We Should All Have a Company Blog Like This

I have written before about 37 Signals, whose products (Backpack, Basecamp) we use (and about their book Rework) –and I am really impressed with them. I have also written a bunch on how most company websites are working against them as they are so 2005. More specifically, you need current content on your company's homepage. 

And what better content than stuff about your customers and products? No surprise, but 37 Signals kills it with two blogs: "Signal vs. Noise" is where they can sound off on issues (including company related stuff), and their "Product Blog" is on my RSS feed page because I love to see how other 37 Signals customers are using the product. They have feeds from both pages on their home page.

Here is why I like the idea of having a good company blog on your homepage:

• Your homepage likely gets most of your traffic.
• Your website is where everyone goes to validate your company - a big step in determining whether or not to do business with you.
• Case studies, customer usage examples, etc. help you in so many ways: 1) prospects learn how your products are working for your customers - which gives them ideas of how you can help them, 2) a case study or product usage write up is a form of a testimonial - which allows your current customers do to some of the heavy lifting of the sale process, and 3) it makes your homepage dynamic.