I’m so excited to share with you another guest interview for our Love Your Blog Series, where we interview blogging and marketing experts. Today’s interview is with one of our favorite and most trusted web, logo, and blog designers, Claudia Cokis.
In this guest interview, Claudia shares advice for small business owners looking to make their blog a more effective marketing tool.
See below for the interview:
1. In your opinion, how important is the design of a blog when it comes to projecting an accurate brand image?
The design of a blog, when it comes to projecting an accurate brand image, is very important. A corporate brand identity should make the company distinguishable and recognizable, in not only image, design, or logo, but also in the feeling it generates within consumers.
There is a common misconception that a logo or tagline is a brand. When, in actuality, it is much more. It embodies company culture, quality of products or services, and yes, even trust. When developing a blog, all the subtle nuances that can’t be seen are just as important as the obvious.
Think about the evolution of Apple, Inc. If you looked at their fist logo, unless it had the word computer in it, you would have no idea what the product was. Now, all you have to see is that white apple and you know exactly who and what you are dealing with.
2. On a scale from one to ten, ten being the most important, how important is it for a company to have a business blog integrated into their marketing strategy? Specifically, is a blog an important business investment?
It is becoming more and more important for all sizes of businesses to have a blog in today’s world of technology and computers. Here are some reasons why blogging can improve your business marketing strategy:
a. Human Interaction:
Blogging brings a human face to your company. Actually, a blog is quite affordable compared to other means of advertising. Blogs are a great way to connect with your customers by building relationships and trust.
b. Controlling the message:
Some companies run far away from blogs in fear of negative publicity. But more than ever, blogging is a way to control your company’s message and how you release it. Instead of running from them, companies can use blogs as a platform to get their voice online and release information that doesn’t involve press releases to the media or press conferences.
c. Anticipation
Blogs can be used as a means to build excitement and anticipation about an upcoming, new product.
d. Fresh Content
Every time a blog is updated it provides fresh content to your site. This helps in search engine results and keeps viewers coming back for more.
3. How does proper social media branding play a role in a company’s online success?
It all depends on the type of company involved. But overall, social media success establishes and facilitates personal relationships with clients, customers, prospects, and fans. It drives traffic to your main website and draws attention to your products and services, allowing customers to see what others think and how they feel about your products and services.
Once a person becomes fully engaged, they begin to post comments or tweets, depending on the social media outlet used, allowing them to share their positive, and even sometimes negative, opinions. The sharing of negative opinions can often be a good thing, giving the company an opportunity to rectify the situation quickly and effectively for the rest of the followers to see. This turns a negative into a positive, and satisfies the unhappy customer immediately, rather than making them wait.
4. What three tips do you have for business owners who are looking to redesign their blog or have a completely new blog created?
a. Usability
The use of your blog should not require any thought on the part of your reader—it should come naturally. Make sure your most important content is visible and easily found. Take advantage of search engine optimization techniques. Blogs are naturally search engine friendly because they are regularly updated, which encourages search engine spiders to visit more frequently in search of new content. However, if a business doesn’t have time to focus on their blogs, it would be well worth hiring a company such as, Sumer, to help write blog postings that have a solid key phrase strategy, meta data, tags, and relevant content that can keep your blog at the top of search results. The payoff is well worth it in the end.
b. Accessibility
To ensure that your blog is accessible to all readers you will need to:
* Build a working search-function into the site.
* Make sure that your blog is not only available to high-bandwidth readers, but that your blog will also load, even for users with slow connections.
* Ensure compatibility across all browsers, including mobile phones.
* Take into account people with disabilities and try to make your site as accessible as possible for them.
* Make it easy for your site visitors to be interested and become engaged. Once they are, you have them hooked.
c. Layout/Good Design
* Everything on the page should be there for a reason. Remove any unnecessary things on your blog.
* Brand consistency, visually pleasing, and user friendly.
* Search engine friendly.
About Claudia Cokis Creative Studios:
Give your business added flare with distinguished consulting and design from Claudia Cokis Creative Studios. Break through traditional marketing strategies and ignite your business potential while leaving your competitors behind. By delivering a multitude of avenues that lead straight to your products and services.
Innovate your image with affordable quality from Claudia Cokis Creative Studios.
Area of expertise: Creating the best experience for clients and their customers through delivering social media branding, website implementation, print media, and WordPress custom theme and blogs by targeting there audience in the right way. We take pride in listening to your needs and delivering a final product that is user friendly, SEO optimized, brand consistent, website compliant and on-time. We not only give deliver with 100% satisfaction but educate you on your final product.
Connect with Claudia on Facebook or visit her website for more information on creating an exceptional blog.
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