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With the advent of Twitter and similar 'micro-blogging' websites, the lowly blog seems to have become a little unfashionable of late. With Facebook ever popular, blogs come across as a little one dimensional with not enough interactivity. So is this the end of the blog as we know it? Advantages of blogsCreating content is the hard part, but lets not forget that blogs are very simple to set up these days. Free blogging software has got to a point where accounts can be set up in minutes and are structured to already be SEO friendly. Blogs allow you to expand past simple service and product information on your website. Valuable additional content means you are more likely to be found on Google. With blog posts being easy to share and comment on, the massive uptake of social media platforms means good content will get linked to as well. A blog provides an opportunity for far more awareness and exposure. By introducing opinion to what you do, your company can form a stronger bond with current customers and public at large. Undoubtedly, the human element always helps to build trust. You may even receive valuable feedback you may not have got before starting a corporate blog. The disadvantagesThe beauty of Twitter is you can only write a sentence or two at max. This makes content generation easy, whereas on a blog you should be writing at least a few paragraphs. Writing content can be hard work, being difficult to keep it interesting. The argument would be, if you have nothing interesting to say, it's probably best not to say anything! Obviously introducing opinion does have its issues. It's important to uphold company values and beliefs. Controversy may increase exposure, but know where to draw the line. Always try to back up opinion with data or quotes. So, should I bother?As with many strategies under the umbrella of Online Marketing, we would recommend trying everything. A blog takes time to maintain, but it only takes one great post to suddenly gain huge exposure. You will often find content can be used elsewhere, such as in an e-newsletter or press release. Blogs can work in partnership with Twitter too, with your Twitter entries linking to an expanded version in your blog. How can I increase blog exposure?Waiting for people to follow your blog isn't terribly pro-active. The first thing to do is use existing marketing mediums to inform your customers and other interested parties that it exists, if appropriate.. Social media websites such as Digg and Reddit allow you to submit your blog posts. With millions of users, your entry can be picked up and shared. This is where the word of mouth potential really starts. It's important to interact with other bloggers too. If they are so kind to link to a post, then you should find a way to comment on theirs. By having a number of people as dedicated fans, you can take advantage of exposure from their own network. Another great way of gaining blog exposure is through syndication. Are there any industry e-newsletters that you could offer your content to? If they provide a link back, you might get some additional followers for relatively little work. Running competitions or giveaways is a sure-fire way of getting your blog spread across the internet. Although this may not boost long-term exposure, it could at least generate back links for your blog.
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