Industrial Marketers: Yes, you CAN Blog!

Written by Kerry O'Malley Wednesday, 28 April 2010 13:46

I was meeting with one of my manufacturing clients recently and we were discussing whether or not he should add a blog to his company's website.  "I'm not a writer," he said.  "Plus, how will I keep coming up with ideas to write about?"  These are two of the most common objections I hear when I suggest blogging to an industrial company.

Here's the beauty of blogging:  You don't HAVE to be the greatest writer in the world.  Blogging is supposed to be a more casual style of writing.  Yes, there are bloggers who are published authors.  There are also bloggers who like my client, have never considered themselves gifted in this area.  As far as fresh ideas go, there is a literal universe of content available, even to the industrial marketer, in trade publications; in the news; on other blogs; on Twitter and LinkedIn discussion groups; in discussions with customers and vendors; and from employees in your very own company.

There are so many great reasons to blog:

• It positions you and/or your company as the "expert"
• It improves your search engine rankings
• It is always searchable and working for you
• It adds a human voice to your company or product's brand identity
• It adds value to your website and enriches your customers' and prospects' experience on the site

Blogging can be easy when you have a winning strategy.  Keep in mind the following tips for an industrial blog.

• Know your target audience. Think about the people who will be visiting your website and blog, hopefully customers and potential customers. Your blog posts need to be relevant to them and hold their interest. Write content that educates, informs, or even entertains your readers, and they'll start looking forward to your posts.
• Keep up with industry trends and news. Read industry news online and in trade publications and become well versed in your industry "niche."  If your posts are timely and relevant, you will begin to look like an expert to your readers.  Don't just regurgitate an article you read in Oil & Gas Journal.  Keep up with your "niche" industry.  You may sell to the general oil and gas industry, but don't focus on broad topics.  Pinpoint your niche, and stay informed.  You'll have plenty to blog about!
• Write regularly. Writing is like any other discipline.  The more you do it, the easier it becomes.  In order to keep those creative "muscles" in tip top shape, it helps to write on a regular basis.  Blog posts don't always have to be a full blown article.  Sometimes a post can be something simple like: a list of links to other industry websites you've found helpful; a review of a business related book you've read; a notice about an industry webinar or trade show you're attending; simple tips related to your business.  One thing that helps me is keeping a blog journal.  Whenever ideas come to me or I see something on the Internet that I think I can work into a post, I record it in the journal.  That way I have an ongoing list of topics in the pipeline at all times.  Another trick for maximizing your writing is to take a longer piece and break it up into multiple posts.  For example, an article entitled "5 Ways to reduce pump maintenance costs" could become 5 posts, each one focusing on one of your key ways to reduce costs.
• Be yourself when you write. Every writer has their own style.  You'll sabotage your creativity if you're always comparing yourself to others. It doesn't hurt to research some other blogs, especially other industrial blogs, but you need to find your own voice.  Let your personality shine through in your writing.  You'll position yourself as an expert by finding your own style and remaining consistent with it.
• Apply the KISS principle. Although many of your readers may be very technically minded, assume that a fair amount of them will not be.  If you're an engineer, reserve the heavy duty technical concepts and jargon for technical papers.  Think about how to write to someone with the least degree of understanding about your business and industry.  Assume your readers have SOME understanding of your subject matter, but write at a basic level when you're discussing technology.  Also, if you tend to be a "wordy" writer, it's a good idea to go back and edit your posts for superfluous and redundant wording.  Keep your writing simple and conversational.
• Check your writing for glaring errors. Don't feel tied to all of the traditional rules of grammar, but DO go back and edit your work - and definitely use spell check!  Sometimes even the most glaring errors are invisible to the eye of the writer, so it never hurts to have someone else proof your piece.  It's OK to write when you're not Ernest Hemingway - not so OK to post a sloppy piece of writing with spelling errors or clumsy grammatical structure.
• Don't plagiarize. Copying someone else's writing word for word without their permission is stealing, and illegal.  It's perfectly alright to directly quote from another article as long as you give the author credit.  It's also acceptable these days (especially when you're at a loss for something to write about) to request permission from another blogger to duplicate their post entirely (and of course, give them credit and link to the original post.)  Also, keep in mind that summarizing content without any changes to the piece will probably be recognized by search engines and will lower your search engine ranking.  Unique content is always best, and will help to rank your site higher with the search engines.

Blogging is one of the most cost effective things you can do today to drive more traffic to your website, strengthen your brand voice, and create a sense of value on your website.  More and more, people choose to do business with people - not companies.  Blogging is one way of showing visitors to your website that you're a person who is worthy of their business.  So what are you waiting for?