What is a Business Blog?

Assuming you’re not a celebrity, and therefore your business blog isn’t about you personally, there are some things that differentiate a business blog from an opinion blog or a hobby blog or any other type of blog. Here are some questions you should ask yourself that will help you define what a business blog is:

What is the main goal of my business blog?
It should be to provide useful information to your target audience, so they recognize you as an authority in your field. This should generate the happy result of making your phone ring. When you provide useful information, readers will like and trust you. Most business blogs share this goal.
Who is my target audience?
Define your audience and write for them; it’s that simple. If your business provides products or services to consumers, then your target audience is the portion of the consumer market that needs your products/services. Does your customer fit a certain demographic? Age, gender, income level and location are some factors to consider. For example, if you operate a maid service for residential homes and apartments, make sure your topics are geared to those consumers.
If you provide products or services to other businesses, what defines that audience? For example, if you provide commercial flooring for apartment complexes only, then your target audience is a narrow niche and you want to be sure to write for them and not for the general public.
Am I promoting my business with my blog?
Being completely candid, we can all agree that we’re not publishing a business blog simply because we love to write. You’re probably looking at your blog as a lead generator for your business. And there’s nothing wrong with that. However, you will turn off your readers if your blog posts sound like you’re trying to sell something. Your website is there to promote your business. Your blog should be there to provide useful information. Unless your business is running an answer website, most people understand that your blog exists not just to share information, but also to grow your business. Here’s a great list of 7 things you want to avoid on your business blog.
Am I staying on topic?
If you’re a roofing company, all of the content on your blog needs to be clearly related to roofing topics. If you’re an accountant, stick to the accounting topics. If you spend any time on Twitter, and you follow certain people because they are experts in their fields, then you know how annoying it can be when they start tweeting about where they ate lunch and what their kids are doing in school or how they feel about certain political candidates. Keep your business blog about relevant business topics.