by Rob McVey

Blogging for Business

If one of your business goals for this year is to update your website, but you’re not quite sure what to change first, the layout, the content, or the search engine optimisation, then why not go for all three at once by adding a blog!  If you still think of blogs as a format for celebrity gossip or political rants, then think again.  Blogging is expected to be one of the hottest trends for business websites in 2010 and here in MJR’s very own blog, we explain the reasons why.

As every high street retailer knows, changing the layout or window of a shop is one of the most effective ways of bringing in customers and encouraging them to buy.  Simply changing the way goods are displayed on the shelf can make regular customers see something new, while an interesting and attractive shop window is such a boost to profits that many shop managers are encouraged to change their displays as many as 3 times a week.

And this idea applies just as much to your business website as it does to high street shops.  Think of the homepage as the shop window, enticing potential customers to browse deeper into the rest of the site.  On the web, you also get the added bonus that new content will place your website higher up search engine results pages, driving more traffic to your website, and more potential new customers for your business!

So why is the blog the ideal way to add new and relevant content to your site?  Well, the beauty of the blog is that you can update it as often as you like, whenever you have something you want to share.  There are no rules or structure to follow, so you could include a video, pictures, a few lines of text, or a 3000 word essay. It really is up to you to decide what you think your customers will want to read about.

Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

• provide updates on your latest product range
• answer common customer enquiries
• write about your industry’s latest hot topic
• paint the human side of your business with a “day in the life” feature on your newest staff member
• write a profile of one of your customers – this is a great way of not only showcasing your own services to potential new customers, but also creating goodwill with your existing ones by providing them with free advertising.

If you can create an interesting and informative blog its marketing potential can snowball as readers start telling their friends about it, or posting links on their own blogs, and new customers find your site while searching for a related topic.

With more and more of us spending more time with our computers than with other human beings, blogs are giving some personality back to our web experience, allowing us to connect with each other once again.  Don’t miss out on the opportunity to communicate with your customers.  Contact MJR today to find out how we can add a blog to your website.

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