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A business may look at the more recent media like Facebook and Twitter, and wonder whether there’s even a use for company blogs any longer. But past experience has shown that there is still a place for such a tool. In the past, many companies recognized that their websites were not very friendly to customers, as they looked more like pages from their Annual Reports than anything else. When they changed their sites, often including a blog, customers began to respond enthusiastically and a new interaction was born.

It’s well known in the business blogosphere that Dell Computers led the way, being one of the first companies to make such a change. Even as successful a business as Dell was, a barrier still existed between the company and its customers, many of whom had frustrating complaints that weren’t being addressed. When the company set up to receive blog entries, the turnaround in its relationship with customers was remarkable. General Motors, too, had a similar experience.

And for anyone considering building a home internet business the benefits of blogging can be enormous.

A business blog can provide a supplement to regular email newsletters as well, although some customers might still rely on the emails for updates and never think of visiting the website, while others are more proactive and check blogs regularly to find current information. Businesses need to engage customers in several ways. If it’s updated regularly, the blog can provide fresh information that won’t vanish down the page quite so quickly, say, as the more ephemeral tweets on Twitter. Up-to-date business news can be posted in a friendly, casual fashion, allowing customers to ask questions or make suggestions. And their remarks won’t vanish down the page either.

Businesses do need to be cautious about raising customers’ expectations, however. While an almost one-on-one relationship might be possible between a small business and its customers, larger companies may not be able to respond to all queries or complaints, and this could damage its reputation if it’s not careful.

But another use for blogging, and one that businesses might not even consider at first, is for internal communication. Even though employees can keep in touch via email, meetings or conference calls, an internal blog can focus on one department or a single project, providing a central place for a team to receive regular updates or make an informal record of their progress. This will keep these employees up to date without their own email inbox piling up to an unmanageable level.

Blogs were not the first tool in the social networking arsenal, but once the internet really became established and blogging software was created to make online interaction easier, blogs became valuable tools to help a business exchange information and feedback with its customers. These web pages can provide up-to-date news, in a more permanent form than on other media, and keep the crucial lines of communication open.

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