Why Founders Should Write
- get shit done, always — this is just another idea
As a founder, you are always looking for ways to better interact with your customers. Anything you can do to better establish your client relationship, while better getting to know them, is an advantage.
One of the best ways to do this is with a company blog.
Companies that blog consistently are able to create an effective voice, also known as a brand. Customers love interacting with brands and will go out of their way to buy from them. A blog creates a clean place for people to talk about you and the current industry. You can use it as a platform to share company updates, industry knowledge, and timely topics.
Blogging is not only a great way to engage current users, but also a means of driving new customers to your site. Content marketing efforts can all be propelled by a blog. You can use everything that you write and share on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Blogger, e-mail newsletters and the list goes on. It is free PR for your business and can keep you relevant in the conversation.
Another great benefit of blogging is it lets you understand your customers better. It gives you another opportunity to hear their ideas and comments and engage in conversation. You get insight into what they are thinking so that you can tailor your marketing/development efforts towards them. Blogging is a vital step in establishing a real relationship with customers.
Modern technology makes it really really easy for anyone to start writing and sharing. Services like Medium and WordPress can get you up and running in less than five minutes. Seriously, there is no excuse to not get started.
Once you do, there are few things you have to worry about. The first being a consistent, quality stream of content. As a business, you want to find a balance between quantity and quality. While I’d argue that quantity may hold supreme when it comes to blogging, you still want to represent your brand properly. So blog with confidence but also with awareness.
Another thing that a lot of companies forget to do is establish metrics to make sure that what you are doing is paying off. Know that you must measure this in the long-run to see any effect, this is not a short-term solution! Analytics programs will be able to tell you all of the relevant statistics, but you may need to go further and figure out exactly what it is you want to be looking for. This answer may be industry specific, but once you come up with something stick to it and continually improve until you get there!
Of course, focusing on what you do best — your work — is the priority. But telling the story along the way may be a good way to engage potential/current customers.
I look forward to following companies that blog!