The role a blog plays in the success of a business hit home for me when my son was looking for a new electric guitar. He plays in a band and was ready to spend some serious money on a serious instrument. Since it’s a major investment for a seventeen-year-old, my wife and I wanted to help. Unfortunately, neither of us knows anything about guitars.

There were two obvious places to shop, both national retailers, one in town, one online. Both have big selections, but the customer service—at least the kind I needed—is hit or miss. I needed someone who lived and breathed guitars and who would take the time to help my son select the best guitar within his price range.

I knew of one small owner-operated guitar shop in town. So I went to its website. It had cool graphics and lots of pictures of guitars, but not much about the people who ran the business. If a non-musician like me was going to make the case to my musician son that we ought to travel clear across town to check out a store neither of us had been to before, I needed evidence that the shop owner and employees knew their stuff and would willing to talk music when we got there. I needed them to have a blog.

Blogs give customers a sense of you, the person behind the business. They help substantiate your expertise and your passion for what you do. They also give customers a sense of whether you’re “good people.” All else equal, I want to do business with the plumber who seems like a nice guy and loves his work so much he writes about it regularly online.

Which brings me to better blogging rule number one. A blog is like a pet. You have to commit to feeding it regularly or it will die. If you’re ready for the responsibility, go online and research the blogs of others in your business or similar businesses. Let that research help define what you say and show. When you launch your blog, make sure you link to your main company website (and vice versa) and that the design elements are consistent with it. That should get you started. I’ll offer additional suggestions in the weeks to come.

My son and I never did get to that little guitar store. Maybe next time, when the band hits big. Are you listening little guitar shop?