3 Tips On Blogging for Business
Recently a new client asked if blogging really was for business. See, over the past 6 months he heard that you should blog about your business, and that you should NOT blog about your business.
His basic question was: “who’s right?”
Frankly, I can’t think of ANY possible reason why you wouldn’t blog about your business. So I’ll share with you here what I shared with our new client.
Blogging IS perhaps one of the most powerful ways to talk about your business. The questions is, if it’s such a powerful tool, why do some folks get it all wrong? What’s the catch?
Marketing your business costs you time or money.
Actually, time IS money so it’s not much of a distinction, usually. However, in the case of blogging, it’s the time factor that causes most business owners so much trouble.
Why is that?
Because at times blogging can be hard to do.
Think of it this way. On the one hand, the power of blogging is the ability to quickly and easily update or add content to your site. In the “old days” you need to contact your web company or IT staff to code in the new stuff you wanted added.
Thank goodness those days are gone, and gone for good.
But on the other hand, the reason blogs have become hugely popular is the fact that they are CURRENT. At least, they should be. And that’s where some people find that it requires so much work.
It’s now so easy to add new content to your site, coupled with blog features that help categorize and organize your information. Which allows you to engage in a conversation with your website visitors, clients, and potential customers.
That’s the key.
Now, the way folks can easily see that your blog is current is by glancing over at your “Archives.” You could disable this feature on your blog.
But why would you?
The fact that blogs are kept current is one reason why search engines love them so much. Relevant content is all about remaining current and talking about what’s happening today.
So staying CURRENT is one of the keys to blogging success.
Here’s the next piece in the puzzle for you, and your business. And it’s all about…
CONSISTENCY
Most folks get all fired up, start blogging like crazy, and then over time their enthusiasm wanes. Let me share with you a real life example.
Back in September we were a featured speaker at a business conference. Probably 60 to 75 business owners attended our talk on blogs, marketing, and web 2.0 stuff. Now, if I do say so myself, it was very well received.
Afterwards, some folks scheduled follow on appointments and became clients (yeah!) Some left the talk and started their own blog (excellent). Since we believe in giving folks immediately useful tips, it wasn’t hard for them to get started…
And that was the problem. Three posts in September. None in October. One in November. None in December.
Do you get the picture?
Blogging effectively is about consistency. It IS a commitment, no doubt about it. If you can’t set a schedule to keep to it, then outsource your blog content to someone on your team who will do it for you.
To gain readership online, not to mention improving your search engine results, consistency will be another key to your success.
There’s just one more key to discuss. And it involves using…
TOOLS & STRATEGIES
And that’s where we come in.
Remember the talk I referenced above? Well, some folks went out and started up a blog for their business. And that’s just awesome.
It was good to discover that folks took our advice to heart and implemented a few steps immediately. But as some folks found out, there’s more to blogging than pounding content on a site.
Needless to say, we received more emails lately regarding their need to become more effective at blogging.
What they found out (as you are here) is that you need tools and strategies to maximize your effectiveness. Like knowing which keywords you should target. And having tools installed in your blog to help you get the results you want.
Not to mention knowing HOW to use those tools.
If you would like to blog about your business, or started a blog but are unhappy with your results online, what can you do?
Well, for starters the tips here are a good first start. You can also leave us a comment and we’ll be happy to answer your questions and comments.
And of course, you can always begin a conversation to see how we may be able to help you out in more specific ways.
Let me put it this way. Each post to your blog is a new web page. That means, each time you post new content you are claiming more “internet real estate” for you and your business.
It really is that simple.
Next Steps…
Any questions? Comments? Did we hit a nerve?
Drop us a line by leaving a comment. We will reply (here, and by email if you’d like) as soon as we’re able. And if there’s a topic you want us to discuss, let us know.
To receive monthly emails with summaries of all our latest content, sign up for our “Monthly Web Tips” above. Does that sound fair enough to you?
To discover how our web marketing firm can help you with your online presence, traffic, leads and sales, kindly follow the link. You can also review our web marketing services to better understand how we work with clients just like you.