Ready for a Business Blog?
July 2nd, 2007 by 
Chris
Are you ready for a business blog?
Two posts especially caught my attention today and I thought they should be connected.
The first one I saw is from Chris Walker at Business Blogger called “Business Blog - Do You Really Need One?”. The second post is from Mike Sansone at ConverStations called “Self-Awareness Test: What’s Your Business Blog Level?”.
The Business Blogger post is certainly pro-business blog even though the title might suggest something more objective. The post drives well the idea that a business blog is a great way to inform people about your industry and your brand and create a place (your place) people visit for news and resources. I agree completely, by the way.
The great thing about having a business blog as a marketing tool is that blogs are seen as news sources and news sources can become authority sites. With a business blog you can leverage your position as a news source by discussing topics that are relative to your brand.
The post also makes the point that for those who want to start a business blog there are almost endless resources to help build traffic and readership.
Converstation’s post is a business blog readiness test to find out whether you are ready for a business blog. The test “measures” if your company is ready to have a business blog. The premise is something akin to willingness to listen. That is, if you are not ready to listen to other bloggers and your visitors, then you might not make a very good blogger. Mike, if I have not explained this well, straighten me out.
If you get a low score, you are told to “put your ear to the blogosphere.”
Ready to launch a blog for your company? What’s the first step? Listening. Before you start to publish a blog, put your ear to the blogosphere.If you believe, as I do, that blogging is a conversational tool - it’s important that you practice listening first. Before you begin publishing, I encourage you to get familiar with a few other tools.
If you get a high score, you are told to “start a business blog today!”
I got an 18 - whew!
Adding a business blog to a business website is an excellent way to add an interactive and easily updated element to a website. Generating new visitors and increasing the percentage that return is a sure way to generate more sales leads from your website - the purpose of Lead Optimize.com. Adding a business blog to your site is a good idea if you are going to manage it regularly and continually. If you (or your blog champions) lose interest, remove the blog. Blogs look “dead” much faster than regular websites.
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Posted in Using Your Site, Marketing | 
July 6th, 2007 at 5:08 am
I’m glad we’re on the same page here. Many people don’t realize the potential impact a business blog can have on their marketing efforts.
July 6th, 2007 at 9:12 am
A business blog can be a very good addition to any site. More and more potential leads are becoming immune to online advertising. A blog (with actual contributions by company employees) provides leads with a valuable and more authentic insight into the company. A must-have!
July 6th, 2007 at 9:43 am
Thanks, Nick. I am starting a list of companies that actively use business blogs so people can have a reference for examples.
July 25th, 2007 at 9:44 pm
[…] About three weeks ago I wrote “Ready for a Business Blog?” and have been looking more and more into how companies are using blogs internally to communicate with and among employees and how they are using blogs publicly to increase knowledge about their products, increase visitor engagement, and generate sales leads. […]