by Claudia Bruemmer

While wholesalers, manufacturers and other general merchandise suppliers rely more on search marketing to generate traffic and new business, many times they overlook another great tool – blogging. There are many benefits of having a company blog: it makes you a subject-matter expert, gives you more exposure to search bots, helps you connect with customers, helps brand your company and products, provides your customers with product information and creates new ways for users to find your business. So what’s the downside?

Blogging takes time and money, besides requiring expertise. It can be both difficult and rewarding at the same time. So you might want to do a cost-benefit analysis to weigh the pros and cons of blogging for your company. While the returns can be fantastic, it does require investment and commitment. Below are a few things you need to do.

Blogging takes time because it requires valuable content that will be of interest to others in your industry. So you need good writers and communicators. It takes time to write the posts, gather the data and schedule posts at regular intervals. To be effective, you need to post frequently and know how to promote your content.

While blogs are everywhere, and many people blog, only a certain number are widely read in their niche. You can build a good following for your blog if you follow the basic rules. In fact, there’s no reason why you can’t become a top blogger. Below are a few rules that can help you build an audience for your company or brand.

Cite Your Sources. If you’re going to write something that you read before online, it’s important to say where you got it and provide a link. You use the information and put your own spin on it, but it’s important to say where you saw it first. Do this by citing the original author’s name and the website or blog name where the material came from, providing a link back to the source. Sometimes, a less formal way of acknowledging brief information from a colleague is to say something like, “Hat tip to John Smith,” and provide a link. This will gain respect for you and your blog. Everyone likes a person who gives credit when credit is due. On the other hand, if you take someone’s work from Internet without attribution, even if paraphrased, that won’t win any points.

Be Sanguine. It always pays to be kind and polite, even when you might be displeased over something that isn’t right. For one thing, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. And besides, if you vent your anger and later find out you didn’t have all the facts, there might be repercussions for your company or brand. Your blog content is available to everyone in cyberspace, so be careful what you write.

Ask Permission for Fair Use. Whether you’re citing someone else’s work or using their photos or images on your blog, it’s a good idea to ask the original author or artist for permission to republish their work with attribution. You can get free images from places like Stock Xchange, Flickr and FreeFoto.

Do a Fact Check. While there is a lot of information online, especially on all the social networks, you can’t take all you read as gospel. Be sure to check your facts before publishing information online lest you misinform and/or harm other people or companies.

Be Aware of Copyright Law. Information on the web is not in the public domain. Any original content that is published is copyrighted, even without a copyright symbol. Read “10 Big Myths About Copyright Explained” for some examples.

Disclosure. If you work for a company or organization, you should disclose professional relationships and the fact that your views are your own and not attributable to your employer. You should also disclose sponsored posts such as reviews or advertorials. Another necessary disclosure is any affiliate links. Make sure readers know it’s an affiliate link without hiding the fact. If you create value for your readers, they won’t mind your recommendations.

In closing, you can get a lot of value from a company blog, including traffic, links and customers, but it takes an investment of time and money, as well as due diligence in following the rules.