At Walt & Company, we’re spending an increasing amount of time helping our tech PR clients establish and manage corporate and executive blogs. From helping them come up with a clever — and SEO-friendly — title to recommending unique, compelling blog themes and content, our business is more and more about positioning them favorably in the rapidly evolving online world.

It takes time, energy and a bit of creativity. But once established, a company blog combined with a strategic PR campaign can go a long way toward helping companies build brand recognition, reach existing and potential customers, and support key business and marketing goals.

There are a number of reasons why it makes sense for many tech companies to augment traditional PR and marketing efforts with a blog. Here are the top five:

1. Expand reach — Today, the majority of technology influencers and purchasing decision makers — IT managers, CIOs, integrators, resellers, consumers, media, analysts, etc. — get their news and information online. As such, a compelling and readily searchable company blog provides another avenue to reach ever larger audiences. In fact, with the decline of traditional print media, a blog is quickly becoming a must-have for most, if not all, tech businesses.
2. Level the tech playing field — It is difficult for a start-up tech company with limited financial and personnel resources to compete with a large, well-funded corporate marketing engine. While not a direct substitute, a blog can be a relatively easy way for smaller companies to generate industry visibility and customer leads without breaking the bank.
3. Build brand visibility and customer loyalty — Because a blog enables a company to interact more directly with customers and business partners than other “push” marketing strategies, it can help build strong, enduring brand awareness. And, if executed correctly, it can also help companies forge 1:1 relationships with customers and partners, ultimately resulting in increased brand loyalty.
4. Support/expand social media efforts — Many tech companies are expanding their marketing and communications campaigns to include outreach and interaction via key social media outlets, such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. As such, a blog provides a destination and resource to direct interested parties from these sites who wish to learn more about a company’s expertise, innovation and vision. Also, some social media sites will automatically re-post company blog entries, providing visibility to a potentially larger audience than the blog alone could reach.
5. Improve SEO — Organic search visibility is key for all businesses today, especially for new or small organizations that have yet to establish a following or ‘word of mouth’ credibility. A blog that drives traffic back to the company Web site, covers topics relevant to a company’s areas of expertise and product focus, and includes relevant and searchable keywords and tags, can help increase Google page rankings and improve search visibility.

When it comes to the nuts and bolts of blogging, all client approaches are different. Like all PR strategies, there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. Some clients opt to blog about specific technology developments and/or trends, while others elect to report on executive activities and interests. Still, others do a little of both.

Whatever the focus or aim, a well-planned and executed blog can help all types of technology companies — IT, enterprise, consumer tech, green, etc. — further expanding their reach in an increasingly fragmented and competitive online world.

George Millington (A.K.A. Geo2)