When I talk to small business owners about blogging, the focus usually starts with why it ‘s a big-payback element of your content marketing mix – and it really is. And more (yes, more) than that, blogging can help integrate customer service, operations, and other departments with your sales and marketing efforts to create a more effective, efficient organization.
Sure, that sounds a little bit pie-in-the-sky, but I’m telling you, I’ve seen it happen.
Turns out I’m not the only one.
Blogging for Sales & Marketing & Everything Else
Buried in some very good articles (like this oldie-but-goodie from Moz) are suggestions that blog content isn’t “just” good for generating leads and turning prospects into customers.
Here’s the key: while your blog content should be planned primarily to create relationships with leads, prospects and customers, it can also be useful to your internal customers. That’s code for your employees. And vendors. And, and, and…
For example, a blog post about what to do when your product fails unexpectedly – directed at your prospects – should also be required reading inside your organization. Then, when a customer comes in complaining that a widget failed unexpectedly, no matter who handles that complaint, they’ll be prepared. AND YOUR EMPLOYEE AND CUSTOMER WILL BE ON THE SAME PAGE. You can see how that could prevent headaches, right?
Articles about the services you provide, explaining contract terms, or high-end products that are new to your mix, are other good examples that should be required reading.
If everyone in your organization is on the same page, when a sales opportunity presents itself, whoever recognizes that opportunity is ready to respond in a helpful way, advancing the sales process and preventing headaches.
Make Your Blog Useful, Inside and Out
I’m a big proponent of cross-training and think silos are silly (except on farms). I’ve found that blogging about a problem is a great way to solve (or at least, productively address) a problem and improve customer service.
Look no further than your complaint box (or Twitter feed) and you’ll see plenty of fodder for your next few (dozen) blog posts.
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Good training is good, and good cross-training is great. Why? Because it promotes better customer service and operations. For help creating a content mix that works for you, your customers, and your employees, get in touch.