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Thinking of Starting a Blog? Tips to Help You Start, Maintain & Grow a Small Business Blog!
by wreynolds, Community Moderator
- Created: July 26, 2010, 6:54 am
- Updated: March 13, 2012, 2:00 pm
The online social media revolution that has bought us Facebook and Twitter actually started back in the late 90's when the term "blog", short for "weblog", entered the lexicon. Since then the activity of blogging has exploded and it was in May 2005 that BusinessWeek proclaimed that *Blogs Will Change Your Business. They certainly have.
Why are blogs important for your business?
Blogs provide business owners with unprecedented ways of reaching and engaging with large audiences in a way that
the traditional one-way information push of a company Web site could never do. Not only this, but blogs can help put a human face to your business while showcasing your knowledge and passion for your chosen field. For example, restaurant owners can share recipe secrets. Just about anyone from a landscaping business to an IT security company can share tips of the trade that connect them with their customer base. And unlike the static content of a business Web site, blogs are collaborative and invite comment - a great way to engage with and solicit feedback from your customers!
Blogs can even be lead generating. I read and monitor blogs religiously and have nurtured leads and networked with businesses that I would not have known existed, had it not been for the viral marketing effect generated by their blogs. Of course, if you are thinking of starting a blog you need to have an underlying strategy in place to ensure it is a success. Here are four things to consider before you enter the blogosphere:
1. Identify a Purpose, Goal and Intention for your Blog
While you obviously want to promote your business, don't be over-promotional in your blog content strategy. Decide early on what you want to accomplish with your blog - and this should drive your content.
Most blogs are typically centered on positioning businesses or business owners as thought leaders in their space or for sharing information and tips that readers find useful. For other ideas on how to shape your blog strategy, including the use of case studies and interviews, take a look at this article - "*5 Winning Post Ideas for Your Small Business Blog" - from *OPENForum.com.
Once you have defined your goal, be sure to adhere to it. Consider publishing your blog objective on your blog home page. For example, the objective of a hypothetical company - JJ's Landscaping Services - might be to provide tips that help consumers maintain a thriving garden in all seasons, which could be summarized and published as: The Better Garden Blog Tips and Tools from our team of experts to keep your garden looking its best year round!
2. Getting Started - Blog Software
Once you have decided to start blogging, you will need to consider the software options available for hosting your blog. Many social media experts advise businesses to be wary of some of the free blog tools available, since their basic features don't offer integration with existing business Web domains or allow for brand customization.
Truth be told, however, if you are just getting started with a blog, free blogging software can be a cost-effective and easy solution for many small businesses. If your blog does take off down the road, you might want to consider migrating to blog software that is installed on your domain and integrated with your Web site. And don't forget to devise a communication plan to let your readers know that you are moving hosts!
3. Commit to Blogging Regularly and with Relevance
There are two tell tale signs that a blog has lost its way - no posts for two weeks or more, and content that has veered off course. Neither will give a favorable impression of your company.
If you can't commit to posting at least 2-3 times a week, then blogging is not going to work for your business. And this is something to consider before you even start your blog. A good way to keep posts regular is to share duties with others. This also adds a diversity of voices. Having an editorial calendar can also keep you on track. Written in advance (for the coming month or quarter), an editorial calendar should include not just the working title of upcoming posts, but a summary of the objective of each post too. Also include hyperlinks to other resources that can help you craft your post quickly and efficiently when it comes time to write. Don't forget to include placeholders for topical posts that spring up at the last minute. For example, in the case of our hypothetical company - JJ's Landscaping Services - topical posts that address current issues such as protracted weather conditions can keep your blog relevant and compelling.
4. Develop a Plan to Generate Traffic to your Blog
Last, but by nomeans least, generating traffic to your blog is critical. The trouble is, many bloggers either do nothing to leverage the tactics available to them, or they go overboard and saturate their blog pages with links and social media icons to drive inbound traffic.
There are many traditional and non-traditional ways to drive traffic to your blog - from ensuring you have RSS feeds built in to adding a link to your blog from other customer touch points such as your email signature and main business Web site. This article from *Louis Gray - "*10 Pointers for Generating Traffic to Your Blog" - is essential reading to get any blogger started in thinking about ways to promote their blog content and drive inbound traffic.
Happy blogging!
Additional Resources
-
Are you thinking about starting a
business blog? Do you already have a blog? Share your experiences with other small business owners on
the Business.gov Community topic of "How to Start a Blog?" -
*FTC to Bloggers: Fess Up or Pay Up (CNET) - FTC Regulations with regards using blogs for endorsement
purposes. - *Should your Non-Profit Launch a Blog? (*www.nancyschwartz.com)
- *Blogging's 11 Big Pay Offs (ww.inc.com)
-
Small Business Marketing Guide fromBusiness.gov- Tips, tools and lots of information to help you market your start-up or small
business.
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Comments
RivalHost.com | Window Shopper | 2/27/2013 - 12:48 pm
do without it. Optimization is key in keeping your blog up to date and eye
catching. Thank you for this information. Feel free to drop by our blog
sometime.
EPlatform | Window Shopper | 2/25/2013 - 3:38 pm
business and engage potential customers. To make this work you must develop
methods to drive traffic to your site. A few simple ways to do this are to
add a link to your blog on your website, submit your blog URL to blog
submission sites, and ask websites with similar content to link to your blog.
A second use for your blog is to help improve your rankings for your main
website. By creating and implementing Google Authorship markup you can
leverage the power of fresh content and position yourself as an authority on
your particular business type. Your blog articles should be at least 500
words, all original content (no plagiarism!), and include a photo or two when
possible. For more information you can get blogging tips from a number of
sites found with a Google search or two.
Emerald Valley | Window Shopper | 2/25/2013 - 1:53 am
trying to fully understand the best methodology for simply writing each blog
post and then submitting it to all of the blog directories and my other blog
accounts. I guess what I am talking about is syndicating each blog post. I
have just begun to look into software that can do this. I am still reading
and doing research on this. I really thank you for your information
mentioned. I found it extremely helpful. Thank you, Michael
bambuvn | Window Shopper | 2/22/2013 - 4:00 am
bambuvn | Window Shopper | 2/22/2013 - 3:58 am
jeffrey.joy@vocationaldynamics.com | Window Shopper | 2/21/2013 - 9:32 pm
potential clients. My blog is integrated into my website and I've added a new
post about every 2 weeks since inception. I can't seem to find more time to
offer more. Readership has been fairly low, mainly due to exposure and
prehaps lack of interest. I'd be interested in any feedback other small
business owners might have. It can be found at:
http://www.vocationaldynamics.com/blog/
tgcigar1320 | Window Shopper | 2/21/2013 - 6:04 pm
can get a routine down. It will be interesting to see how many visitors will
come to my site if I start blogging.
lookboard | Window Shopper | 2/20/2013 - 9:48 pm
that businesses cannot ignore it. Blog is indeed a necessity of every
business in this day and age! Thanks for the post!
tahoe real estate guy | Window Shopper | 2/18/2013 - 8:02 pm
blogs kind of give an human element of a business especially for online. They
also create fresh content granted your blogging regularly which is a big leg
up for SEO. Any good online marketer will tell you that fresh, and quality
content will get your site traffic. and of course the obvious it is a great
way to give updates on whatever you may be selling like sales, or dates for
re-stocking. Great post keep up the good work!
-Daytona
infoseel | Window Shopper | 2/18/2013 - 6:25 am
writing, especially in a way that's useful and interesting.
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