If there were such a class as online marketing 101 – and there probably is, somewhere – then you can bet that blogging would be one of the first subjects that most professors would put on the syllabus. That’s because a good company blog can almost do it all: share information about your company, build your website’s search engine profile, help you build readers, enhance your reputation and credibility, and so on.
For every online marketer who has successfully launched a blog and turned it into a profitable business tool, however, there are 5 or 10 others who haven’t seen the same kinds of results. Here are the five biggest reasons most marketing blogs don’t work, and what you can do about them:
1. The blog doesn’t exist. Despite all the great benefits, some companies decide that blogging is too much of a hassle or drain on their time to even attempt it. Obviously, you can’t win if you aren’t playing, so make launching your blog a priority in 2012 if you don’t already have one.
2. The company blog isn’t updated often enough. We’ve all seen those blogs that were last updated eight months ago. Doesn’t really inspire confidence in the company or its products, does it? Decide what sort of editorial schedule is realistic while helping you reach your online marketing goals, and then stick to it.
3. The blog is boring. Your company’s blog can’t simply be a way to rehash press releases and marketing copy. If it isn’t something that’s worth your customers’ time to read, then you shouldn’t be surprised that they won’t read it, so try to choose topics and themes that interest buyers.
4. The blog isn’t giving enough search engine benefits. While almost any amount of consistent blogging will help you improve your search engine rankings, it’s better if you take a targeted approach and highlight certain keywords and phrases. Talk to your online marketing team and develop a solid SEO profile that lets you get the most out of your blog.
5. The blog doesn’t lead anywhere. It isn’t enough to simply have visitors find your blog, or even read it… they need to take action if it’s going to have a real marketing impact. Make sure you have lots of links and calls to action in each post, so readers know where you want them to go and what you want them to do.
Is your blog the effective business tool it could be? If not, contact the creative team at cayk today – we are one of Canada’s fastest-growing online marketing partners because we know what it takes to get results from blogs and other parts of your Internet business plan.
