Skip to main content

5 Ways Blogging Can Help Your Business

Summary:
A Web log can serve as an inexpensive marketing tool 

Keywords:
Small Business Startup, Small Business Ideas, Small Business Specialist, Малый бизнес запуска, Идеи малого бизнеса, малого бизнеса специалист, Puesta en marcha de la pequeña empresa, ideas de negocios pequeños, especialista en pequeñas empresas, Piccolo Business Startup, idee di piccole imprese, Small Business Specialist



Not long ago, a diary was a deeply personal thing — a journal of thoughts and observations, kept under lock and key and often buried in a dresser drawer.  

The Web has a way of changing things. Now, a diary of thoughts, observations and insight — posted on the Internet — may be a way to boost your business.  

Web logs, or "blogs" as they're better known, have become a way to engage readers and potential customers of businesses big and small.

A blog is a journal posted on a Web site, updated on a regular basis and containing news, opinions, ideas and brainstorms. It might also have links to other sources of information, other Web sites and other blogs. 

Many blogs cut both ways, inviting readers to post feedback on what they see. While that can apply to everything from sports and entertainment, it can also generate interest — and, ultimately, income — for your business. 

No, blogs aren't for everyone. But see how they can accomplish these five basic business objectives. 

1. Expose a new or little-known product or idea 
  For Grant Smith, blogging makes a world of sense on a number of levels. Smith operates a business that provides streaming video e-mail and related video communications products. Since many prospective clients might know little about video e-mail, Smith says his blog is a natural way to provide specifics. 
"I began blogging to get established in the technology," Smith says. "It can have a positive impact for business. Readers are always looking for more ways to find out information about companies and for ways to interact." 
That, in turn, can lead to a more informed customer and a more time-effective sales process. Rather than taking time to pitch your product or service to a client who may not need it, a blog supplants you as an information source. If a prospect contacts you, that's great. If not, you've wasted no time in explaining something that generates nothing in return. 

2. Improve your search engine rankings
Blogging also puts you in touch with prospects in other ways. As any company with a position on the Internet realises, Web site visitors that come via Google, MSN and other search engines can provide numerous leads. Blogs can add to the frequency with which search vehicles identify you and your company, particularly if your blog allows readers to post a response. 

If done properly, blogs have a tremendous benefit relative to search engines, according to Brad Fallon, president of SEO Research, a search engine marketing firm. "With blogs that allow comments, every new post and every new comment becomes an additional Web page filled with additional keywords to be picked up by the search engine spiders," he says.

3. Position yourself as an expert in an industry or field 
Blogging also can also prove an effective marketing tool to establish yourself as an authority in your field. Not only can that generate leads, it also sends a positive message about your credentials through the marketplace and also gives your business a face and a personality. 

4. Influence public opinion
Blogging also allows users to bypass traditional journalistic venues and, in effect, become a publisher of their own thoughts and viewpoints. For Steve Rubel, vice president of client services at a public relations firm, blogs are also fast becoming a powerful influence on public opinion. 

"Blogs have evolved into legitimate alternative sources of news on niche and micro-niche topics," Rubel says. "Anyone with a passion and dedication could become an amateur journalist. I feel some of these sites — in aggregate — are having just as much sway on public opinion as larger, more established media brands." 

5. Engage in a forum openly with your customers
Just as important, blogs that solicit reader comments can provide a sense of immediacy with your customers. In one respect, that's a ready source of feedback on what you're doing right and what you need to improve. 

"My blog provides a forum for customers to give feedback after plunking their money down," says Fallon. "The result? While the normal market is lucky to have one-half of 1% of customers send an unsolicited testimonial, I have already collected glowing testimonials from over 15% of my customers." 

Recommended: Simple Work from Home

Popular posts from this blog

Power Networking: Getting Your Name Out There!

A highly flexible [power] networking plan is important – one that requires “out of the box” thinking in order to increase your chances of securing desired employment. Today’s economy presents some very special challenges to people who are unemployed, underemployed, or who are simply trying to give their own business venture a shot in the arm. At times, the job search can seem daunting, if not impossible, as it takes quite a bit of encouragement – and creativity – to keep pressing forward. A highly flexible [power] networking plan is important – one that requires “out of the box” thinking in order to increase your chances of securing desired employment. The following is a list of options to pursue in order to launch a successful personal marketing plan, which is what networking is all about. Most will cost you little or nothing to implement and for the cash strapped person that can be a real help. I wrote these suggestions for business flight attendants who, understandably, ...

7 Quick Cash Fixes To Recover From A Money Emergency

When you are desperate to raise emergency funds, it usually doesn’t take very long for you to realize who really cares about you, who is truly a friend ... be they family or not.  Here are a few emergency budgeting tips:  Budgeting Tip #1: The first thing you want to do is prioritize to get back on track very quickly. If that means letting your credit card bill go for a bit, so be it. As soon as you realize that you have a money emergency, contact your credit card issuers and request reduced interest rates and payments. Not only one, both! Budgeting Tip #2: For your car payment, call the creditor and request a payment extension. Perhaps you hate payment extensions, because they require a fee and you still have to make the payment at the end of the contract. In this case, a payment extension can allow a little breathing room to help you recover during your money emergency. Expect that you will likely have to pay a fee (usually about ¼ - 1/3 the car payment am...

Can You Earn $100 A Week Without Spending A Dime

Making money with articles is not as hard as it seems. When you are trying to make money with articles, you don’t really need previous career related experience. You can learn everything you need to know from the Internet. You can learn new skills along the way to make your living online. You can become an expert in one area by picking up new skills gradually. When you are writing articles, you have to keep your readers in mind. A lot of the readers scan through article rather than reading it. So your article should consist of a good title, plenty of subtitles and bullet points. A good title should draw readers’ attention quickly and bullet points will make them easy to find the information they are looking for. Make money with articles is easy. 1. What to Sell: You have to decide what product you want to promote and make money. You can sign up for clickbank.com or CommissionJunction.com as an affiliate. Here you can find a lot of good products to sell. You can choose something...

4 Explosive Tips To Dynamite Your Sales Volume

"Some of the most effective things in life are the simplest. Marketers spend a lot of time trying to understand the psyche of consumers, discover ways to predict economic trends and a million other aspects of business that can determine success. Hey, it pays to remember that some things are just basic, common sense and as easy as pie. Let's look at some tactics that just might be the key to the success you've been pining for." Images:   www.vecteezy.com 1. Keep An Eye On Your Best Customers Yeah, wouldn't be great if all of your customers were just like them? ...easy to please, loyal, and ready to tell a friend about your wonderful service. Just maybe you can develop more customer just like them! Think about it... what makes them so great? What are the traits they have in common? Direct your marketing campaign to people who are just like them. Focus on their niche! You'll net new consumers and higher profits for your efforts. 2. ...

How To Make More Money Using Options In Online Investment

Learn how to make more money using options in online investment techniques. After all for years savvy investors have been using option trading strategies to increase their portfolio profits. Options are the key to financial freedom so you should learn how to trade them for yourself. Up until the 1990’s options was a game for the rich who loved the large profit potential. Today electronic option trading is offered at very affordable rates and you need to learn make more money using options in online investment techniques. The game that once belonged to the rich is now open to anyone. Your personal wealth is tied to how well you are educated in investments which are the key to that wealth. So learning make more money using options in online investment techniques is critical. Stock options are simply an option to buy or sell stocks at a future date for specific price. These investments can be complicated and a little bit risky but you can make more money using options in onli...

A Simple Get Rich Quick Idea

In the immortal words of Emmerson, "all I need is one idea" Overnight wealth has a certain stigma that "sensible" people seem to be resistant to. The idea of the get rich quick variety is an object of ridicule and derision in alot of peoples eyes. However, with a little focused action and the right knowledge, rapid wealth is not only possible for you, but inevitable for the determined.  The first thing I want to do is qualify the above by saying "quick" means several years not overnight. Sure, you could write a hit song or contemporary book but these have alot to do with chance. People with determination generally don't like chance because control is a solid aspect of wealth generation.  Anyone can have an idea. By that I mean virtually any idea can become workable unless its just totally "out there" What matters is that you act. But more then that, before you act, you must know how to make it work. Thats really what most people ...

Create Marketing Magic

When you think about marketing, chances are pretty good that cartoons and talking animals aren’t the first thing to pop into your mind. You’re probably processing numbers, identifying markets, and looking for ways to cut costs. Images:   www.freepik.com Maybe it’s time to get your nose off the grindstone and have a little fun. Why? Creativity plays an important role in marketing, and sometimes we need to take the time to get our creative juices flowing. Don’t believe it? Take a close look at Disney. Now that’s a perfect sample of creativity and marketing going hand-in-hand! Walt Disney… a dreamer who put magic into his marketing.  Creativity can take on several different “personas”… 1. The Explorer The explorer seeks out bits of interesting and new information like a sponge. Curiosity keeps him hunting for the unknown and ready to plunge into brand new experiences. 2. The Dreamer A wild imagination is the best friend of a true dreamer. No...

6 Ways to Maximize Learning

Your time is valuable. Here's how to get the most for it when you attend a workshop or seminar. Here's how to gain the most from training events. 1) Know what you want Before the workshop, set learning goals for yourself. What do you want to learn? How can this program help you? What would make you feel that your time was well spent? 2) Ask for what you want As the program unfolds, ask questions that guide the presentation toward the information that you need. Also, seek out specific ideas that will help you. 3) Focus on your success Rather than fight against new ideas, greet them as possibilities. If the ideas seem unworkable, seek out ways to modify them so that you can use them. Or find parts of them that you can use. 4) Encourage the speaker Learning succeeds best when you become involved. Thus, ask questions, make comments, participate in the projects. Pay attention. Let the speaker know that you are interested. This encourages the...

Creating A Budget For Yourself Can Dramatically Improve Your Severe Debt Issues

Images:   www.osbm.nc.gov/budget/budget101 Figuring out a budget is something that too many people have difficulty with and there is definitely no doubt about that. Unfortunately people, including myself, are just not educated enough about finding debt relief by having the ability to properly manage a well balanced budget. Following a strict budget each month or week, however you would want to do it, is no doubt the best way for everyone to improve their debt condition.  This is something that you should all really have already started thinking about because knowing how to manage your money properly and being consistent with it, will drastically pay off down the road. You will finally be able to enjoy your life completely, without all of the worries that come along for anyone who is just totally overloaded with debt over debt over debt.  Your budget will make it possible for you to recognize that you can survive every single month, not just survive though, ...

If You can Play PACMAN, You can do this Business!

I’ve often thought of myself as a sort of walking discrepancy. I think that it’d be just a little too much of a delusion of grandeur to try to go the yin yang route. But paradoxical and hypocritical seem to fit the bill pretty accurately. I mean, I like something but hate it too. And it’s not wholly out of character for me to say one thing and do another. I’m assuming that this can be irritating to those around me; fortunately most of my friends are hopped up on enough adderrol that leads them to sufficiently recognize their own shortcomings so as not to focus on mine (although the 40 mg of adderrol has got their focus razor sharp if they wanted to). With this in mind, I’d like to consider yet another discrepancy. I love laziness. I mean I really embrace it, in fact with such zeal that it borders on not being lazy at all. But, I’ll tell you what, if I am not facing some type of challenge that requires great amounts of energy and effort in order to succeed in order to ge...