Don't Tease Your Audience. Update Your Blog.

A blog can become an important part of your PR strategy — but only if you keep adding fresh content to it.

The blogosphere is littered with abandoned blogs and blogs distinguished mostly by long droughts between new postings. Sporadic updating is akin to a date with a tease. You intrigue your readers only to disappoint by not delivering. Do this over time and you lose them completely.

Search engines thrive on fresh content. It's the key to search engine optimization and to moving your blog up the search listings. If you want your blog to be found and read, you have to feed it fuel so it can race to the front of the line. If you want it to engage your readers and build an audience that is engaged with your communications and gives you feedback, you have to add fresh content at least once a week. After you do, spread the word via email, Facebook, Twitter and however you can. In short, tell the Web world that you have posted something new.

Send out the bait and bring them in. Don't bait the hook and you won't catch a thing.

Fresh content doesn't mean a long posting. It doesn't mean it has to be Pulitzer material. It just has to be fresh, interesting and helpful to your target audience.

So don't be one of those businesses that starts a blog, then leaves the thing alone in the dark recesses of the Web. Give your blog the attention it deserves and update it every week to 10 days. If no one inside your organization has the time to do this, get with a good PR firm and bring them on board to communicate your voice.