Should you have a business blog?

A business blog is an essential component of an inbound marketing campaign. The purpose of a business blog is to publish thought leadership content in order to be viewed as an expert and increase traffic to a website. Blog posts should answer the questions that target audience members may have and provide them with information that can help guide their purchase decisions. As important as a business blog is, many companies just don’t invest the time or resources necessary to create a robust business blogging presence. Like any other marketing tactic, business blogging requires a strategy. The strategy may evolve over time, but without a strategy in place from the get go the business blog will likely falter.

As a part of a business blog strategy, here are 5 important questions to consider:
Who “owns” the blog?
Obviously the company owns the blog, but this is meant in the sense of whose responsibility it is to determine what content the blog needs and schedule and publish blog content. Ideally, this person or team will develop a content calendar to keep things organized and ensure that blog work is being done. This needs to be a prominent part of a job description. If nobody “owns” the blog and it’s just one added duty on top of many others the blog will become an afterthought.
Who will write for the blog?
This may be the person or team who “owns” the blog, but it might not be. It’s recommended that prominent figures within the company publish blog posts on a regular basis. If they aren’t comfortable writing, they can always work with a ghostwriter. The next best thing is to include interviews of these prominent figures. It puts a face and a personality to a name which establishes trust.
What content is most likely to be shared?
Publishing blog posts to keep a website fresh and active and to generate long tail inbound traffic is important, but if you want to get the most out of your posts they should be “shareable” in order to gain natural inbound links and social signals. It’s a given that posts should be well-written, interesting, and free of spelling errors but what else generates a share? It’s important to keep in mind that people browsing the web are looking for quick information. Blog posts aren’t research papers. A post that is easy to scan and includes lists, bullet points, etc. is typically more likely to be read and shared.
Am I satisfied with the look/feel of the blog?
Don’t forget about the design element of your blog. Along with the quality of the content, this plays a role in how the blog, and the company, are viewed by target audience members. It’s worthwhile to invest in a blog design that is current and modern.
Should we guest post?
The priority always needs to be your own blog. If you’ve determined that you have some additional time to spend on content writing, guest posting can be advantageous as long as you seek out the right blogs where your target audience spends time. Include a nofollowed link back to your website in an author bio section to drive traffic back to your site.

Info compliments of Nick Stimoulis

I enjoy blogging it can be fun and an outlet and a challenge but i recommend you have one. If you need to start one give me a call or e mail me at jrossini@rossini.com