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B2B Blog - Separate or with Business Website

by bhconsultant
8 replies
Hi,

We are a B2B focused company, in the international trade field. We are in the processing of setting up a blog and are trying to decide, whether we set-up the blog as a separate domain from our main business website or make it part of the website. Would love to know your opinions on the pros and cons of each approach.

Either way, we do want to to maintain a clear message that the blog is run by the company. However, I have noticed in case of B2B Businesses, the blog posts tend to get a bit more credibility when the blog is separate from a business website and the posts are not "directly" trying to promote the services of the business. Look forward to your thoughts on this.
#b2b #blog #business #separate #website
  • Profile picture of the author bhconsultant
    Hi,

    Really looking forward to some ideas on this?
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  • Profile picture of the author Graham Maddison
    I am not an expert by any means, but from my personal experience it would seem to be better to add a blog in a sub-domain/directory which will auto post to social sites like twitter. Have your twitter account linked to your main website in your profile and your main website will reap the benefit of the social signals.

    There may well be differing views on this, but this is from my personal experience.
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    • Profile picture of the author bhconsultant
      Originally Posted by Istvan Horvath View Post

      Have one relevant domain for your business website and the blog should be on a subdomain (or subfolder). That's the initial setup.

      p.s. If you have a knowledgeable webmaster they can build you the whole thing above with one single WP installation (since you will blog with it anyway) and the right theme: use static Pages for the "site" and the usual blog setup for the rest. But if you alr4eady have a site, just find someone to create a theme that is build based on your existing site's design.

      Hi, Thanks for your very useful reply. A couple of things, I would like to clarify. Is there any benefit of using a subdomain, i.e. blog.mysite.com over a directory, i.e. mysite.com/blog ?

      My website is currently running on "Joomla" and the plan is set-up the blog on Wordpress. Are there any specific benefits of doing everything over 1 WP Installation?

      Also, do you believe it would be a good idea to use the main website's left navigation & header (which has the links to our services) with the blog, or not incorporate these with the link and instead just use a few links to services pages on the blog?

      Originally Posted by Nightengale View Post

      See how beautiful and classy the headers look? You can do this without being cheap or cheesy. When you put your offer in the header, it will always be there, no matter what page your prospect lands on.

      Then have a follow-up process for converting leads into customers. This is usually done through a regular e-mail newsletter coupled with individual e-mail promoting your products and services. Use snail-mail postcards to give your campaigns some ooomph inexpensively

      Hope that helps!

      Michelle

      Thanks Michelle, Some great ideas there.
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  • Profile picture of the author koreancowboy
    You could use the blog as a separate site to point to your main site, and of course, work in the social media aspect...Google+, LinkedIn, twitter, etc.
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  • Profile picture of the author Istvan Horvath
    I would organize it in this way (usually, that's what I advise my clients).

    Have one relevant domain for your business website and the blog should be on a subdomain (or subfolder). That's the initial setup.

    Next, have a clear picture (in your head) how and what kind of content you are going to post on the website and on the blog. See them as ONE big picture!

    The non-blog part (section) of the site should give all the factual information about your business (About; Mission... if any; Products; Services; Policies etc. - pick what applies to your business). If you have a "sales pitch" it should also go there: it must be convincing enough to entice the visitor to buy your product and/or service.

    As for the blog - I'd use it exclusively as a 'credibility builder' device. Don't sell on the blog!!! (you can have a link on the side to the sales pitch and service and products but don't make it a shameless promotion) The blog shouldn't be about promotion and sales...

    Give information, stories, insight: show the people behind the corporate facade, present relevant case studies etc. Short and to the point posts - remember, business people don't have time to read verbose long stuff. Make sure the blog is updated regularily: nothing more disappointing than a corporate blog updated last time 3 years ago...

    p.s. If you have a knowledgeable webmaster they can build you the whole thing above with one single WP installation (since you will blog with it anyway) and the right theme: use static Pages for the "site" and the usual blog setup for the rest. But if you alr4eady have a site, just find someone to create a theme that is build based on your existing site's design.
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    • Profile picture of the author Steve B
      Listen to Istvan. With one site you have less hassle maintaining multiple web properties, you can build your brand at one place, and you can avoid any confusion about where your business is located. It's the best way to "maintain a clear message that the blog is run by the company."

      You said: "blog posts tend to get a bit more credibility when the blog is separate from a business website and the posts are not "directly" trying to promote the services of the business."

      If that is the case, I would suggest that the business is not using the blog as Istvan has suggested, i.e., not to directly try to sell the business. I believe you are wrongly thinking that the lack of credibility comes from the blog being on the main site. The real problem, in such cases, is that the blog is too hype filled, too "salesy" or too much of a "cheerleader" of the company products.

      The best to you,

      Steve
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      • Profile picture of the author Nightengale
        What Istvan said.

        Don't not confuse your audience or make more work for yourself by hosting a blog separate from your website. Incorporate it into your website. Use WordPress for the entire site. It makes updating ALL pages a breeze and has many, many SEO benefits.

        Keep your navigation simple. My navigation goes like this:

        1. Home (nothing more than a lead capture/squeeze page with an "Enter Site" button at the bottom)
        2. Blog
        3. Membership (we're a membership-based business and this is our entry-level/main product)
        4. Resources
        5. Faculty
        6. About
        7. Media Desk (for the media)
        8. Contact
        9. Login

        That's it! The design and navigation is deceptively simple. There's a LOT more going on behind the scenes than it would appear by just looking at the site. A confused mind doesn't take action, so we've worked very hard to keep everything very simple.

        Google loves fresh sites that are updated regularly. Incorporating a blog into your site that's regularly updated is the best way to do this with your main site.

        VERY IMPORTANT: Remember that your first and main objective with your site is NOT to sell! It's to build a list of interested prospects so you can build a relationship with them and then sell them. So make sure your opt-in box is displayed prominently on EVERY page of your site, ABOVE the fold. That is, people shouldn't have to scroll down at all to see your free offer.

        We do this by building the offer right into the header of the site. Using the header space just for your name is a complete waste of space. Put your offer there!

        You can see how we do this at Global Institute of Wellness Entrepreneurs » Blog

        Ali Brown also does this at http://www.alibrown.com/ Fabienne Fredrickson does this at Small Business Coach, Women Business Coaching - Client Attraction

        See how beautiful and classy the headers look? You can do this without being cheap or cheesy. When you put your offer in the header, it will always be there, no matter what page your prospect lands on.

        Then have a follow-up process for converting leads into customers. This is usually done through a regular e-mail newsletter coupled with individual e-mail promoting your products and services. Use snail-mail postcards to give your campaigns some ooomph inexpensively

        Hope that helps!

        Michelle
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  • Profile picture of the author bhconsultant
    Hi Guys.

    Would love some of your ideas on the questions in the previous post?
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