Our email clients often want to know if they should create a blog and how the process is different from creating their monthly email newsletter. Think of it this way: Your newsletter pushes information out to people who know your company and have already opted in. Your blog can be a tool to pull new people into your community.

A corporate blog that talks only about its own products is not interesting to consumers… in fact, such blogs are only trusted by 16% of readers!  (Source: Forrester)  To be successful, you should blog about something you know and your customers care about. Try to solve your customer’s problems. A good example is Rubbermaid’s blog, “Adventures in Organization“, which is all about getting organized. Well-written content that adds value impresses your readers and makes them more likely to do business with you – and it also helps improve your search engine rankings and makes it more likely that other blogs in your space will link to you. Unlike email, blogs are interactive, so invite your readers to post feedback on your posts and be sure to respond to it.

Create synergies between your email and blog efforts. In each email newsletter, promote a recent entry on your blog and drive traffic there to read the rest of the story. On your blog, provide a link to sign up for your email newsletter. Make it easy for readers to subscribe to your blog via email or RSS, so they will be sure not to miss your next update.

Got questions or suggestions? Post them in the comments!

Note: thanks to Brendan Mitchell for the new standard blog icon