As a long time blogger, someone that can get lost in the blogging world more hours than they care to admit, it’s tough for me not to see the value of a blog for almost any brand.
Think about it. What type of industry couldn’t benefit from a company blog? Try to think of some less obvious businesses.
A Car Wash?
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Local business can benefit greatly from a blog – in my humble opinion. A carwash could use a blog to show off their great work. Put regular customers in the spotlight. Announce weekly specials or new equipment upgrades.
They could use printable coupons to help their list building efforts. Oh, don’t forget contact information, location, directions, and hours.
Their blog can offer video showing the employees having a blast. Get it? Blast – water… never mind. What about some car care tips? Remember, give, give, give. Can you imagine a better place to show their community support?
Yes, a carwash can use a blog very effectively. BTW, this is just off the top of my head. I’m sure there are a dozen other reasons to blog even better than those I came up with.
An Ice-cream Truck?
Yep, another local company. But really, can an ice-cream truck use a blog? You bet. Imagine something beyond the usual contact information.
How about a planned route through the neighborhoods? Photos of excited children in line for the frozen treats. Better yet, video! (Get parent’s consent for photos and video, obviously).
Add a map, specials, and coupons to the blog. How about testimonials? Again, community service would make a nice fit.
Let’s not forget the give, give, give… Give fun ice cream tricks. Is there such a thing as ice cream tricks? I have no idea but there’s always room for something new. Oh, there you go, use your ice cream blog to show new products. A weather report? Maybe not but you see where we’re going, right? Value, value, value.
A Plastic Manufacturing Plant
Okay, let’s think bigger brands. I bring up a plastic Manufacturing Plant because I once had one as a local client (Almost – kind of). Could a B2B business like that offer value in the form of a blog?
And to whom, since their customers are other product manufactures that would be very unlikely to read a blog.
This is a tough one, right? It’s an actual question I had to face myself and the answer, for them anyway, was no blog is needed. I presented that a blog could serve the community more than their clientele. This would have been tough because job postings, environmental reports and other boring content would appeal to few.
What if the plastic company used the blog to tighten a community and family oriented atmosphere? Company outings could be shared on the blog. Employee of the month? There’s a post or two every month.
They could share real life stories on the benefits plastic has. They could help their readers understand what happens beyond their recycling bins or offer tips on other forms of plastic repurposing.
They could get involved in community programs and concerns in a real way and voice those on their company blog. Announce promotions and welcome new employees.
Yes, a blog can easily replace a company newsletter that seems to cost more to print than they’re worth. Who said a blog couldn’t be designed for your employees and their families?
Almost any business CAN benefit from a company blog
An office supply store? An auto repair business? A hair and nail solon? A roofing company? Yes, it would seem that almost any business CAN benefit from a company blog.
The keyword here is “can“. The problem comes down to time vs. benefit. Blogs take time and often take a lot of time to see actual results. Many businesses, especially traditional businesses, speak the language of ROI (Return on Investment) and are often blind beyond a timely ROI.
Before you begin to blog, you MUST be able to clearly answer the following:
What is your blog about, exactly who is it for, and what can it do for them?
You have to understand exactly why your business needs a blog. A little exercise like I just did with the ice-cream truck, plastic plant, and car wash can help trigger some valuable ideas why a blog may help. Is that enough?
Even when you know you need a blog, who it would be created for, and how it will serve them, you have to be committed to a long term project that can be very tough to measure in terms of ROI.
Blogs take time. New relevant content must be consistent.
So when should a business NOT start a blog?
Simple. When they cannot commit. It’s as simple as a long term commitment. A blog that hasn’t been updated in months can do more harm than not having a blog at all.
That’s the way I see it anyway. How about you? Do you agree? Can you think of an industry that shouldn’t start a blog? Hey, don’t say mortuary, I already thought of a dozen reasons a mortuary should have a blog. lol
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About Brian Hawkins
Great Blog Brian! Being consistent enough to benefit is the hardest part!
I agree completely Rosalind, I’ve been struggling with that one for years. 😉
Hey Brian,
I use to think the same thing but my brother has owned his own business for 30 years. He created a software for landscapers and it’s the only one of it’s kind. Of course he has it patented so there is no competition. He pretty much has all that business and no need for a blog. He claims it wouldn’t benefit him at all and because of what he does I can see that.
Could it help him get in front of those companies that haven’t heard about him yet? Possibly but as you also pointed out here, you have to have the time to commit to it and that’s something he doesn’t have. After all these years it’s still just he and his programmer so he does it all.
Great share though, love this topic.
~Adrienne
Thanks Adrienne, that sounds like a pretty nice deal for your brother. Sometimes being a solopreneur is enough and if you’re already getting all the business you need or can handle, any more exposure would just lead to more work, employees and overhead. I can certainly see how that could feel like it might ruin a good thing.
Thanks for stopping by and I apologize for taking so long to respond. I’m pretty much saving most blog things for Sundays. It makes for a long day but it’s a lot less stress overall.
No, I’m not saying that at all Sunviraz. Only you can know if it’s a good idea or not and how much time you want to spend on it. I’m just saying if you do start a blog, it’s important to stay consistent with regular updates and interaction.
Hello Brian,
Awesome one! I must admit that you covered an important topic which most companies neglect to think.
Blog is a blog, you can consume it for any reason. It is not all about companies to bring in more business. It can turn into a platform where lives from a company, their working style, their employees, their expertise in the field, and everything they can cover well through a blog.
Since is requires time but it is the best method to get noticed in the world no matter how far you’re located and how uneasy to meet with the people living in other parts of world, the blog will take you close to them.
Good one and I am happy to share it!
~ Adeel
Thanks Adeel, I agree. It’s a commitment that should be evaluated closely but can often pay off in many ways.
Blogs truly help in establishing company’s expertise and credibility in the eyes of the customers. It can take your
business, whether small or large a step ahead.
But one should definitely first analyze his business needs and purpose to have a blog.
Truly informative and confidence building post!
Thanks Kratika and well said. 🙂