Can blogging benefit your business strategy?

With Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and the rest, the first social media revolution, blogging, seems as relevant as a CB radio. But can you be overlooking something by thinking blogging is a thing of the past?

Definitely.

No matter how many Facebook likes or Twitter followers you have, your business website is still the hub of your virtual business, the one that exists online. That’s where you list your products and services with detailed descriptions about what you have to offer. And most importantly, your website is how you translate online activity into dollars through a search engine optimized sales page or contact page.

So, how does blogging help there? A few ways …

• Establishing you as an expert. If you’re in the service or knowledge sectors, a weekly blog can demonstrate to the world that you know what you’re talking about when it comes to what you do every day.
• Showing off what you can do. You might blog about a recent project that your company just wrapped up, or about a new employee who brings a new skillset to what you have to offer prospective clients.
• Playing up your community interests. If your company is involved in public-service projects, for instance, blog about it. You do good for good’s sake, but remember that there are plenty of people out there who want to do business with people who go out of their way to do good things.
• Side benefit: Content for your site. Whatever you’re blogging about, once it’s on your site, it’s new, fresh content that can draw someone to your business. Whether they get there first because they specifically wanted to do business with you, or because they read something that you blogged about, the most important thing is that they’re there, and because they’re there, they can do business with you.

Tip: Don’t forget to connect your blogs to your social media so that you can get the best of both worlds – blogging and Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, whatever your preference is for getting out there.

Chris Graham is the president and CEO of Augusta Free Press LLC, a full-service website design, graphic design, video and audio and marketing firm based in Waynesboro, Va. Email him at [email protected]. More on AFP online at www.AFPBusiness.com.