MissBiz, "Blogging For Business"

by MissBiz aka Jackie Howatt
Published and Copyright 21, 2006
Saint Mary's University Journal


I saw a t-shirt the other day that announced in big bold letters, “I Don’t Want To Read Your Blog.” I was a little concerned that this person was so opposed to reading blog that they actually felt the need to spend money on a shirt that stated it. I must admit that it did take some of the wind out of my sails as I just began a blog in early September. Even though blogs, MySpaces, and Facebooks are now uncontrollably rampant, they can and do serve a functional purpose – especially if it coincides with a business of some kind.

Blogs act as a reciprocal communicating tool for both the visitor and the blogging company. They offer an interactive and personal experience for potential customers that ultimately encourage them to become involved, give feedback, and monitor developments within the business. They benefit the blogging business in many ways as well, as there is a continuous free flow of communication with the customer, which means instead of paying a high priced consulting company to figure out what the customer wants, a blog allows the business to hear it directly from the customer.

In my personal experience with blogging, there is no better way to obtain interest and feedback for a new and developing business than starting a blog that tracks the progress of that business. True, there wont be many visitors at first, which is why starting a blog should be more for personal reasons and then for the business, or else it will not survive for very long. There has been widespread speculation regarding the usage of blogging in the corporate world, however, which has somewhat desensitized readers. Major corporations, such as Wal-Mart, have been accused of fronting grass root blogs in order to impose or change a particular image or stream of thought regarding their operation. In this sense, a blog can be a very useful tool, but a very damaging one as well.

Many use blogs or other alike web communication services to unleash personal reflections in a diary-like format. It is important to note that if you do decide to use a blog as a marketing tool for your growing business, it must be treated in a very professional way. Professional means that the topics discussed should center around the issues and happenings of the business - unless a specific type of business calls for a more edgy demeanor, of course.

Nothing makes the customer or client feel more involved in a business than allowing them to track the progression of a business. Blogging regularly about the ups and downs of the business is a sure way to reach the customer on a personal level, which can in turn translate into brand loyalty.

Blogging as a start-up is somewhat feeding into the insurgence of the health food and organic trends of the day as well. Even though the two may seem unrelated, there is a logical connection between these two phenomenons. It all has to do with the growing concern and involvement that the consumer is now willing to go to in order to understand what they are consuming. Just as a consumer wants to understand what is exactly in their food and where it came from, they appreciate knowing who the businesses they deal with are and what they stand for.
Despite what a t-shirt may say, blogging isn’t all bad. It gives businesses the opportunity to get to know their customers’ wants, needs, and even more importantly – their ideas and input. Blogging serves as a valuable medium to make that personal connection between entrepreneurs and the outside world, and should be seriously considered when beginning a new venture. On a more personal level, blogging can also be a motivator to actually forge ahead with the business.