forth. If you maintain a corporate blog, chances are, people will find you. You will become significantly more visible. And of course, visibility translates to leads.
A blog is also a way for companies to let their employees, investors, and customers that they are “there.” Managers and executives use blogging to share their vision, strategies, and plans (of course, without divulging trade secrets). In doing so, all stakeholders feel important—that they are being informed of the plan… that they matter.
A blog offers live and real-time interaction to its readers. A blog that attracts quality comments is a sure melting pot of new and quality ideas .
Now, if your company does not have its own corporate blog yet, it’s now time for you to consider making one!