I often hear business people make the comment, “I already have a website, I don’t really need a blog too.”
It’s a fair statement and addressing it requires you to really understand the difference between your blog and your website.
First of all, depending upon the platform you used to build your company website, you may be able to incorporate a blog into it. In fact, you may have already have a built-in blog without knowing it. But functionally, here’s the difference:
Your Company Website
This is basically your online brochure. You’ll use the pages of your website to describe your company’s function, industry, strengths, products, and services. Typically, once you build your company website you won’t need to make too many changes. Maybe a few times a year you’ll want to update a page or two unless you alter your product line or add/subtract services.
Your company site is where you’ll have your contact page, directions to your location, your bio, your photo, and detailed information about everything you do. You may even incorporate a video that tells the story of you or your company. It’s your digital storefront. In a nutshell, it’s about YOU.
Your Blog
In contrast, your blog is an interactive tool designed to engage your audience with compelling and interesting content. Your blog is not about you, but rather about your target audience. Blog content is written to attract visitors by providing them with answers to the problems and questions they are already asking themselves.
A blog is structured in a way that makes it very easy to update and add new content on a regular basis. In addition, however, blog posts allow for the easy insertion of keywords into titles, URL’s, heading, tags, and descriptions. This makes them very favorable with the search engines.
Getting your content found online is an important aspect of any online marketing campaign. Since search engines like fresh, updated, relevant content. This is something you can regularly add to your blog without having to change the format and structure of the entire site.
Perhaps the most appealing aspect of a blog, however, is the fact that it gives you the opportunity to interact with your audience. You can pose questions, ask for feedback, and build rapport with potential clients and customers who are not ready to buy today, but who may be perfect buying candidates for your business in the near future.
The basis of any winning online marketing program is to maintain regular contact with your customer base and referral partners. However, too many business owners do this with a barrage of self-promoting propaganda. Utilizing a blog to provide that audience with value is how you convert web visitors into future sales.
A final word…
Blogs will only work for you if you work for them. It takes consistent effort over a sustained period of time to reap the benefits of blogging and social media. The biggest mistake bloggers make is giving up too soon. If you want a winning blog, plan on adding new content weekly, or even more often.
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