Business blogging is crucial to the overall success of your business. You may say that you don’t have the time or talent to set up and write a business blog to which I say, “You can’t afford not to!” Why should you participate in business blogging? Let me count the ways:
Business blogging allows you to connect and interact with your clients and customers, no matter where you are, and no matter where they are. We work in a global marketplace, yet, business blogging helps you connect and interact in a way that none of the traditional marketing methods have allowed…at all hours of the day and night, 365 days a year!
Business blogging is appealing to customers and clients because of the personal nature of the ‘conversation.’ In my business blogs, you learn about my hobbies, pet peeves, and the ‘inside scoop’ on how I’ve succeeded in business. You get a chance to get inside my head…scary though it’s true.
Business blogging allows you to target those cutting edge topics of interest to your audience. It allows them the benefit of your expertise, and it gives you an ability to build a reputation and a persona.
Business blogging is FREE. Locate a group such as wordpress or blogger to be the host for your business blog. There are positive and negative factors for both of these blog locations, but the most important factor is that you design your blog so that it is easy to update and change. It’s a great way to market your products and services. Approach your local post office or TV station and ask them to run a free promo or advertisement for you and they will look at you as if you have lost your fucking mind. But, I can blog forever! No stamps. No contracts. No overhead. If you don’t want to write it, outsource it.
Although these are just four reasons to have a business blog, let me give you some pointers on ‘how’ to business blog.
♦Before you start
Decide what you want to accomplish with the business blog.
Are you highlighting various products?
Are you advertising sales items?
Are you giving words of wisdom?
Are you promoting a book or a service?
Have a vision of what the business blog can accomplish if it is successful. Then, brainstorm the action steps required to realize success.
Decide who your target audience is and write to appeal to them.
Identify the interests of your target audience and then make sure you ‘give them what they want.’
♦Once you start
Commit to a regular schedule of business blogging; preferably once a week; on a particular day of the week. This strategy gives your target audience something predictable to look forward to.
Consider allowing your followers to take a poll, answer and submit questions, and vote. Make sure that your blog is linked to your facebook account so that your followers can ‘like’ you on Facebook and re-tweet your posts. This is critical.
The most important thing is to get busy. Dive in. Decide on a title for your business blog and a purpose. Your customers and your clients will be thrilled that they can ‘hear your voice’ and ‘get close’ to you, even if they live half way around the world.
Tagged: Business Blogging Entrepreneurs
