Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, chances are you read and subscribe to a blog or two.  If you run a business, you’ve probably heard or perhaps even been advised by some young whipper-snapper at your company to start a corporate blog. Maybe you did some research or consulted with your peers, but still aren’t fully convinced starting a company blog is worth your time and resources.  Perhaps you’ll change your mind when you consider the following reasons to start a corporate blog:

Blogging Improves Your SEO

Google and other search engines love new and fresh content.  If you’re a static brochure-like site with only a handful of pages it will be hard, even impossible, for you to reach the ranks and search results you desire.  By blogging, you’re adding more pages for search engines to index, increasing the number of keywords you’ll be found for and drive more new visitors to the site everyday.

Educate Your Customers So That You Could Focus on Sales and Service

These days, we do most of our research online.  Even if we get a recommendation from a friend, we will inevitably go online afterwards to find more information.  Educate your customers when they visit your site so that when they call you for an appointment, you could focus on sales and service.  I am not talking about boasting about your product and how it will blow the competition out of the water.  Ignore the urge to mention your products in every single post. For example, if you sell Espresso machines, you can teach your customers about different types of coffee, how to remove coffee stains, etc.

Blogging Helps Build Trust

Let’s face it, we’re more comfortable doing business with those who we know and trust. On his blog, Dave Fleet commented on the issue of blogs as trust builders:

Blogs don’t build trust. Genuine people, writing like themselves rather than machines, writing useful, authentic content rather than just messages, build trust.

I couldn’t agree more.  Creating a blog will not instantly make the public trust you.  Like building trust in the real world, you need to show genuine interest in connecting with your audience, be genuinely helpful, transparent and honest.  Be human and help me relate to you. And blogging is one of the best online platforms to help you do this.

Start and Lead the Conversation

Would you rather be on the sidelines or in the game?  Blogging provides you with a unique online opportunity to start conversations.  By writing compelling content you can start conversations and attract an audience from around the world, not just your neighbourhood.

Your Competitors are Blogging

I absolutely despise using this as a reason to blog.  But I can’t stress it enough, your competitors are doing it! And I bet, if they are doing it right, they are generating more online traction than your company.  But don’t fret, if your competitors are doing it, you can do it better.  Google wasn’t the first to do Search, they just did it better.  Same thing with Apple, they weren’t the first to do mp3s, they also just did it better.

Your Online Hub

Forget about facebook or Google+ branded pages as your online hub.  Your blog must be the hub of all your online activities. Tie all your other social networks to it. This is where you’re going to direct your audience to, this is where you’ll connect with them, share your expertise with and build trust with them.  And if you do it right, they will become your customers and ambassadors. You have more control over what happens on your blog than any other online social network.  From design to content to where the conversation with your audience goes.

Display Your Talents

Use the blog to display your team’s talent and expertise. Your audience wants to know what you do and what you’re good at.  If you’re a new kid on the block, use blogging to showcase your talented team and their skills.  And you don’t even have to stick to work related skills.  Maybe you got an avid mountain climber, or a cyclist.  Celebrate their successes and stories on your blog.  Not only will this humanize your company, but also help others relate to you. And one of the first things we learn in Sales 101, “People buy from People Who Are Like Them.”

Lead Generation

Lead generation is the sum of all reasons above. It all helps you generate leads, and at a lower cost. According to Hubspot’s State of Inbound Marketing 2010 Report many businesses recognize the value in blogs and social media.  It is evident in the share of their marketing budgets and % of leads inbound marketing generates.