Social Media 101: B2B Blogging
Alex Murray| @AlexIsntOnFire The blogging aspect for business to business companies is just as important as blogging for a business to consumer company. When it comes to social media the blog is really the face of the company. The company blog is a place for businesses to have free range to talk about what they want without the restrictions of Twitter's 140 character limit. The difficulty comes when deciding what a B2B company should be blogging about. Here are a few basic points that will help your B2B blog grow and potentially increase your customer base.
Blog With A Plan
The point of your blog should be to keep your readers informed with relevant news about your business and industry. It is also very important to remember when writing your blog to have a plan. Never write a blog post just because you think there needs to be one, provide your readers with information, tips, or advice they can take away that benefits them.
Keep A Similar Format
When setting up your blog posts make sure the visual theme is uniform with the rest of your website, an out of place blog can be more distracting than helpful. Keeping a similar format through posts will also make readers feel more comfortable.
Be Patient
Be patient. I cannot stress this enough. If your blog doesn’t take off right away don’t abandon hope. Blogs take time to grow a readership, and being a B2B company readers need to build a level of trust before fully committing.
Face Behind The Business
It’s important for businesses to have a blog because customers can learn a little more about the faces behind the logo. This is helpful in gaining the trust of your customers, but it also requires a level of transparency many B2B companies are uncomfortable with. Tell a short history of your company and your accomplishments or tell a success story of one of your customers, even employee spotlights. People will feel attached to your brand and the people behind it.
Blog Traffic
When your business blogs about recent relevant industry news it can help to increase your search rankings and generate new leads on your website. Blog traffic is also seen as the “best” kind of traffic because visitors are more likely to fill out forms or explore to other pages on the site.