That is the question. There has been a lot of hype around blogging and with the advent of blogging environments like Blogger and WordPress, just about anyone can set up a simple blog and publish.

When I am helping clients with the strategic planning of their web site marketing, I always bring up blogging. Sometimes, the client looks at me timidly and asks, what is a blog? No need to be shy, it's a good question. Blog is both a noun and a verb, a thing and an act. Blog the noun is short for Web Log. In its most rudimentary form it is a diary, or a series of entries, usually displayed in reverse chronological order (newest entries on top). There are all kinds of blogs, from politics (often acerbic) to personal diaries to particular subjects of interest to business information. You are reading a blog entry right now. By writing this, I am blogging. Some blogs allow for readers to comment on the entry.

While blogging is a great outlet for those who want to share their thoughts on a favorite avocation, my concern here is how blogging can help your web site and your business be more successful. There are some real advantages to blogging for those willing to invest the time and effort (yes, there is an investment, more on that later).

Blogging is a lot like regular exercise. If you do it right and you do it consistently, there can be wonderful benefits in a variety of areas. But it does require discipline, a little time, and some basic writing skills. Here are some of the benefits to blogging:

• A blog that is part of your web site and updated on a regular basis helps keep the site fresh. New content added to a web site on a regular basis gives your audience a reason to keep coming back, and search engines tend to give preference to web sites that are regularly updated.
• A blog that is part of your web site and features your commentary and perspective on your industry helps to establish you and your company as an expert in your field. This is a good thing!
  
• Blogs that allow comments on entries posted (comments can be moderated) provide a forum for discussion between you and your audience.
  
• Blogs that develop a degree of popularity may be referenced by other bloggers. This has a subset of benefits, such as potential increased traffic as well as providing those inbound links that search engines use to determine your site's popularity.
• Blogging can help you refine your business message and talking points. There is nothing like writing (except maybe public speaking) to help you deliver the story of your business more eloquently.
• If you blog on a regular basis you can reference this content in periodic email newsletters to help build your blog audience.

Now for the flip side. Like exercise, blogging takes commitment and work. In order to be truly effective, a blog should be updated regularly, preferably on a set schedule. It requires thought (but if you think about your business all the time this should not be an issue). And it requires some writing skills. However, like exercise, you may stumble a few times at first, but with practice your writing skills and discipline will improve. At some point, you will actually like blogging!

Unfortunately, there is a possibility that the reality of your schedule or other factors means you just don't have the time or resources to commit to a blog. If this is a case, consider a ghost writer. If someone in your organization can't take the job, there are resources available that can contact you once a week or so to get some background information for your blog, compose it, present it for review, and then post the approved content. You get the benefits of above without the direct effort. Wouldn't it be great if we could hire someone to exercise for us?

So the question, to blog or not to blog? The answer depends on your individual circumstances, your type of industry, and your commitment. For those that want to try the blogosphere, we are here to help!

Labels: Blogs, Business Resources, Marketing