In earlier posts, we have established the case for content based marketing and have outlined some key principles behind creating effective content.
Here are some guidelines to help establish one of the most successful content tools you will encounter; business blogging.
Blogging is in the top two or three most successful tools for marketers. Business blogging has gone mainstream. It is no longer the preserve of tech geeks and loony conspiracy theorists peddling their views on exactly how the world is going to end, or how Big Brother is watching your every move!
Blogging is particularly powerful in the early stages of the buyer's journey, in unsettling prospects from the status quo, troubling them about their business, demonstrating that there is a better, more effective or efficient way to deal with a particular issue facing their industry sector. Blogging is a great way to put a human face on your company. It is interactive, people comment on your thoughts and opinions, a dialogue ensues and you are creating a community of individuals and (hopefully) prospects that you are influencing. That is an exchange that is creating real value to your prospect and indeed to your own organisation. It is an excellent way to gauge the pulse of the market.
However many organisations fear committing to a blog and in some cases with good reason. There are challenges that need to be recognised and dealt with.
This may all sound too hard and too daunting, yet if you do nothing else in your content strategy, you should commit to a business blog. There are many firms like g2m Solutions who provide content services to establish and get your blog going. For larger organisations in more complex environments we recommend and work with sophisticated integrated blogging solutions such as InnoBlog from US based Innogage http://www.innogage.com/products.html#innoblogs.
Consider Business Blogging as a core component of your content strategy, which in turn is vital to your ability to attract buyers to your organisation and its offerings. Keep your content focused on the single most important constituent: The Buyer.