Online businesses are very creative at finding new ways to connect with their customers. They should be too, because it's a highly competitive market and the money and the orders go to the businesses that make the best impression overall.
Connecting with their customers is an important way of building a relationship that will hopefully last into the long term and generate a lot of profits in the process. Many companies use blogging to help them build that relationship, although some people question whether it is a suitable medium for all businesses to use.
So what is the answer? Are there certain business sectors that wouldn't benefit from having a blog to enhance their internet marketing efforts?
In truth it's hard to think of a business sector that falls into this category; the question is more a case of what type of blog they are going to have than whether they should have one or not. The benefits of a business blog are too many and numerous to ignore.
So it's clearly the style and tone here that matters. A fun innovative company that sells toys and gadgets for all ages wouldn't choose to set up a blog that was serious and official in nature, because it wouldn't suit them. Instead they would create plans to build a blog that represented their business to the best of their ability. This would help to reinforce the purpose of the website and mark them out as a company that was fun and innovative in every way.
In contrast there are many more companies that are more serious in their outlook. These will often use a blog which reinforces that stance and shows their customers how they approach their business.
Of course the content of any blog is also very important. Depending on the approach a business uses, you will notice the types of blog entry will vary greatly. The fun gadget company may invite a lot of participation from their customers to get them involved; they may also ask for ideas for future products or perhaps even ask customers for their stories and reactions to products they have already bought. Some businesses have used this to great effect.
A business blog that has a more serious tone may be approached very differently though. It will often have a more stand offish viewpoint that simply tells the customers and clients what is going on, rather than inviting them to take an active part in the blog.
Not every online business has a blog, but more and more of them are recognizing the benefits of creating one and using it for online marketing among other things. Business blogging may be very different from personal blogs - and indeed you can hold up two business blogs next to each other and not see too many similarities between them - but they all have the same intention in the end, and that is to get the attention that their customers will notice and that will drive their business forward.
Web Profits specializes in search engine optimization, online marketing & web design, helping businesses generate profits from the Internet. For a free report on 'The Secrets of Online Marketing for Offline Businesses' visit SEO.
