5 Significant Uses of a Business Blog in the Online Marketing Mix

If very large enterprises like Ford have incorporated blogging into their online marketing mix, why should a medium or small business owner think it is a waste of time or too much of a sacrifice!

Check out the most successful small business owners, most of them run effective blogs as part of their online marketing mix. Their blogs make them stand-out as a voice in their area of expertise.

Unique Advantages of a Business Blog

There are at least 5 unique advantages of a business blog that will give you a distinct edge over competitors.

1. A Business Blog Is A Proof Of Your Credibility

As powerful as a website is, remember a website is just like a modified business card – it is only larger and dynamic.

For many people, the first proof of the credibility of a website comes when the owner replies their email. With a business blog,

you are miles ahead of website owners who do not have blogs running. A business blog gives your website the human touch. Your clients or prospects (no matter how many they are) will constantly feel as if you are talking directly with them.

Your business blog is the ‘virtual you’ that is standing right before your clients, saying

there is a human being behind this virtual edifice who is working very hard to provide you with outstanding service

2. A Business Blog Brings You Out as an Expert

After a prospect has been able to verify your credibility, his or her next challenge is your expertise. Can you deliver what you promise to deliver?

Once again, your business blog will save your face before your prospect or client is able to get someone to review your quality of service. All you have to do is to constantly publish articles that will be useful for your clients.

Many business owners see this as giving away bits of their businesses. Fortunately, this is not the case at all; if you regularly publish useful articles for your audience, they will eventually pay you a fee to implement those strategies for them.

3. A Business Blog Gives Your Website the Human Voice

Aside credibility, your business blog brings character and style to your website. With the human voice in your regular tone of communication, you constantly communicate your set of values to your clients and prospects.

With a business blog, you can continuously communicate your personal opinion and ideas to your prospects and clients. A small business owner can subtly draw in the interest of prospects in the products he or she is offering with the set of articles on the blog.

4. A Business Blog Increases the Source of Traffic to Your Website

Instead of relying solely on the 20 or less pages on your website to get traffic to your business, regularly publishing fresh contents through a business blog is a great way to call the attention of visitors to your blog.

In a few months, you would have created over 100 pages of articles if you remain consistent.

Business blogs greatly improve your returns from search engines. These same contents will continue to provide fresh air to your customers and prospects on Tweeter, Facebook, Linkedin, Google plus etc

5. A Business Blog Can Help You Develop a Following Aside Facebook Fans

If you want more clients, think of starting a blog for your business. If you are consistent enough, you will soon build a huge list of followers who will eventually become regular clients.

Having a business blog is more or less a cheaper way of advertising. Most of the other advertising techniques require parting with some money, and they do not have long-lasting effects like blogs. However, a business blog speaks for itself; what drives the growth of your prospects and clients is the quality of your content.

As a final advice, bear in mind that we are talking about online marketing mix. No aspect of marketing stands alone. In essence, your business blog should be integrated into your social networks plus other online marketing tools and vice versa.