Blogging 101 - Tips for Effective Business Blogging
There has most definitely been a shift in the media landscape, from traditional media including newspaper, radio and television to online media. The most prevalent of the online media sources are blogs.
What Is a Blog?
Weblogs, web logs or simply blogs, as they are known, are easy-to-use websites (no HTML knowledge required), where you can quickly post thoughts, publish articles and interact with people. Blogs are typically accessible to any Internet user.
Blogs are Exploding
Technorati is now tracking over 50 million weblogs and about 120,000 new weblogs are being created worldwide each day. That's about 1.4 blogs created every second.
Businesses can take advantage of this powerful communications medium, starting with a few simple steps to get involved today.
How To Get Involved
Before jumping in and creating your own blog, it's strongly advised that you should explore who else is blogging in your industry.
To find a blog, visit either Google Blog Search or Technorati.
1. Discover a blog
2. Subscribe to that blog
3. Comment on articles
4. Link to your website
How To Add Comments
Once you've found a blog that covers a topic that you're interested in, it's time to participate. Comments add value to the conversation that’s already going on. They should:
๏ Be Insightful
๏ Be Validating
๏ Carry Momentum
What Can You Do With Blogs?
With some background knowledge of who is blogging and the style of writing your fellow bloggers are pursuing, let's explore how you can use blogs in your business.
With a business blog, you can:
๏ Write about new products or explain your products' features
๏ Highlight the benefits of doing business with you
๏ Send company updates
๏ Minimize customer service or technical issues by answering questions on your blog
๏ Write how-to articles
๏ Inform your customers of changes in your business
Creating Your Own Blog
By this point, you likely have plenty of ideas for using a blog in your business and are ready to start blogging today. The good news is that you can get started in as little as five minutes.
There is however, one final decision to be made. You'll need to pick between a "Hosted Blog" or "Installed Blog".
Hosted Blog
A hosted blog is offered by a third-party service that is accessible on the Internet. Online services such as Blogger, WordPress and TypePad allow you to create an account, login and start a blog. At that time, you can personalize your blog by choosing a theme. It's really that simple.
If you don't have your own website, or are looking for an easy-to-use tool, consider one of these blogging options.
๏ Blogger http://www.blogger.com
๏ WordPress http://www.wordpress.com
๏ TypePad http://www.typepad.com
Installed Blog
Installed blogs are blogging software packages that you first download to your personal computer, then install on your web server. For those who are familiar with HTML and logging into their server via FTP, an installed blog is by far the better option for a variety of reasons.
With installed blogs, you have significantly more control of the look and feel of your blog, your visitors remain on your website, and any links to your articles are links to your domain name which is a primary factor in obtaining good search engine results, also known as search engine optimization.
If you have your own domain name and a webmaster who can help install a piece of software on your server the installed blog option is your best choice.
๏ WordPress http://www.wordpress.org
๏ MovableType http://www.movabletype.org
Start Blogging
Regardless of which option you choose, you'll notice that writing a blog post is strikingly similar to writing in Microsoft Word or any other text editor. Each blog post includes:
๏ Post Title
๏ Body text
๏ Time and date stamp
๏ Tags or labels used to organize similar posts
Claim Your Blog at Technorati
After you've published your first blog post, you can claim your blog at Technorati. When you first sign-up at Technorati check the "I have a blog and would like to claim it now." check box.
The process is really quite simple and it's worth taking a few moments to get this set-up.
๏ Claim Your Blog on Technorati
Blog Consistently by Sticking to a Schedule
One of the questions that comes up at speaking engagements is "how often should I blog?" which varies and depends on how much you have to say.
To not overwhelm yourself, aim for publishing one post each week. If you get ideas in between posts, perhaps start a new draft. Before you know it, you'll have a number of draft posts lined up which are excellent reserves for those dry periods when you're stuck for something to publish.
In short, write only when you have something of value to share. You'll also find that the more you write, even if you're not necessarily publishing each article (there's no shame in holding onto some drafts), the easier and more momentous your blogging becomes.
Do You Have a Blog? Add Your Tips to the List
If you've been blogging for a while you surely have some excellent advice to share.
Add your tips by leaving a comment below.
