Blogs and Branding

If you're serious about branding, it's time to get serious about blogging. Maintaining a blog is an excellent and effective way to meet all of your branding goals while broadening your reach at the same time.

Effective blogging will do the following:

• Act as a powerful PR tool
• Shape and Create Positive Conversation
• Enhance Company Visibility
• Solidify your Company's Personality
• Build Trust and Camaraderie among readers
• Build Name Recognition

Blogs can be an invaluable Public Relations tool, giving you free word-of-mouth advertising, while putting you in direct contact with your customers. Your blog allows your company to shape the conversation others are having about you with minimal effort. How many of your other marketing tools allow you to do that?

One of the most powerful things your blog can do is establish your company voice and personality. Your readers come to your blog to discover what you have to say and will ultimately judge your company based on what they hear. If your blog is informative and witty, your company will be viewed in the same light. Your blog is your chance to build a personal relationship with your customer. People buy from people they trust so building a relationship early on is key. If a reader feels they can identify with you through your blog they are much more likely to do business with you in the future. Use the informal tone to help you portray a sense of camaraderie and approachableness to your reader. This may be your only chance to put a friendly face on an otherwise cold site.

Blogs are considered a social marketing tool because they put you in constant contact with your audience. Use your blog to keep them informed on the latest company developments and industry-related issues. A blog is an ideal place to post your (or your company's) personal opinions on industry-related business. Becoming a source of insight is part of the process of branding yourself as an expert and will ensure readers make repeat visits. Constant updates will also help your readers to feel a part of your company and reinforce name recognition.

The comments your readers leave on your blog (and they will comment!) will spark conversation among you and your readers, and between the readers themselves. Take advantage of these one-on-one conversations, they will provide you will invaluable insights about how your company is viewed. Similarly, because blogs are so easily indexed, they're easy for other bloggers to find. When media outlets are looking for information about your company, chances are the first page they will come across is your blog. They'll take their cues about what to write from the content in your blog and what your readers are saying. And if your readers are saying good things about your company, others are more likely to believe it because it's coming from a third-party and not you. Also, if a company crisis should occur, your blog is your chance to set the tone and turn the conversation in the direction you want it to go.

Incorporating daily blogging into your branding campaign will help keep your company in the forefront of your customers mind and allow you to drive company news in a positive direction.