The Ins and Outs of Business Blogging Business blogs are yet another tool in the small business marketer’s informational cache. As is the case with any approach to internet marketing, blog marketing has a few ins and outs that must be addressed.
The ins:
Easy to use. Business blogs are not unlike any other weblog. With the overwhelming abundance of blogging technologies available, all you need for a successful blog is a computer, a mouse, and a complete thought.
Easy to produce. Small business marketers generally do not have the available funds to contract with an internet designer or software developer to promote his or her business. Blogs are the most cost-efficient way to convey a copious amount of relevant information without the investment of advertising.
Easy to manage. All that is required for managing a business blog is regular updating. Because you do not have to learn the lingo found in the secret world of web designers, you can quickly and easily keep your customers informed through your blog.
The outs:
Necessity of time. As is the case with any small business activity, there is a time factor involved with the maintenance of a business blog. The best way to manage your blogging time is to create a schedule of regular updates and follow it.
Necessity of material. What if you just do not have an update for your business blog? Try these tips when short on material:
Short of making something up, find relevant links and post a few comments on how they relate to what you are marketing.
Answer some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). If they are frequently asked, they deserve a reply.
Post a picture or video of the week and add your own caption or comment.
Necessity of self. Some small business marketers may find blogging too informal or “unbusiness-like.” Quite the contrary. Through your blog, your customers can get a glimpse into the brains behind the business, making you more real and your information more meaningful.
Me, The, and FREE: What Could Be Better than FREE?
As a first-timer, a “newbie”, to the business blogging world, it is best to seek out the most user-friendly weblog publishing site. There are many from which to choose, but some are more widely used than others, making them a more likely place for searches among those searching for specific business information.
Great Google-y Moogly. Blogger is Google’s version of the free weblog. The greatest thing about Blogger is that it is automatically linked to other Google gadgets that you and your customers may subscribe to, such as Google Friend Connect or Google Reader.
The Three Ws.
WordPress. WordPress may be found in two forms: WordPress.org and WordPress.com. WordPress.com is managed by the developers of WordPress created to make blogging as simple as possible without the drudgery of learning coding and other challenges of technology not embraced by the general user. WordPress.org is designed for the user planning to use a web host (perhaps your own domain) and has the luxury of time to invest in blog maintenance.
Wetpaint. Wetpaint is a source of opportunity for anyone wishing to join a broader community of information swapping. By creating your business blog through Wetpaint, you can join the mix of social networks and discussion forums and increase your web traffic and customer base.
Weebly. No, Weebly is not the internet product of Weebles. Weebly is a hosting service that is geared toward the simpler side of blog-and-forum sites rather than the social side. They offer the basics of design templates as well as the drag-and-drop feature for adding site content.
Business blogs are not brain surgery, but they are an essential component of the successful small business marketer. With user-friendly formats and blogger control of content, business blogs are a great low-cost alternative to expensive web site development and maintenance.
image credits to Leonie²
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