Should My Company or Organization Have a Blog?

With every year that passes, the blogosphere gains momentum – becoming the main source of news and information for more and more people – including your customers, members and/or donors. This, of course, begs the question: should your company or organization have a blog? As tempting – or terrifying – as it might be to jump on the blog bandwagon, it’s a decision that requires some careful thought and planning. Just as blogging isn’t for every person, it’s also not for every company or organization. Is it the right thing for yours? Let’s have a look at some key questions you need to ask before you make that decision. h3. Is it important for you to build your online presence and community? Let’s face it – you’d be hard-pressed to find a company or organization that didn’t want to thrive on the web these days. So let’s assume that the answer to this question is “Yes,” as it should be. In that case, a blog is a great way to increase traffic to your site and build a sense of community and loyalty among your customers or donors. You can also make a name for yourself or your company as an expert and authority in your industry, helping to build the company brand. h3. Do you have something to say? There are A LOT of blogs out there, on every topic under the sun. So it’s important to have something interesting and unique to say – or at least a unique perspective on a well-discussed issue. What you need is a platform – something that gives people a reason to listen to you. Are you an expert? Do you have personal experience with the subject? Have you done a lot of research? Ask yourself the question, “Why would anyone care about what I have to say on this issue?” If you have an answer for that question (and the answer isn’t “they don’t”), then you’ve got your platform – and a good reason to have a blog. h3. Do you have someone to say it? Surprisingly, and unfortunately, blogs don’t write themselves. In order to maintain a successful blog that will draw people to your site, build community and give you credibility, you need to be able to post to the blog on a regular basis – an absolute minimum of once a week, but preferably more often. And depending on the topic, each blog post can take hours to write, especially if you want it to be informative, entertaining and free from grammatical errors! So before you set up your blog, consider carefully who is going to write it – and make sure they have the time and resources necessary to do a good job. If you don’t have a staff member or volunteer who has the time and/or ability, consider hiring a professional copywriter to blog for you. h3. Do you have a thick skin? Blogging is not for the faint at heart. While there are many, many benefits to having a company blog, there are risks as well. First, you need to make sure all your information is 100% accurate. If not, someone will be sure to point that out and your credibility just went down the drain. Trolls are out there whose sole purpose seems to be finding errors on others’ sites – and publicizing them. Second, even if your information is correct, you’re still going to find people who disagree with you or have another opinion. But remember, you’re not going to be building much of a community if you disable comments or over-moderate any discussion that takes place. So put on a stiff upper lip and deal with the comments and criticisms as they come, using them as a way to refine and improve your blog and your business. h3. Will it produce results? This, of course, is the crucial issue. Creating and maintaining a blog is way too much work if it doesn’t yield results. The trouble is, sometimes it takes awhile for those results to become apparent. You need to market your blog to your customers or members, get some good SEO help, and publish useful content on a regular basis before you’ll start attracting a loyal following. But if you’ve done all these things and have been up and running for a while and your return on investment still isn’t what it should be, it might be a good idea to consider investing in other marketing opportunities to see if they yield better results. The bottom line? Having a blog for your company or organization is a GREAT idea – as long as you’ve got something to say, someone to say it, and are willing to put in the time and effort necessary to make it successful.