Blog for Business

Blogging For Your Business
A trend that's become a major marketing tool for businesses recently is blogging. We've all heard of it and, unfortunately, some of us directly relate it to the horror stories we've heard about My Space. However, blogging is actually a very powerful method of promoting a business. They allow a more personal relationship to develop with your current and prospective clients... and they also allow you to finally find a place for all of that "stuff" you've been meaning to upload to your company's website. For a peek at how I set up my blog visit http://13thirtyone.blogspot.com/.


What is a Blog? First things first, let's talk about the concept of a blog. A blog is simply an online journal or diary. You can add entries as often as you like - ten times a day, if you have the time. You can share photos, excerpts from articles, post links to other websites, etc. All you have to do is go to www.blogger.com to get started.



What do I Write About? I think of blogs as being an informal website. For me, I can offer my current and prospective clients tricks and tips to help them promote themselves. I can also share exciting news about my own company. Also, I've created a "random" category. If I'm feeling like writing about something not-so-pertinent to business that day, I can do that. Your blog can be whatever you want it to be. Just remember that while it's less formal, it's still a direct reflection of you and your business.


How Often Should I Post? The more you post, the more your blog is "refreshed." When your blog is "refreshed," it jumps to the top of the blog search engines. People can find your blog easier if you write more. I try to write in my blog about three to four times during the week. Of course, if you have lots to say, write twice a day!


What Should My Blog Look Like? I think Blogger.com is great because it offers a lot of templates in a lot of color variations. It's great for an individual who doesn't know a lot of HTML code and doesn't want to spend the time custom designing their blog, or paying a professional to do so.

However, I think it's important to incorporate your company's branding into everything you do as much as possible. Try to find a template (should you choose to go that route) that reflects the ideas of your business. Choose colors that match your company's collateral.


Why Shouldn't I Just Post All of This on my Website?
The first advantage to keeping your site clean and simple is that viewers can easily navigate around it. You don't want to put too much information up there because the audience won't know where to start reading, they'll get lost, or they'll get confused and just leave. Let your website work just enough to "hook" the viewer. Let them take action to contact you further.

Also, if you're paying a web developer or designer to update your site for you, constantly changing photos, uploading newsletters and adding publicity announcements can add up to a lot of money. By doing a blog, you're in complete control. You can add and edit content as much and as often as you like. Best of all, it's free!

Finally, your website should reflect your business in as professional of a tone as possible. Let it. Keep your advice and stories on a more personal level and let your viewers feel they've made a personal connection with you or your company. Post those items on a blog.