A few years back, a blog was just something that people create for themselves, Now almost all companies have their own blogs, now termed as corporate blogs.
The question remains, should small businesses maintain their own blogs as well? If you are a small business owner and this is just the second time you have heard the word blog (although that is quite hard to imagine nowadays), let us first school you in what a blog means.
A blog is just like a journal only that it is online and other people can read it.
Just like a journal each entry is properly dated, with the latest entry always the most prominent.
So what does your business get from having its own blog? A lot really, but the best one is that you can quickly inform your customers about any big events in your company.
For example, if you are launching a new product you should write a post about it in your blog.
People love to read new stuff and when they come to your blog and read that you are releasing a new product offering, they would share that info with their family and friends.
Now that's free marketing for you.
And you are aware that a blog has its comments section, right? Now that in itself makes a blog a great place where customers can reach you and you can talk back to them.
Your customers can post their comments about your business or products, either in a positive or in a negative way.
But it's all good for you because now you can easily address their concerns by replying in that comment thread.
The fact remains that a blog is and will always be a great tool for small businesses.
But it is not enough that you have a blog.
You must maintain it by always posting updates about your company, product, or service.
You must also promote it so that more of your customers can find it on the web.
And most of all you must reply to the comments made by your customers to show that you really care for them.