Blog or Bust

"What is the value of blogging?"

Should companies in the financial/investment services industries blog on their websites? I’ve had this discussion with folks many times and from where I sit the answer is pretty simple (and applies to any service company regardless of industry). Breaking it down into far simpler terms:

YES, If…
- the intent is to build meaningful and engaging relationships with consumers

NO, If…
- the intent is to increase the bottom line

Businesses that want to extend their brand reach, want to develop stronger customer relationships, and want to achieve a greater depth of customer insight to deliver quality products and services – should have a blog. There is tangible value there – it’s called ‘the customer experience’ and it’s measurable by the interaction you achieve. It's a conversation between people and when providing a valued service, having that interaction builds trust and humanizes your organization. As social networking sites, blogs, consumer review sites and other CGM-centric corners of the web continue to increase, financial companies will have to get on board or they risk slow brand erosion.

But (there is always a but)... if you're going to blog keep it interesting, keep it updated and keep it relevant - to your industry, your brand message, and your audience. Keep it real. Blogs are heavily viral so assuming you keep to the rules eventually you'll attract a vast community to your company. And for a nice little bennie, a well-trafficked blog can also help generate better results on search engines. Now that can't be bad for any organization. ;-)