I have had a lot of recent discussions about the value of business blogs and how a company should maintain those sites. It seems that companies are finally moving past the misconception that blogging for businesses should be limited to responses to news or blogs on well established sites. People are understanding now that corporate blogs are all about fresh and relevant content for their buying industry and are critical both for search marketing and establishing thought leadership.

Once people understand that content is king, what should that content be? I like to think of blogs as micro white papers for businesses. They are a fantastic mechanism to establish a point of view on a topic and expertise in an industry. Here are some suggestions for content that is relevant across most organizations:

• Is your company facing a competitive topic that continues to come up for both direct sales and channel? Stake your competitive point of view in a blog. Often a blog about why your approach to a particular problem is a great way to get that message in front of customers and partners.
• Blog about key sales drivers and customer pain points. For example; is your business compliance driven? Blog about your thoughts on the latest regulatory changes.
• Blog about key insights from recent industry events. Make sure that at every show you attend you create entries that speak to both the most popular topics at the show as well as any research you can do on your own in the form of show floor surveys or expert interviews.
• Does your product offer something new? Don’t blog about your product, blog about how new approaches are changing the way your customers address their existing problems.

What to avoid? The sales pitch. Keep your blog conversational and informative and use it to both establish technical expertise and drive search marketing. Blogs are one of the best ways to consistently help your optimal customers find you.