We at pcAmerica have been blogging for quite some time now, bringing you both updated information about our company and its solutions as well as information designed to help you do a better job of operating your store or restaurant. And now it’s time for us to tell you why you, too, should set up a blog for your operation and use it to its greatest advantage.

1.    Blogs allow retailers and restaurateurs to bolster their search engine visibility and Web traffic.  Every time you update your blog, it will rank higher in consumers’ search engine results and, in turn, will drive more users to your Web site. The more consumers who view the Web site, the more visits to the store or restaurant. Maintaining and updating a blog also serves as a catalyst for increasing online business.

2.    Consumer receptiveness to the use of blogs is growing.  A study by buzz logic indicates that over the past five years, there has been a 300% increase in the number of people who read blogs a minimum of once a month. Given a choice of patronizing an establishment whose owners share information via a blog, and one that doesn’t, many consumers will go with the former.

3.    Blogs build consumer confidence. Blogging comprises one of the most effective means of getting to know you and “humanizing” your store or restaurant. Consumers these days are skeptical—but the more they feel they know you, the more loyal to your business they will become.

4.    Blogs make it easier to get to know the target market. In addition to allowing retailers and restaurateurs to communicate with a wider breadth of customers and potential customers, blogs—through the “comments” section below each post—make it easier to find out what consumers want, what they expect from you, what they think of your merchandise or menu, and the like. Adjustments can then be made based on fact, rather than on guesswork.

Entering the “blogosphere” is not difficult if you use a tool like WordPress (www.wordpress.org). So get out from behind the cash register—and start bloggin’.

Blogging is just one way to enter the realm of social marketing to improve repeat business and build repoire. pcAmerica offers solutions that can get you started with social marketing with solutions from behind the counter.

To learn more about pcAmerica and social marketing tools visit, www.pcamerica.com/socialmarketing