Should a Business Blog?

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 06/21/2010 - 4:09am

Written By: Jenn Wolff

According to Technorati, a blog tracking firm, there are an estimated 175,000 new blogs and more than 1.6 million updates online everyday. One would think that this kind of statistic would be enough to get any business interested in blogging. But, the prominent question of companies that I’ve found is should my company even blog?

I think blogging is a great way to share a message with an interested audience. The writer can say exactly what they need to and deliver their message in a way that is immediately available to the reader. Unfortunately, I don’t think that every company should have a blog. I think that a family chain restaurant, such as Big Boy, would benefit from a Facebook group where they can list specials and locations, but a blog would be pointless for the franchise. What would they write about? What’s new on the salad bar? I don’t believe a blog would help or hurt their sales; therefore a blog for them would be pointless.
 
For other businesses blogging can be very beneficial. Although I don’t currently follow any company blogs, I know of a few companies that would benefit from blogging. Boxed Water Is Better, LLC is a company trying to spread an alternative way of packing water that is better for the environment: boxed water. I think this company already has a great website and would really benefit from having a blog where their fans can come and discuss where they have had boxed water and what they think of it, where they can post new locations for boxed water and where they can enlist supporters for their environmental cause.
 
                                            Photocredit: Flunkycarter
 
I also think that small/local businesses can really benefit from blogging. Small businesses have a more niche audience and I think that in order for these smaller businesses to keep up with the big businesses they need to engage their customers in new and exciting ways, such as blogging. So while blogs may not benefit everyone, I do think that every company should at least consider what benefits they can derive from starting a blog. I think Entrepreneur did a very good job of summing up why a business should have a blog: Why & How to Start A Blog
 
I have started my own blog and, although I am not an avid blogger, I am going to try and keep up on this one. It is jennwolff.blogspot.com and I am going to try to write mainly about food, although I may ramble from time to time, resulting in Random Ramblings of a 21yr Old.