Blogging is a relatively new form of online media, having originated in the mid-1990s. For the past several years, blogging has really caught on as a worthwhile way to market your business. While the trend continues to spread, many businesses have been left in the dust, unsure of how blogging could help build exposure and whether it's worth spending time and money on.



Some businesses will clearly benefit more strongly from having a blog than others. For example, if you own a small retail shop in a small town, and have only one location, a blog might not be worth your effort. However, if that same small town retail shop has plans to expand to online retailing, to open more locations, or has a strong online following, it would certainly prove profitable to start and maintain a blog.

Determining if a blog is a good marketing strategy should be a case-by-case basis. When used correctly in appropriate situations, blogs can be very powerful marketing tools. In general, if a business has no online presence and has no plans for one, a blog is probably a waste of time. If you do business in a small, restricted geographic area, a blog might not be appropriate based on the simple fact that visitors from across the country would have no interest in visiting your blog since they can't shop in your store. In that same situation, if your business has a strong league of loyal followers who frequently visit your website and would enjoy an opportunity to interact with each other, a blog would certainly be reasonable.

The great thing about blogs is that you can get one for free. You don't even have to have a website. Two of the most popular blogging platforms, Google's Blogger and Wordpress, have free versions available. If your situation is in a gray area, when you're not sure if a blog is worth your time or not, you can easily set one up for free and give it a try. Be warned, however, that a successful blog often takes years to build enough and enough traffic to really prove its worth.

If you're a busy business owner, and want to try incorporating blogging into your marketing efforts, there are many talented freelancers who blog for other businesses for a living. When searching for a freelance blogger, you should ask for writing samples, rates they charge per post and for how many words, and whether they have packages available that could save you money.

So how exactly can a blog improve your marketing efforts?

Blogs are an open platform that can allow you to demonstrate your knowledge of your industry to a global audience. If you work in a knowledge-based industry, potential clients or customers can easily see how savvy you are in your area of expertise by visiting your blog. Giving away free information may seem like you're losing out on potential profit, but if a client gets a great idea from reading your blog, they'll be more likely to call on you to implement it than a competitor bidding on a project off the street.

Blogs can also strengthen your online presence. A blog is essentially another website that you can point back to your business website. Without getting into all the details of search engine optimization, you'll be making your website look better to Google and other search engines, which can result in a higher page ranking.

Blogs can also help bring you new business. Particularly if you work in an industry that is not limited by geography, you can attract clients and customers from other countries without having to spend a dime on traditional advertising and marketing methods. Once your blog has substantial traffic, you'll gain recognition and new customers will be finding you through your blog.

Finally, you can actually generate revenue directly from your blog. By placing relevant advertisements on your blog, you can earn passive income. You can also earn affiliate income by blogging about affiliate products that you've used and placing strategic affiliate links within your blog posts. For that matter, you can promote your own products and services from your blog. If you have ebooks or other materials for sale, promote them! Be sure to keep it tactful and ethical, and you've got nothing to lose and everything to gain.