Firstly, welcome to Shapeshift New Media’s Corporate Blog. As can be seen in our bio’s, we are a Design Studio. We specialise in CMS website development, graphic design, digital design and brand management.
Moving into the corporate blogsphere was an interesting decision. We here at Shapeshift strongly believe that the web is an awesome marketing tool and that there are many untapped opportunities to develop our brand, and also educate readers on what we are busy doing.
The advertising game is a fast paced industry where you have to keep your fingers on the pulse. Blogging is no new concept and many have been doing a form of it since the conception of the Internet. Corporate blogging, on the other hand, is fairly nonexistent. Most probably due to fear of the unknown. Throwing your company philosophies and ideas into the jaws of an ever growing Internet community is not for the faint hearted.
So what exactly are the benefits of Corporate blogging? What is the return on investment for developing an identifiable, sustainable corporate voice?
The first thing that we identified is brand recognition. A well populated blog, with interesting, inspiring and technical posts can do nothing but grow your brand. It shows your company as a highly evolved entity that knows what it’s talking about.
Active participation and a good reputation in an industry’s blogsphere may lead directly to inbound calls from prospects.
Effectively, a well used Corporate blog is the ultimate public relations tool. In a forum where your main objective is not to sell, you’ll have a more personal relationship between you and your customers. Blogs are a fast way to join the customers’ discussions, provide tips and insights or receive feedback. Which eventually will lead back to leads and sales.
Publicity is the most cost-effective marketing tool there is and it’s the only part of a marketing strategy that builds credibility. Many industries have innovative start up companies that are relatively unknown. For these new companies to gain an edge over their competition, it is vital that they build credibility through publicity. What better way to do this than to blog about it. Today it was publicised that there are around 34.5 million bloggers across the world. A free market place, with free tools to access them, you just have to write things that they want to read, you would be silly not to at least try and make an impact.
I hope everyone enjoys our blog and that there are many insights to come. Feel free to comment and discuss.
Regards,
