You can bet, if it hasn’t happened already, that a business web designer, Milwaukee SEO expert, or online marketing partner is going to suggest to you at some point that you start a company blog. And whether you are contemplating one, or already have one, you might be struggling with a very common challenge: How do you keep up with your blog on a week-to-week basis, especially when you already have so much to do?
That’s an important question, and one you should answer well before your company blog is launched. That’s because having a blog in your business website is a little bit like bringing a pet home from the shelter – no matter how cute and fun the idea looks at the time, there’s a lot of care, feeding, and scrubbing coming along in your future.
Just like Sophie and Marlon on the right, your blog needs regular, bite-size chunks of content to grow into a healthy member of your online marketing family. And also like a pet, if you show it a bit of attention now and then, it will grow to love you unconditionally… and will show you that love with dozens, or even hundreds, of new potential customers stopping by to read your articles and pass them along.
Here are a handful of tips for the proper care and feeding of your company blog:
Don’t neglect your blog. Possibly the worst thing you can do to your blog is simply ignore it. Going without any posts for weeks or months at a time makes you look bad, defeats the purpose, and will cause the entire project to eventually starve and die.
Give your blog some friends. While posting articles, video clips, and other content once in a while is a good start, get more leverage out of your work by linking your blog to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. As long as you use interesting, keyword-rich posts, these social outlets will help you gain bigger exposure and increase your readership.
Remember that it’s OK to let someone else care for your blog once in a while. Just as the family dog doesn’t have to come with you on every vacation, neither does every piece of content in your company blog have to be written by you or your employees. Look into getting hired copywriters, customers, and even vendors to contribute guest posts. They’ll add a new perspective, and take some of the burden of writing off of you.
Learn to enjoy your blog’s company. As impossible as it might seem now, there may come a day when you actually look forward to posting to your company blog. Like most business disciplines, it simply requires a bit of patience and the desire to set aside enough time to finish the task each week. But after a while – and especially when you start to see online marketing results – you may even come to enjoy sharing your thoughts with the world.
A blog might be a big responsibility, but it’s one that’s well worth the effort. So, if you feel like devoting the same amount of time and energy it could take to keep a dog or a cat is worth it to find new customers and improve your search engine position, then start making plans to bring home your new business blog today.
