By Rose Odengo

The one thing that your web developer may not have told you once you got your website up and running was that you would need to constantly update your site. Oh! Joy! More work! But I guess the big question is what do you update on your site?

Unless you have an e-commerce site; primarily an online store with new products every month or more frequently, it may seem pointless to update your website. But that is where your blog comes in. People online want to constantly be updated, what may seem like an effort in futility to you, to your consumers, it is something that endears them to you.

What do you blog about? Here are few ideas to get you started.

  1. Normal Things

There is always something your organisation is up to. It is called work. Sharing simple interesting and creative images of a work day such as a brainstorm, or a presentation, a tease of a pitch you are about to make to a client or fun lunch breaks with simple funny captions of what you are up to is enough. The aim here is to draw emotional appeal to your organisation. Your images help in building a perception of your organisation, keep it light and sane if images are something you like.

  1. Information

What you are reading now is information. Provide your clients and site visitors with information relevant to your line of work. That way you become the go-to authority on all things related to your specific industry. Keep the posts concise and engaging. It is advisable to keep the tone conversational. People tire quickly when they feel talked down to or preached at.

Events

If your organisation has various events coming up like a cocktail, a re-launch, a special guest visiting, share that with your audience. This gives them something to get excited about as well. Their excitement will only mirror the tone in which you disseminate it. If you make it a big deal they will feel honoured to know that first and the same is true of the opposite. This is also a great way to share images or short videos showing ways your office is also celebrating big holidays, let your audience feel drawn in to your community.

Mash It Up

You can always add posts about different nuggets of entertainment and wisdom you come across. It humanizes your corporation. But make sure you attribute the source of the information not just because of intellectual property and copyright issues. But by linking your source to your site, you can draw in more visitors from other sites as well.

Even if you are a financial firm, you can always post things that are lighthearted and not earth shattering and serious. Think of it as offering your readers a coffee break amidst the other useful information you give them.

  1. Get your customers on board

Guest posting is a fabulous way of encouraging your consumers to engage with you. We all love seeing our byline next to an article, why not have your clients and customers share some insight on your blog. It is a fun way to make your clients feel part of the company. And with that they also share links to your site with their friends and family, a nice way to grow your word of mouth advertising.

Avoid the approach that most corporations take, constantly shoving boring company announcements, a product or promotion down people’s throats. Your blog is your value add.  It is your ticket into the “Cool Club”. You make people like you by giving them information and entertainment they so much prefer. And what happens in return? They are more likely to keep coming back and will eventually want to buy your product as a ‘Thank You’ for giving them other things that they really want.