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| Picture retrieved from Snapple Facebook cover photo February 20, 2013 |
Blogs are making a professional name for themselves.
Large corporations such as GM, Marriott, and Sharpie Markers use blogs as home
base for their social media strategies (Weil, 2008). For professional
businesses, blogs make communication easy and affordable, create a social
bridge between business and consumer, and establish trust and credibility.
Cheap and Easy
Blogging can be as
simple as weekly posts on sites like Blogger or, in larger business cases,
incorporating designers and developers to invest the time and
money into making company blogs. Even without the extra time and money, blogs are easy to create and edit
without the hassle of coding and learning HTML as with web pages (Alvi,
2010).
Social Bridges
Blogs can be a
natural extension of existing relationships (Li, 2004). Blogging is a simple
way to allow consumers to reach out and stay updated on new developments,
products, or services offered (Gardner,
2012). Reader comments provide valuable feedback and help companies make
improvements. This engaging interaction with customers creates a personal connection to the company and makes a company
more tangible in the eyes of the consumer (Li, 2004).
Trust and Credibility
"To build
trust, blogs need to be written with an authentic voice... And when bad news
hits, address it head on; you'll gain credibility for dealing with the problem
immediately" (Li, 2004). As businesses continue providing readers
with new information, they are viewed as authority figures in their area of
expertise. Consistent, truthful, and helpful content allow businesses to build
elements of trust (Patel, 2012).
Blog Examples
References
Alvi, G. (2010, June
10). 15 Reasons Why a Professional Blog is Better then a Static Website
Gardner, B. (2012,
January 12). 5 Reasons Why Your Business Should Have a Blog
Li, C. (2004,
November 5) Blogging: Bubble or Big Deal?
Patel, N. (2012,
January 25). 7 Reasons Why Blogging is Still Important in 2012
Weil, D. (2008,
September 4). The Big List of Big Brand Corporate Blogs
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