How Can a Blog Benefit Your Business?Today, it seems like every company is "blogging", from tiny startups to General Motors. The reasons these companies find blogging important varies greatly, and no two blogs are alike. Dooley Direct has experience in implementing a variety of blogs to meet many different business objectives. Here are a few:
Blogging for Communications. Despite the plethora of communications media - newspapers, magazines, TV and cable networks, and, of course, the Internet, it seems more difficult than ever to get a company's message out. Whether the objective is to announce an exciting new product or quell an inaccurate and potentially damaging rumor, the company's intended message may be quite different that what is eventually reported after it has been filtered, edited, criticized, etc. And, of course, sometimes the message never captures the attention of the press and doesn't get out at all.
A blog, often written by a corporate executive, a product manager, or a technical guru, can be one way to make the company's message public. That isn't to say that the author can "spin" every topic to the company's favor. Since blogs with identifiable authors are far more believable than ones created by anonymous spin doctors, the credibility of the author and the company are at stake. If every blog entry sounds like a press release, the impact will be minimal or even negative. On the other hand, if the author addresses both positive and negative topics in a forthright and honest fashion, the message will be credible and the blog may be quoted in the mainstream media, in discussion forums, and in other blogs.
Blogging for Community. While most blogs are focused primarily on the statements and opinions of the author or authors, many blogs provide an option for readers to add their own comments. Other visitors may reply not only to the original article, but to other comments When a blog develops regular readership, this comment interaction starts the formation of a web community in which the author and regular visitors "know" each other and interact on an ongoing basis.
Blogging for Content. One of the questions Dooley Direct is often asked by its search engine marketing clients is, "What can we do to improve traffic?" One key answer to that question is, "Add new content on a regular basis, daily if possible." For sites lacking a content management system (CMS), however, adding content can require editing HTML pages, altering site linkage, etc. This potentially costly and time consuming process can be avoided by using a blog to add new content. This makes adding content as simple as filling in a form. Anyone who can use a simple word processor can be a web publisher. Dooley Direct has implemented different blog software to fill a variety of content addition and management needs - here are a few ideas:
Questions & Answers. Do visitors come to your site for information and expert advice? Why not share that advice with everyone, and improve your credibility in the process? It's easy to take questions that will be useful to a range of visitors and have your expert answer them; the question and answer can be easily published to your site, helping other visitors and showcasing your expertise. New Products. Many companies have a stream of new products, and keeping the site up to date can be a chore. A blog can provide an easy way for new products to be highlighted, along with pictures, a description of key features, etc. Announcements and Press Information. Important company announcements, press releases and updates, etc. are time-sensitive information. These can be added to the site or changed instantly using blog software, insuring timeliness and relevance.
Blogging for Traffic. While increased traffic won't be primary goal of your blog in most cases, it's often a highly desirable benefit. True blogs often attract commentary in other blogs, resulting in both direct traffic and a long-term link benefit. And all blogs, even non-interactive ones, have some important benefits. Search engines detect that content is being updated more frequently, and may spider more often. And, of course, the additional content adds more search terms and combinations; often these are quite timely in nature, and generate search traffic related to current events or topics of interest. Blog software is getting more search engine friendly, but SEO firms like Dooley Direct will still alter the templates and code for optimal search performance.
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Search Engine Marketing 
