How to Use a Blog as a Small Business Marketing Tool
November 29, 2009
I tell small business owners all the time, “You need to blog”. And I often get, “what’s a blog exactly?” Even if the small business owner knows what a blog is, they often have a hard time figuring out how it will help them make more money. So here are a few basics of blogging for business that can be used as part of an overall marketing strategy to get more leads and grow your small business.
What is a Blog?
I found this definition on www.blogger.com and I think it answers this question perfectly:
“A blog is a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts. Memos to the world. Your blog is whatever you want it to be. There are millions of them, in all shapes and sizes, and there are no real rules.
In simple terms, a blog is a web site, where you write stuff on an ongoing basis. New stuff shows up at the top, so your visitors can read what’s new. Then they comment on it or link to it or email you. Or not.
Since Blogger was launched in 1999, blogs have reshaped the web, impacted politics, shaken up journalism, and enabled millions of people to have a voice and connect with others”.
The only thing I would change is that the blog has become much more than a personal diary and has evolved into a platform for professional and business expression and education as well.
Why Do I Need a Blog? (Most of the content in this section is taken from John Jantsch, “Blogging for Business” from the Duct Tape Marketing System)
A Search Engine Traffic Bonanza
The main reason for a business to write a blog is to increase search engine traffic to your site. Search engines love real blogs. By real blogs, I mean blogs that are set up and run by businesses that offer useful content. As with every successful marketing method, there are people out there setting up fake blogs and dumping keyword-rich garbage into them in order to trick the search engines into ranking the content highly. (Please resist the urge to add this form of search engine spam as it may actually get you banned by a search engine.). So by setting up and regularly posting a real blog, rich with key words, you will improve your ranking and push out the fake ones in your industry.
For more reading about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Blogging check out: http://websearch.about.com/od/keywordsandphrases/a/blogseo.htm
http://sbinformation.about.com/cs/ecommerce/a/bblogs.htm
Lots of Pages
Each blog entry is its own web page, with its own unique URL and title. What does that mean? It means that an active blogger can create hundreds of keyword-rich web pages in a matter of months- which helps your ranking and helps you get found on the web!
Change is Good
In order to claim your place at the blogging table, you have to commit to making posts often – some people even recommend four or five times a week – however if you’re a beginner (like me!), once a week will do just fine. This commitment means you are making changes to your website at least once per week. The typical small business website is lucky to receive an update a year. Search engines love change!
It’s a Marketing Conversation
Blog content is more like a conversation than a sales pitch. Readers often feel a greater connection to content that is open, honest, and transparent – the very nature of most blog content. Blogs make it easy for readers to connect and participate in the dialogue through linking and commenting.
Where Do I Get a Blog?
Some website platforms (like Wordpress) have blog software built in, so first check with your website administrator. If a blogging option isn’t available on your website and you don’t want to change your website platform check out a free blogging site like www.blogger.com. It is always best to blog on your own site, since the main goal is to drive traffic and links back to you, but using a free blogging site is bettter than not blogging at all.
There are a ton of other reasons for and benefits to blogging for small businesses; I hope this overview gives you a few answers to your questions about blogging. If not, feel free to ask them here in the comments and I promise I will answer them! Click here to leave your comments.
To Tweet or Not to Tweet
October 18, 2009
Wow, social media’s reputation with small business really took a roller coaster ride last week. First, the “2009 Tribalization of Business Survey” reported that that 94% of small businesses plan to increase or maintain their social media budgets. Then came the Citibank Small Business survey that found 75% of small businesses have not found social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to be of value in generating leads or revenue for their businesses.
So what are we small business owners and marketers supposed to believe about the effectiveness of social media as a lead generation and revenue driving marketing tool? Wanna know what I think? I think it’s free – SO WHO CARES (what the reports say)? OK, I realize that may sound short-sighted and maybe even irresponsible to some of you, but think about it: what if someone offered to mention your business to 100 friends – for free – would you stop them? As long as it wasn’t a negative mention – of course you wouldn’t. I’ll make it even more realistic: what if 100, 1000 or even 10,000 customers and potential customers asked you to send them something of interest, either about your business, your industry or even you, on a regular basis and all you had to do is spend 15 minutes to prepare that message – would you do it? I hope your answer is yes. Guess what? That is exactly what social networking is. So then why would you automatically rule out social media as another way to promote your business without giving it the old entrepreneurial try?
With over 200 million people using Facebook alone, social media can’t be ignored as a viable and respectable marketing tool. Yet for many small business owners it’s still a big ole scary unknown. But let’s face it, social media is the fastest, easiest and least expensive way to build a presence and earn trust; but it still takes planning – and time. What harm is there in trying it? As long as you follow a few simple “rules” there is no harm- it can only help. Here are a few tips to get you started.
- Start small – Start with 2 social networking sites you are somewhat familiar with. Got a personal Facebook or LinkedIn profile? Great – set up a page for your business. You already know how to use the site; you already have a few friends, so use that to your advantage. The great thing about being in business for yourself is that your friends want to help you. Recruit them as your first fans. When they become fans of your business page, all of their friends see that- a great way to start building your business network.
- Become a fan or a follower – Your job (at first) is to watch and learn. Find companies that you like, especially those that are relevant to your business, and follow them (on Twitter) or become a fan (on Facebook) to learn what they do to stay in touch with their audience. On Twitter, I love @Zappos and @SmallbizMag and on Facebook Whole Foods. Another tip – search for people or businesses that are most likely to buy your products or services and follow them on Twitter. This will help you get to know them better and they may decide to follow you too!
- Don’t Sell – When you do start tweeting or updating your status the biggest mistake you can make is to start selling. No one is on social networking sites to have products and services crammed down their throats. That is the quickest way to alienate your social networking followers. Watch what other companies do – I have never seen Zappos even mention shoes in their tweets and Whole Foods – although they will promote specials and sales – they are usually promoting seasonal recipes or healthy eating tips that I find very interesting and almost always take the time to read. What are they doing? Getting me to know, like and trust them, so that when I do want to buy what they sell, I will think of them.
- Be helpful – There is no better way to start growing your social networking community than by helping others. Follow others in your industry (I would stay away from competitors) and repost their blogs or help them promote their events by retweeting or posting on your Facebook status if you think your followers will be interested in the content. By doing this you are making friends with others in your industry who may later refer you and you are offering interesting and educational content to your readers. Voila, you’re a social networker!
That’s it, 4 simple steps to get you started on your path to social networking success. Remember, social media is not going to take over the world as the only way to promote your business – it’s is just another tool in your toolbox. Used as part of a marketing plan, along with other forms of promotion, it can help you grow your business. Does it take a little time? Of course it does. But if you aren’t investing time growing your business, is your business really growing?
Let's Get Social!
