Implementation of a Company Blog Sherry Hays Westwood College BUS 500 July 21, 2014

Table of Contents Abstract---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 Executive Summary-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 Benefits of a Blog----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 Statistics---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 Downside of Blogging------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7 Cost of a Blog---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7 Recommendations----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 References-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9

Abstract A business blog can be a good recruiting tool for a business. There are countless companies that have a blog and are benefiting very nicely. Blogging is a good way to communicate with customers, to create authority and to build credibility. Having a blog can be a good way to share ideas, information and get feedback from customers. When a company blogs they can generate a list of questions and use those questions to help answer questions that customers might have. Blogging can be a tool to educate and to getting someone interested in the company.

Executive Summary
The purpose of this report is to show how Thomas Technology can benefit by establishing a business blog. The Business Technology Committee has asked for a research to be done on how a blog would be beneficial. The research has been conducted by a member of the Business Technology Committee. The results of the research will show how a blog can be beneficial and how it will allow the readers to leave comments.
The conclusion that Thomas Technology will benefit from a blog is based on research showing that 81% of businesses rated their company blogs as “useful”, “important” or “critical.” An impressive 25% rated their company blog as ‘critical” to their business, this is based on information from The 2012 State Of Inbound Marketing from Hubspot.
Analysis of the data revealing the benefits of a blog: * Gives the company a voice. Place for the company’s brand to shine and show people what the company is about. * Connect with Customers. This is a way to share useful, relevant information with the readers. * Generate a list of questions. Use the list of questions to help answer questions that the customers may have. * Exchange ideas. This is a good way to encourage interaction, comments and feedback, create a conversation.
Based on the information provided in this report , I recommend that Thomas Technology establish a blog. It could be very beneficial for sharing information and to connect with customers. Benefits of a Blog
There are many reasons a business might want a blog, here are just a few reasons to blogging and how the company would benefit from blogging.
Having a blog can build credibility-a well written blog that has insightful content will allow customers to think highly of your company and consider your company to be a leader in your field. Customers will likely purchase products or services from a company that they know and trust. Blogging can be a good way to answer common questions that customers may have. You could generate a list of questions that would help to answer those questions.
Blogging is a good way to drive traffic to your website. Each time that you write a blog that includes a few relevant keywords; this increases your chance of people finding your company on search engines.
Blogging can strengthen relationships with customers and potential customers. A blog will also allow your customers to learn about your company, products and achievements. Blogging is a good way to update customers on new products or services.
A blog can give your company a voice. This is something that every company needs, a place for the company’s brand to shine and show customers what your company is all about. Blogging can also help in regular communication with employees. This would be a good way for all employees to receive the same information at the same time.
There are other ways that a business can use a blog. You can use a blog for promotions, by highlighting them. Many give things away regularly, one way to keep customers coming back. The giveaways and promotions do not have to be expensive, but should be something that people actually want. You could have contests and games; these are great promo in a blog. If you add new page articles, information or products on a regular basis, a quick blog entry to show what is updated. You could also have What’s Coming, this could peak customers interest. It’s a great way to keep notes on what you are planning for your customers. Photos and images are a nice touch, especially if you didn’t what to write. Post a picture with a short description can be very compelling. Post news, this is a common use for business blogs. It’s usually about the specific topic that is relevant to thaw company. Statistics
Statistics show that blogs now are being considered an important part of a business. Blogs will attract repeat visitors who will continue to come back for fresh content. Having a business blog can be a major challenge. There are some companies that do not update their content and only 20% that have a blog are inactive. Although a business blog can have some major challenge, it can also help your business to grow. There are 61% of consumers that have made purchases based on recommendations from a blog. Small businesses that do blog generate 126% more leads and there are 81% of consumers that trust advice and information from a blog. 90% of consumers find customer content useful and there are 82% of consumers that enjoy reading relevant content from brands. (Feldman, 2013) Downside of Blogging
There are some downsides to having a blog. There’s put a blogging policy in place and then there is the monitoring a number of blogs, comments, and posts is very time consuming. The company would have to decide how much time you want to invest in ensuring compliance with the policy. The company may not decide to monitor the policy and trust the employees to comply. Then you the customers, imposing a blogging policy on customers can make the blog seem impersonal and insincere. So having a strict blogging policy can have a negative impact on your business and marketing efforts. A blog requires planning, organization and the content can be challenging at times.

Cost of a Blog
Technically blogs are free and can be easily built into a company’s existing website. Blogging software is easy to use, simply write your content, link to resources and publish it to your blog. If the company has already a web designer/developer working, they could develop the blog and would cost very little.

Recommendations
Blogging is becoming popular and to have a business weblog that will provide good information for your customers can be timely and fun. It can also add new dimension to your website. Blogs can be a powerful tool for marketing and content promotion. The entries are short and a lot of times full of links. Blog posts can be easy for customers to read and for you to write.
Based on the research that has been done, I recommend that Thomas Technology establish a business blog. It would be a great opportunity to learn from your customers and give them a chance to learn about the company. Having a blog will give the company a chance to show the customers that you can be a leader in your field. When establishing a blog and when it is done right, will change your business. Thomas Technology would benefit greatly by sharing information, connecting with the customers. I recommend that they generate questions and use those questions to help answer questions that customers may have.

Resources
Feldman, Barry. (2013, October 6). 21 Benefits of Business Blogging and 22 Tips [INFOGRAPHIC]. Retrieved from http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/21-benefits-business-blogging-and-22-tips-infographic
The 2012 State Of Inbound Marketing. (2012). Retrieved from http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/53/blog/docs/ebooks/the_2012_state_of_inbound_marketing.pdf
Eridon, Corey. (2013, November 6). The Benefits of Blogging: Why Businesses Do It, and You Should Too. Retrieved from http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/the-benefits-of-business-blogging-ht
Sheridan, Marcus. (2014). 50 Blogging Benefits that Will Change Your Business Forever. Retrieved from http://www.thesaleslion.com/business-blogging-benefits/