home > best practices > introduction to blogs

What is a Blog, and Should I be Blogging?

A blog is a frequently updated Web site with diary-type commentary and information. It is really just a new format of a content management system that makes it easy to post short (or long) comments online either on your own pages or on a community blog site. Until recently, blogs have been used for personal and political content focused on a narrow subject or a broad range of subjects.

Today, businesses have learned that blogging on their own site, or on other sites about their own products and services, is another creative marketing tool that can be used as a living extension of their Web site and a competitive weapon.  Companies like Sun Microsystems, Microsoft, Oracle and the likes have been blogging for some time and have learned that by keeping their blogs updated with ongoing streams of commentary, they have a forum for reaching consumers and business on a personal level, contrary to the “brochure ware” approach that many of the corporate sites employ today.

Blogging for Business (BFB) is one of the most effective marketing tools to hit the Internet since Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM).  In order to determine whether or not you should be blogging for your business, you need to make sure you know more about the blogging tools available to you, and if the time required to maintain a blog fits within your marketing model.

For more information you can download a copy of the “To Blog or not to Blog” whitepaper from www.contentfactor.com.

Blogging Services and Software

With the growth of blogging comes an explosion of services and software from which to choose.  Brand Digital evaluated these tools last year and selected WordPress.  Here are some of the best tools available today:

Google’s Blogger for Word
Anconia’s Rocket Post
Typepad
Squarespace
iBlog

How to Get Your Blog Noticed

Just like with your Web site, it’s going to be increasingly important to make sure that your blog is noticed by the top search engines.  As development continues in this area, and the algorithms for each engine change, be sure to feed and care for your blog in the same way that you would your Web site. 

  1. Step One - Write Good, Compelling, Interesting, Incendiary Blogs that are Useful. Once people find you, you want them to link back to you and tell their friends (inn their blogs). Write everyday if you can. 3 Times per week minimum if you can't.
  2. Step Two - Establish an RSS feed so people can sign-up and get a notice when you post a new blog.
  3. Step Three - Link to other people. Anytime you have an opportunity to link to someone elses blog, wikipedia, another content site or anything - do it. The favor will get returned if you are writing good content.
  4. Step Four - Claim your blog on Technorati so that they know you're there.
  5. Step Five - Comment on other blogs andmessage boards. Get involved and leave your links. Link back to a blog post that is ON TOPIC.
  6. Step Six - Read some of these blog posts:
    1. http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2006/06/how_to_get_traf.html
    2. http://www.douglaskarr.com/2007/01/10/the-long-tail-of-commenting-never-blog-alone/
    3. http://www.buildabetterblog.com/2006/11/link_link_link_.html#more
Brand Digital will continue to monitor the ongoing development of the blog search tools and will keep you armed with important changes that you may need to make to your blog.

If you'd like to submit a case study for posting here - contact us.