There are many ways a blog can fit into your Web strategy. Some organizations are using these tools to communicate with their employees, cutting down on email traffic. Others are using blogs to publish information about products and services.
When Lincoln Trail Career Centers decided to modify their Web site the team began with a fresh strategy with the goal of providing better information for their constituents. This new strategy included the launch of a new blog and a Facebook page.
The LTCC marketing team knew the blog would
- Improve search engine placement
- Enhance the dialog between LTCC and Web site visitors
- Provide for a way to quickly publish important items
- Provide a historical record of articles for those who may want to get caught up
- Provide powerful blog visitor reports including visitor numbers, referring web sites, and search terms used to find the blog
It was also important that the Web site and blog be integrated so the two channels could compliment one another. In order to do this, TiER1 used RSS feeds to publish blog content on the Web site. The RSS feeds relied on the categories used on the blog to control which sections of the Web site published blog content.
This strategy has helped LTCC have an integrated Web strategy that leverages the content managment strengths of a WordPress with the a Web site that is flexible, creative and targetted for its audiences.
There are many more approaches that can integrate a blog into an overall Web strategy. What are the most effective approaches you’ve seen? What other ideas do you have for a robust blog strategy?
