Learning how to blog is a great way to either promote a home business or earn money as a business of its own. Blogs can be used to get the attention of search engines and drive traffic and interest toward your business Website or they can act entirely as the online presence for your business on their own.
In recent years blogging has grown virtually out of control. Every day, an estimated 310,000 new blogs and more than 3.6 million blog updates go online. As of late November 2008, Technorati, a blog tracking firm, was tracking 93.2 million blogs. We can now find blogs on anything from 'Barrack Obama' to 'how to build a shed' This explosive growth raises the question: Should your small business start a blog? I say YES, if for no other reason than to take advantage of an effective marketing tool. Blogs are now ranked as one of the top 5 ways to advertise online.
Creating a business blog does not require thousands of dollars and a web design team. Many blog software programs are free or low cost. Blogging is an affordable solution to small businesses and free agents. The biggest cost will be the time commitment. Treat this as an investment in your marketing. If you spend 10% time cold calling and 5% at trade shows, then set aside 10% or more of your sales and marketing time to learn and maximize this new marketing channel. Learn the skills of basic search engine optimization and content management to get the best return on investment for your blog. Why You Should Consider Blogging
Aside from generating new sales leads, blogging also offers the following potential benefits.
* A blog allows your business to engage with current and potential customers in a direct, informal, no-pressure way. You can communicate the strengths of your product or service, the expertise of your top executives and the breadth of your company's experience in ways that traditional marketing and advertising don't allow. This can help engender a better understanding of your company as well as inspire customer loyalty.
* Because of its collaborative nature, a blog can help you gain insight into customers' needs and interests. You can then use this information to develop new products or services or fine-tune existing ones. * A blog can make your company appear more "alive'' and approachable. A website promoting your products or services is an essential marketing tool. But a blog, in effect, gives your company a personal voice, which also can help boost customer loyalty.
* Blogs cost little, if any, money. Some public blogging sites are free; others charge only nominal fees. Also, blogs are often extremely easy to set up and update, with virtually no training required.
How to Be a Successful Blogger
If you decide a blog makes sense for your business, here are some things you should keep in mind.
Always write for your most basic visitor. Create a glossary for easier understanding. The more advanced visitors to your business blog will represent an important but smaller audience. You can create informational material for them but always put the needs of the beginner first.
* Keep it relevant and personal. Blog readers want to know what you--or others in your company--think about the trends relevant to your industry. If you run a local real estate firm, your readers would likely want to know your thoughts on buying and selling trends in your area. Make your entries personal by speaking to readers directly. Tell them a story. Use an authoritative yet conversational and informal voice.
* Make it useful. When you offer helpful tips and links to other resources on the web, your readers will be more inclined to tell others about your blog. For instance, have you read a new book that's relevant to your readers' interests? If so, write a short review of that book in your blog. If your blog is an information resource for your industry, other bloggers and website owners will want to link to it. And the more sites that link to your blog, the more likely it will show up near the top of search engine results.
* Use relevant keywords throughout your blog. This is another way to boost your blog's chances of showing up at or near the top of search engine results.
* Keep readers hungry. If your blog entries are clear, concise and compelling, readers will want to return again and again.
* Use a soft sell. Don't use your blog to re-purpose press releases, brochures or other content originally created for marketing, PR or advertising. Readers can smell a blatant pitch a mile away.
* Update often. Readers expect blogs to be refreshed regularly. If you update your blog once a month or less, you may not develop a devoted readership. Shorter, more frequent updates are preferable to longer, infrequent ones.
* Be prepared to evangelize. Because blogging is still relatively new, some stakeholders in your company may be unconvinced of its potential return on investment. Explain how a blog might help your business. Provide examples of blogs you admire and, if possible, how those blogs translated into sales leads, better customer relations or other benefits.
* Consult with trusted advisers. Before embarking on any new marketing initiative, it's always a good idea to consult with those whose opinion you trust. Do you know a business owner with a business-oriented blog? If so, ask what impact the blog has had on their business. Also ask your in-house or contract marketing expert for input on your blog's goals, content or tone. Finally, talk to your webmaster, site designer or other web-savvy adviser. Should you add a blog to your small-business website or create one on a separate, public site? What keywords would they recommend using?
Something to Say
In recent years blogging has grown virtually out of control. Every day, an estimated 310,000 new blogs and more than 3.6 million blog updates go online. As of late November 2008, Technorati, a blog tracking firm, was tracking 93.2 million blogs. We can now find blogs on anything from 'Barrack Obama' to 'how to build a shed' This explosive growth raises the question: Should your small business start a blog? I say YES, if for no other reason than to take advantage of an effective marketing tool. Blogs are now ranked as one of the top 5 ways to advertise online.
Creating a business blog does not require thousands of dollars and a web design team. Many blog software programs are free or low cost. Blogging is an affordable solution to small businesses and free agents. The biggest cost will be the time commitment. Treat this as an investment in your marketing. If you spend 10% time cold calling and 5% at trade shows, then set aside 10% or more of your sales and marketing time to learn and maximize this new marketing channel. Learn the skills of basic search engine optimization and content management to get the best return on investment for your blog. Why You Should Consider Blogging
Aside from generating new sales leads, blogging also offers the following potential benefits.
* A blog allows your business to engage with current and potential customers in a direct, informal, no-pressure way. You can communicate the strengths of your product or service, the expertise of your top executives and the breadth of your company's experience in ways that traditional marketing and advertising don't allow. This can help engender a better understanding of your company as well as inspire customer loyalty.
* Because of its collaborative nature, a blog can help you gain insight into customers' needs and interests. You can then use this information to develop new products or services or fine-tune existing ones. * A blog can make your company appear more "alive'' and approachable. A website promoting your products or services is an essential marketing tool. But a blog, in effect, gives your company a personal voice, which also can help boost customer loyalty.
* Blogs cost little, if any, money. Some public blogging sites are free; others charge only nominal fees. Also, blogs are often extremely easy to set up and update, with virtually no training required.
How to Be a Successful Blogger
If you decide a blog makes sense for your business, here are some things you should keep in mind.
Always write for your most basic visitor. Create a glossary for easier understanding. The more advanced visitors to your business blog will represent an important but smaller audience. You can create informational material for them but always put the needs of the beginner first.
* Keep it relevant and personal. Blog readers want to know what you--or others in your company--think about the trends relevant to your industry. If you run a local real estate firm, your readers would likely want to know your thoughts on buying and selling trends in your area. Make your entries personal by speaking to readers directly. Tell them a story. Use an authoritative yet conversational and informal voice.
* Make it useful. When you offer helpful tips and links to other resources on the web, your readers will be more inclined to tell others about your blog. For instance, have you read a new book that's relevant to your readers' interests? If so, write a short review of that book in your blog. If your blog is an information resource for your industry, other bloggers and website owners will want to link to it. And the more sites that link to your blog, the more likely it will show up near the top of search engine results.
* Use relevant keywords throughout your blog. This is another way to boost your blog's chances of showing up at or near the top of search engine results.
* Keep readers hungry. If your blog entries are clear, concise and compelling, readers will want to return again and again.
* Use a soft sell. Don't use your blog to re-purpose press releases, brochures or other content originally created for marketing, PR or advertising. Readers can smell a blatant pitch a mile away.
* Update often. Readers expect blogs to be refreshed regularly. If you update your blog once a month or less, you may not develop a devoted readership. Shorter, more frequent updates are preferable to longer, infrequent ones.
* Be prepared to evangelize. Because blogging is still relatively new, some stakeholders in your company may be unconvinced of its potential return on investment. Explain how a blog might help your business. Provide examples of blogs you admire and, if possible, how those blogs translated into sales leads, better customer relations or other benefits.
* Consult with trusted advisers. Before embarking on any new marketing initiative, it's always a good idea to consult with those whose opinion you trust. Do you know a business owner with a business-oriented blog? If so, ask what impact the blog has had on their business. Also ask your in-house or contract marketing expert for input on your blog's goals, content or tone. Finally, talk to your webmaster, site designer or other web-savvy adviser. Should you add a blog to your small-business website or create one on a separate, public site? What keywords would they recommend using?
Something to Say
No comments:
Post a Comment