Before I start this post I should make a bit of a disclaimer. I’m not your average business owner - I’m co-founder of a startup property website with a non-existent budget but lots of in-house talent. I also have a day job, working for a fantastic SEO company. Everything I know about blogging you can be sure I recommend to paying clients as well as implementing on my own sites. Business blogging has changed, and if you have a business blog you need to embrace it.

It’s strange, but I think the rise of Twitter is partly to blame for the evolution of business blogging. You’ll see what I mean in a second. Twitter allows you to interact with your customers or clients on their level, face to face, and immediately. It gives you a platform to humanise your business. Twitter accounts that simply post up link after link to their own products get few followers. Twitter accounts that interact with people get lots, and there’s a reason for that. People love to talk to other people, not faceless organisations.

Humanisation Is Key

Go back to business blogging and the story is the same. If you post as ‘The Company’ why should anyone interact with your blog? People don’t talk to companies. Give your writers (or yourself) an author profile and give your company a human face.

One marketing manager I spoke to was worried because no-one in her company could write - they hired ghostwriters to provide good content. Not only that, they didn’t want to let just anyone be the face of the company. The solution? She’s now the face of the company blog - she doesn’t write the posts herself, but her name goes on them and people leave comments she can then interact with. This is probably a good solution for lots of large organisations who have brand identities to protect, and company guidelines to follow.

Don’t Be Afraid To Have An Opinion

For big companies this might be a problem, but if you own your own business you can say what you like! Don’t be afraid to make a statement, start a debate, or wade in on someone else’s. People only read things that are interesting, so there’s no point watering down content “just in case”. Take sides and make a stand for what you think about your industry. This is your company’s standpoint and it’s why your customers love you.

Give Your Readers What They Want

The great thing about blog comments is that they tell you what people are thinking. Use the comments to find out what your readers are interested in, and follow up with another blog post. If there was a lot of debate around one subject chances are people will come back to find out what happened next. Continue the stream of interaction, and you continue to have customers engaged in your brand.

Be Honest

Finally, don’t hide behind the company wall if something goes a bit wrong. It happens to everyone - suppliers are late, features don’t work properly, something is faulty. Your blog is the perfect platform to hold your hands up and say “oops, sorry guys”. A personal apology and real-time effort to fix the problem is worth far more than hiring a PR company to handle your bad press after the fact.

In summary then, think of your blog as the human side of your company - the bit where you get to talk to your customers as people. Ask opinions, build relationships, and help people to engage with your brand. A loyal customer base is the natural result.

This post was submitted by Zoe Piper from bethemiddleman.com, a new property service which cuts out estate agent fees. Zoe also writes at the bethemiddleman.com Blog.

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