Why your business website needs a blog

Just about everybody has a blog these days. Everyone from the teen down the street, to the stay-at-home mom and even politicians can't help but write down there thoughts and views for all to see.

If you run a business, no matter what size, did you know that a blog is not only a great addition to your website, but it can really benefit your business.

Here are three reasons why your business should jump on the blogging bandwagon today:

1. A blog helps you educate the public about your specialty. This adds value to your website, and to your brand. You are giving away valuable information for free. By doing so, you are establishing yourself as an expert and potential customers are more likely to come to you when they need your product or service.

2. A blog lets you interact with the public. We'll explore this subject in later posts, but marketing in the 21st century is a dialogue, not a speech at your customers. You should always allow comments on other posts and encourage people to comment and start discussions. This not only makes your blog more lively (and keeps readers coming back for more), but it opens the door to new relationships that you might otherwise not have found.

One common argument against opening up your business blog to comments is "What if I get a negative comment or someone criticizes my business?" My answer: So what if someone does? You will have a chance to respond, and if there is a true criticism of your business, be thankful you found out about it on a blog comment and not from some irate customer demanding his money back.

3. A blog will help to promote your business. But warned, shamelessly promoting your business in every post will have the opposite effect and will quickly turn readers away. However, a blog will help your business website get noticed through methods like search engine optimization (SEO), people sharing and linking to your posts and having a steady stream of visitors to your website to read your blog. There's nothing wrong with writing the occasional post about how your business can benefit your customers, or promoting a special discount or deal you have running, but try to give your readers something of real value with a majority of your posts.

There are many more reasons why your business website needs a blog. I only touched on three of them here. What if you have already know the benefits of a blog and have one up and running? I have some Dos and Don'ts for you that will help keep your readers coming back for years to come:

• Do use simple language in your blog posts. If you're business has it's own jargon, throw it out the window when writing on your blog. Use layman's terms. If the average reader doesn't know what the heck you're writing about, you'll lose readers at an astonishing rate.
• Do keep your paragraphs on each post short - only a few sentences each. Most people won't read long, drawn-out prose. Rather, people tend to skim most online content, so make it easy for your readers to understand each post without making them feel like they're reading a doctoral dissertation.
• Do keep your blog open for comments. Part of the appeal to blogging is that "community" aspect it offers. This will keep readers coming back for more.
• Don't neglect your blog and only make sporadic updates. Readers will become frustrated by not seeing new content and will eventually give up. Make a commitment to update your blog on a regular basis - at least a few times a week.
• Don't fill your blog with posts about your personal life. Stay on topic. Remember, your blog is supposed to add value to your website by giving your readers the benefit of your experience and expertise. They don't want to hear about the lousy blind date you went on or all-weekend drinking binge you recently had. Keep those to yourself.

The main idea to keep in mind when starting a blog for your business website is to experiment and have fun with it. Don't get discouraged if your blog isn't getting a thousand hits a day from the very beginning. It will take time to grow. Just be persistent and write good posts.