A Letter by a Selfish Consumer: Why I Prefer Company Blogs (Vs. Websites)

I’m really excited to introduce Nenad Senic who will regulary contribute posts to our blog. He is a content marketing expert and is working as european editor at Content Marketing Institute and also regularly blogs at his own blog at Disput. – Tin

I am biased, way biased. As a journalist, geek and extremely curious guy, who’s always afraid he may miss something, I constantly crave more information and news. And I’m an avid reader. Indeed, static websites don’t do much for me. They may dazzle me with their oh-so-great design, but if they’re not regularly (in my case as regularly as possible) updated with great new content, I stop caring; I simply don’t have any reasons to come back.

There’s already been so much blogged about blogging and especially company blogs. Zemanta’s own Bostjan Spetic last week blogged about why he thinks every professional should at least consider blogging. I decided to list my own reasons why I think a company blog adds more value than a static website – from a consumer’s perspective. (Let’s make one thing clear. A blog is a website, but a much more dynamic one.)

Here are my four reasons why I prefer company blogs vs. static company websites.

1. Blogs are about me, not them

The company blogs I follow regularly publish relevant and engaging content. They are all about how to make my life easier (what to do when I get sick, how to write better, how to get more customers for my small business, how to learn to knit sweaters, what are the best ways to clean windows, etc.). On the other hand, static websites are mostly about the company (who they are, what they do, where they are, why they are the greatest, they they they). I’m sorry, but I’m selfish and I care about my problems, because “they are mine”, as Ally McBeal once said.

2. Blogs engage me

Good blogs I follow are also engaging. They make it much easier for me to engage in a two-way conversation with the company and others who read the same blog. Good blogs make me feel important (we all like that), make me think, make me share my views on the issue at hand. Besides, our interactions can be easily transferred to and shared on social media.

 3. Blogs help me make better purchasing decisions

All of the above helps me make better purchasing decisions. I become loyal to the brand, because I feel like we have built a great relationship, because I feel that company really cares about me and my problems, and their products and/or services can satisfactorily solve them.

4. Blogs make me smarter

In the end, good company blogs satisfy my curiosity, they actually can be blamed for my reading more. They are a trusted media outlet, a great source of information I like to follow regularly as much as any other favorite news websites. They make me (feel) smarter.

It looks like I’m not alone in this. According to Hubspot’s 2011 State of Inbound Marketing Report, “the use of social media and company blogs as marketing tools not only gets your company better brand exposure, but it also generates leads that result in real customer acquisition«. Their study shows that 57 per cent of those using company blogs have acquired a customer from a blog-generated lead; this is an increase of 11 per cent since 2010. Moreover, their 2011 survey confirms a direct correlation between blog post frequency and new customers acquired!

What do you think? For what other reasons are company blogs better than websites? Do you think differently? I’d love to hear your thoughts.