A blog connected to your company website can serve many useful purposes.
It can generate goodwill and trust with you prospects and customers when the content is relevant, informative and engaging.
A well-written blog can establish you as a thought leader in your industry.
Readers visit your blog and return when they are interested in what you have to say, thus establishing an online connection.
Offer readers the opportunity to subscribe to your RSS feed and incorporate buttons to "share" your blog on social media or email.
Sharing on these platforms allows your blog message to extend beyond your website.
Inviting comments makes a blog an interactive experience with you target audience and can generate leads.
Finally, each blog post on your website becomes its own page and is visible to search engines; creating keyword-rich content can improve your ranking and allow prospects to find you more easily.
5 KEY ELEMENTS OF A BLOG

1. Relevant: It should pertain to your industry, current events, or a particular problem or issue important to your audience.
   
2. Informative: Provide valuable information and content to your readers.
   If the blog reads like a sales pitch for your company, it will turn off most (if not all) of your audience.
   
3. Call to Action: Your blog should include a reason, a purpose, and a call to action.
   It should solve a problem, provide some insight, and inspire your readers to do something - call, email, or register (to name just a few ideas).
   
4. Frequency: It should be published on a regular basis, so that readers can anticipate when to expect it.
   
5. Length: Many experts have differing opinions on ideal length.
   Your blog may be as long as 1,000 words (strong content) for good SEO.
   For a 3-5 minute read time, blogs should be between 400 and 500 words.
   

6 TIPS TO TURN YOUR BLOG INTO A SOLID LEAD GENERATION TOOL

1. Sharing: Openly encourage sharing by your readers.
   Include "Share This" and "Recommend" buttons on your blog page so readers can spread the word via email and social media.
   
2. RSS Feed: Add an RSS feed for your blog.
   This way, each blog can be delivered directly to a subscriber's inbox.
   You will generate ongoing readership.
   
3. Interactive: Invite comments and continued conversation about your blog.
   Not only will you actively engage your readers, but some of these discussions may also lead to topics of future blog posts!
4. Guest Posting: Guest blog on other sites who share your target audience.
   You'll reach potential new readers who may visit your own blog for more information.
   Be sure to also ask other bloggers to guest blog on your site.
   
5. Commenting: Comment on the blog posts of others in your industry.
   Offer some thoughtful points for discussion.
   This further establishes your goodwill and trustworthiness and introduces you to a new audience.
   
6. Keyword Strategy: Create a blog based around one of your keywords not commonly used on your website.
   This will help increase visibility to search engines, so long as the blog post is informative and relevant to the keyword.