July 22, 2011
Small business blogging 101
BY John Paul Narowski IN Small Business 2 Comments
Having a blog for your business’ website is a great way to add value and broader your service. There are many ways you can communicate with your clients and customers that are non-intrusive and helpful.
Blogging is a great way to keep your customer informed about the latest news in your field. It is also a great place to introduce new changes to your service or begin a dialogue about a new hot topic in the industry.
Having a blog adds a personal voice to your website and business. Customers have many choices available to them. Having a “home” they can go to learn more about you is beneficial and can give you an edge over your competition. Customers like to connect with who they are doing business with and want to feel secure and know they can trust you. By visiting your “home” a trust relationship can be built.
Blogs optimize your SEO as well. For those that may be unfamiliar, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it how you rank when key words are entered in a search engine, like Google. It is always desirable to be at or near the top. You can generate new traffic to some of your posts which could increase your business, as well as providing a service to existing customers. It is helpful to use as many key words in your post that still keep it interesting. Some people use very straight forward language for titles titles and use the same words in a opening sentence. If it really fits your subject, then great, but never sacrifice using key words for an interesting or catchy title. It will not serve you to have a post no one wants to read, try to have hook.
Servicing your customers should also be the focus of your blog too, not self-serving. Adding value and educating customers is the goal; providing excellent customer service. Not giving yourself a pat on the back. You can talk about new changes or updates to your service, but it should be your primary focus and it should be occasionally, not regularly.
Rules for blogging:
Keep it professional.
Keep it informal and fun if possible.
Keep it short and to the point.
Show some personality, if there is a certain slang or jargon in your industry, use it.
Offer real experiences, show your human side.
How often you contribute to your blog is up to you, but do add to it regularly, whether it is weekly or monthly. And have fun with it! Don’t think of it as a chore, but as a way to keep your business fresh.
There are free publishers that are easy to use to get you started such as WordPress or Blogger by Google
For tips and advice on how to get started, check out these links:
How to Run a Successful Blog on 1–3 Hours of Work a Day
