I am taking a class on Social Media Marketing at BCIT. We had a question posed to the class this week regarding whether or not we felt that blogging should be important to companies. In my opinion, the answer is YES! Why not separate yourself form the competition?
Although blogging can take a lot of time, I feel it is a valuable tool for any industry and something they should partake in.
1. Blogs give you some insight to what a brand is really about and what it stands for.
Myself as a consumer, I am more apt to purchase something from a company that I know about and aligns with my interests in values. For example, I am a fan of Lululemon. Not only because I like their products, but because they give me information on things that are of interest to me on their blog.
2. Relational Marketing
Blogs are an easy way to communicate with your target audience. I don't want to be blasted with advertisements constantly. However, post an article that interests me and ask my opinion? I'd be flattered and more than happy to offer my two cents.
3. Blogs are cheap
By cheap, I mean inexpensive. The only large cost associated with blogs is the time it takes to create insightful content and respond to those who hopefully engage with you. Companies spend thousands of dollars pushing a single advertisement out hoping to get a single message across. Why not get your message across constantly? Makes sense to me!
4. Blogs are great for SEO
Blogs are great for giving companies an increased presence on search engine rankings and driving traffic to company websites.
Do you read company blogs that are of interest to you? Any in the fitness and health industry that you could recommend? I would love to hear from you.
Happy Trails!
Court
Nice post Court! I never used to read any company blogs until my yoga studio (Yyoga), who I 'liked' on Facebook, started posting blogs in their status, then appearing in my news feed.
ReplyDeleteI love them! I think it is a really nice touch. So often my yoga instructors will say something that I find either inspiring or insightful and I can never remember what they said after the class, so it was really nice to find that they had instructors writing blog posts where I can read and digest what they are sharing.
Hey Alexandra! I agree that it's a great idea for Yyoga to have a blog! I'm sure it enhances you yoga experience as well. It's always a good way to really get to know your instructor as well.
DeleteHi Court,
ReplyDeleteI never really thought about the time commitment being an expense before the BCIT course. I do now for sure! Thanks for pointing out the cost benefit...financially that is. :) I wonder what larger companies with multi person marketing teams spend on time management of their blogs and creating content. As a sole proprietor, I'm not sure how much time I should be/can be commiting, but I will soon find out I guess!
Cadie
Hey Cadie. That's a good question! I'm not sure how much time and resources large companies devote to blogging, I should do some digging. If I found, I'll let you know. Good luck on your blog for Retail TLC Cadie!
ReplyDeleteCourt,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blogs throughout the course, you have a great writing style and that mentioned creativity and insightful. I specifically enjoyed how you described that "Companies spend thousands of dollars pushing a single advertisement out hoping to get a single message across" It is so true. Not to mention a blog's lifespan is a lot longer than a single advertisement.
Keep up the great blogging
Hi Mandy, thank you for your kind words, much appreciated! Great point regarding the lifespan of a blog post versus a single advertisement (through traditional media channels). I'm not saying that companies should not advertise, but they should be blogging as well.
ReplyDeleteCourt