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Are you blogging yet?
Do you have a website, an online business or even a skill that you would like to market online?
If you do, you're not alone. Lots of people would like to get more attention and more business coming their way but it can seem like an uphill task to even get close to finding your ideal market.
Luckily there is a solution and that is exactly what this lens is all about. Business blogging is being taken up by a lot of different people from all walks of life who want to find a way to get in touch with their audience and connect with them in a way that a standard website won't let them do.
So keep reading to find out the ins and outs about how to make this work for you. You'll soon discover that it doesn't matter what kind of business you're in, or whether you're selling products or services. Business blogging could be the answer you've been looking for if you want to let more people know who you are and what you're good at.
What benefits does blogging about your business have for you?
It seems as if everyone on earth is blogging about something, but it's good to know why this type of blog works so well. After all, if you are going to make the effort to set up a blog for your business and develop it over time, then it's worth knowing what's in it for you.
- It brands you as an expert on your niche subject.
You could be selling beads on eBay or bin cleaning services to your local neighbourhood. It doesn't matter what the focus of your blog is; what matters is that everyone who reads it will find out just how much you know about what you do. - It can win you fresh business.
People have the chance to get to know you through your blogging, without feeling pressured to buy anything from you
This means they will come to trust you and when they find themselves in a situation where they could really use your product or service, they will remember you and come straight to you without even thinking about it. - It enables you to funnel more traffic from your blog to your website.
You don't need to advertise your business in your blog posts to let people know you make a living from the subject you blog about.
Simply include a clickable link in your blog roll and people will follow it to find out more. - You can interact with your potential future customers.
It stands to reason that anyone interested in what you are blogging about could be a future customer. So make sure you enable visitors to leave a comment on your blog, because comments can tell you a lot about what people in your market want and are interested in.
Think about doing a questionnaire or a poll too - they can enable you to take better care of your customers in the future if you ask the right questions.
Blogging according to Wikipedia
There's nothing like Wikipedia for gaining a basic knowledge of something, and when you are thinking about setting up a blog for professional purposes it's good to get a basic grounding in blogging before you start.
A blog (a contraction of the term "weblog")Weblogs: A History And Perspective, Rebecca Blood, September 7, 2000. is a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog''.
Many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, Web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many blogs. Most blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketches (sketchblog), videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), and audio (podcasting). Micro-blogging is another type of blogging, featuring very short posts.
As of December 2007, blog search engine Technorati was tracking more than 112 million blogs.
How to create a writing style that suits you and your business
It's obvious that if your blog is going to represent you and your business, it needs to be written as professionally as possible.We're not talking about fine literature here, we're simply talking about the ability to communicate with your readers (and therefore your potential clients) effectively and professionally, without straying into the story of what you did after work last week.
So remember the following points:
+ Be professional
+ Be polite
+ Explore the realms of your job or business area to make sure you can create a well rounded blog over time
+ Be different. Don't go out of your way to create something that doesn't fit in with your subject area at all, but try and find something that enables you to stand out from the crowd and makes your blog memorable.
+ Take the time to find your own unique voice. We all have one, and finding yours is the secret to writing a blog that will get read over and over again.
A great example of how well it can work
When you need an example of how well a professional blog can work, you don't need to go too far.
If you've been around Squidoo for a while you will no doubt know who Seth Godin is. Take the opportunity now to check out his blog and see just how good it is; he's got links to his books on there without promoting them too heavily in the process.
This is a blog we can all learn a lot from.
"The New Rules of Marketing and PR"
by David Meerman Scott
And no matter what business you are in, his advice will prove invaluable to you too.
The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly
Amazon Price: $15.72 (as of 07/06/2009)
Used Price: $9.25
Firstly, section four is all about blogging from the point of view of a business.
Secondly, this book is crammed full of advice and gems that you can apply to the world of blogging.
And thirdly, David Meerman Scott knows what he is talking about. That alone makes this excellent book a must read. And it won't sit on your bookshelf either; this is the type of book that is constantly referred to, and when you start reading it you'll understand why.
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Tweet My Blog
There are plenty of benefits to using Wordpress for your blog, but there is a fairly new benefit that will bring you more traffic with the help of a Twitter account as well.
TweetMyBlog is a Wordpress plug-in that comes complete with plenty of freebies to boot, including an eBook that reveals exactly how to use Twitter for the best effect.
And there's no need to look for the price either, because it's FREE. Simply visit TweetMyBlog for more information on how to join and get your FREE plug-in and bonuses.
Remember this -
The most important thing that setting up a blog for your business gives you is CONNECTIVITY.
+ It connects you with future customers
+ It connects you with fellow business people in your subject area
+ And most importantly, it allows you to build connections of all kinds that can last a very long time and benefit plenty of other people (including you) in the future too
Getting your new blog found
Let's take a look at some places that can help you get your blogging in front of a much bigger audience. I'll be adding more over time, so why not favourite this lens and revisit for updates in future?
- Claim your blog on Technorati
- This is probably the first thing you should do, as it gets your blog in front of potentially hundreds of thousands of readers.
You can join for free and claiming your blog only takes a few minutes. You can also easily ping your blog every time you update it, to let Technorati know you have done so.
There's plenty of other business blogs here too, and it always pays to see how other people are blogging about their particular job or career, so it's very much a two way process of receiving knowledge from others as well as showing people what your own blog is all about. - Add your blog to the BlogCatalog
- This site is similar in nature to Technorati and is becoming more popular all the time.
You can join and submit your first blog all within the space of a few moments, so grab your account now and then take the time to explore afterwards.
Naked Conversations: How Blogs Are Changing The Way Businesses Talk With Customers
By gaining a better understanding of how a business blog can really work, we can make our own efforts stand out far more than they would otherwise.
Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers
Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 07/06/2009)
Used Price: $3.89
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Blogging with the experts
Invaluable blog related websites worth bookmarking
The best of the best are going to be featured here, and if you have any suggestions please feel free to leave them in the guestbook so I can check them out and possibly add them to the list. Many thanks!
- Better Business Blogging - Small Business & Corporate blogs - Courses | Advice | Coaching | Consultancy
- Everything you need to set up, develop and promote a successful Corporate Blog or Small Business Blog. Free eCourse and consulting to use blogs for marketing your business.
An absolutely unmissable site which is packed full of useful info, whichever stage you are at with your professional blogging. - The Write Spot
- The Write Spot is a full service copywriting business run by Anne-Marie Nichols, an award-winning freelance professional blogger and freelance writer. She helps clients grow their business with the use of marketing communications and social media.
Publish and Prosper: Blogging for your Business
Publish and Prosper: Blogging for Your Business
Amazon Price: $17.81 (as of 07/06/2009)
Used Price: $6.00
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And finally, here is my writing blog
...the space where I write...
I had a writing blog a while back, but I have recently launched a new one to share my experiences about writing, and also to link in to my website.
This is just a taster of some of the things I include in my blog posts...
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byDo you have a marketing blog to boost your business?
Let me know about it here! It's always good to hear success stories.
+ What works for you?
+ Have you won more business as a result of blogging?
+ Have you found a bigger audience?
Share your experiences and help others at the same time. Thanks for your input!
MD- wrote...
nice squid...i linked it to mine http://www.squidoo.com/TweetYourBlog
thanks
Posted October 12, 2008
by Allison_Whitehead
Hey there, thanks for stopping by!
If you want to know a little bit about me, here are the main bits - I'm a writer, working mainly for online c...
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