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Is your company using a blog to increase its public relations efforts? If not, your company could be missing out on two effective, low-cost marketing opportunities. Any company blog should be written with two major audiences in mind - company customers, and journalists. While much has been written about using blogs to motivate customers, the journalist aspect is often overlooked.

WHAT CAN A BLOG DO FOR MY COMPANY?

According to a recent study, 98% of journalists today are online at least once a day, in search of news and information. Of those, 70% list a company's website as the first stop for information and news about that company. As a result, any company that uses a blog to post press releases, product news and updates are more likely to garner media attention. Likewise, a company that fails to keep current, up-to-date information on its site is more likely to be passed over.

"It is clear that today's Web site is yesterday's storefront. If you don't have one that is compelling and up to date, the traffic will walk right on down the street. Most companies understand this but they're missing the fact that the Web site is also their PR department." says Jason Keller of PR Newswire.

In addition to increased media coverage, a company blog can also have other benefits, such as increased visibility for the company within its industry and improved customer loyalty.

MEASURING THE SUCCESS OF YOUR BLOG

How successful your company blog is will be determined by the goals of the company. Like other marketing efforts, a blog should have specific, measurable goals. The content & eventual success of your company blog will not only determine the content of the blog, but will provide you with a way of measuring the blog's success.

For example, is the goal of the company to increase media attention? The number of media mentions a company receives after publishing a blog would be an indication of the blog's success. Is increasing revenue the ultimate goal? Additional revenues generated through website sales would put a dollar figure to your company's blogging efforts.

ADDITIONAL REWARDS TO BUSINESS BLOGGING

Business bloggers that constantly update their blog with regular content are rewarded with an additional benefit: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for the corporate site. By using targeted keywords in concise, themed updates, the business blogger will ultimately assist the company's web marketing efforts as a whole.

The benefits to business blogging are many, and in particular, small business owners should consider a well developed blog as part of any effective marketing plan.

Learn more about this author, David Ware.
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