Why Blog?
With internet usage at an all time high, businesses have any number of online tools right at their fingertips. One rapidly growing trend is blogging, which is essentially an online journal or commentary with the ability for readers to make comments. Before figuring out how to blog, you need to answer the question—Why Blog?
What started out as personal online diaries has grown to include businesses that want to convey a message. People create blogs for many different reasons, including these:
1. They like to write and find this an easy method of getting their words published.
2. They find it a simple way to share their opinions with the online ‘world’.
3. They have information to share with a targeted group and enjoy educating others.
4. They want to draw visits to an existing web site with the goal of selling products or services.
There are many industries that are conducive to blogging. Obviously, the marketing/public relation field was quick to jump into this method of publicity. Other relevant players in the blog field include professional service providers, real estate professionals, retail stores, and non-profit organizations.
If this has spurred your interest, you are probably wondering just how to go about creating a blog. Here are few basic steps to follow:
1. Determine the Value of the Investment
A blog is free to setup and host. It could cost you money to link your existing site to your blog, depending on how your web maintenance is handled. Your biggest expense will be that of your time—the time it takes for you to understand how to submit a post, as well as the time to write your blogs.
2. Identify the Purpose of Your Blog
As with any marketing activity, you must identify your target market and your purpose and goals for this activity. Blogs are created for many purposes, such as to educate your market, to provide you with an outlet to share ideas, or to draw additional visitors that will purchase your product or service.
3. Identify the Platform for Your Blog
There are several free blogging tools that will walk you through the entire process. You may need to consult your web developer to tie an existing web site to this new blog. Some popular blog services are Blogger (www.blogger.com), eBlogger (www.eblogger.com) and Weblogs (www.weblogs.com). Most blogging services provide templates for easy set up and access controls so your site is secured per your specifications.
4. Start Blogging!
When you think about what to write, think about the questions your customers frequently ask, such as news, trends, new product descriptions, or legislation that will impact your business. In general, you should look to write about information your customers would be interested in reading about.
Now that you have identified the purpose of your blog and the tools that you will use to create a blog, you can now get to work.
Whatever business you are in, whether you are selling a product or service, you can use a blog to draw visitors to your web site, educate those visitors, and ultimately increase your sales.
A number of local and regional businesses have already discovered the power of the blog. To see successful blogs in action, visit the following websites:
Dave Schoof, DSA Coaching – www.TheDisquiet.com
Eastern Panhandle Views – www.EasternPanhandleViews.com
Platinum PR – www.PlatinumPublicRelations.com
Thomas Shepherd Inn – www.ThomasShepherdInn.com
WV Chamber - http://wvbusinessblog.blogspot.com/
What started out as personal online diaries has grown to include businesses that want to convey a message. People create blogs for many different reasons, including these:
1. They like to write and find this an easy method of getting their words published.
2. They find it a simple way to share their opinions with the online ‘world’.
3. They have information to share with a targeted group and enjoy educating others.
4. They want to draw visits to an existing web site with the goal of selling products or services.
There are many industries that are conducive to blogging. Obviously, the marketing/public relation field was quick to jump into this method of publicity. Other relevant players in the blog field include professional service providers, real estate professionals, retail stores, and non-profit organizations.
If this has spurred your interest, you are probably wondering just how to go about creating a blog. Here are few basic steps to follow:
1. Determine the Value of the Investment
A blog is free to setup and host. It could cost you money to link your existing site to your blog, depending on how your web maintenance is handled. Your biggest expense will be that of your time—the time it takes for you to understand how to submit a post, as well as the time to write your blogs.
2. Identify the Purpose of Your Blog
As with any marketing activity, you must identify your target market and your purpose and goals for this activity. Blogs are created for many purposes, such as to educate your market, to provide you with an outlet to share ideas, or to draw additional visitors that will purchase your product or service.
3. Identify the Platform for Your Blog
There are several free blogging tools that will walk you through the entire process. You may need to consult your web developer to tie an existing web site to this new blog. Some popular blog services are Blogger (www.blogger.com), eBlogger (www.eblogger.com) and Weblogs (www.weblogs.com). Most blogging services provide templates for easy set up and access controls so your site is secured per your specifications.
4. Start Blogging!
When you think about what to write, think about the questions your customers frequently ask, such as news, trends, new product descriptions, or legislation that will impact your business. In general, you should look to write about information your customers would be interested in reading about.
Now that you have identified the purpose of your blog and the tools that you will use to create a blog, you can now get to work.
Whatever business you are in, whether you are selling a product or service, you can use a blog to draw visitors to your web site, educate those visitors, and ultimately increase your sales.
A number of local and regional businesses have already discovered the power of the blog. To see successful blogs in action, visit the following websites:
Dave Schoof, DSA Coaching – www.TheDisquiet.com
Eastern Panhandle Views – www.EasternPanhandleViews.com
Platinum PR – www.PlatinumPublicRelations.com
Thomas Shepherd Inn – www.ThomasShepherdInn.com
WV Chamber - http://wvbusinessblog.blogspot.com/
posted by Sandy Sponaugle at 9:57 AM
1 Comments:
Thanks for the honorable mention. I love blogging! It took a while to build a routine of visiting other blogs, leaving comments, building links. But in less than 6 months, I am linked by 75 other blogs, have 200-300 visits a week and have 150 enrolled in my newsletter from 11 countries.
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