Notes

Building Your Business with Blogging - Part 3: The "How"
Blogging: The "How"

Create a plan and concentrate on a distinct goal

In order to use your blog to further your business, it can't be a random gathering of daily thoughts. People will expect you to discuss everything about your company, but you need to create and maintain your site with a specific purpose in mind. Is it to showcase employees? Provide information linked to your field? Recruit new employees? There are lots of possibilities, and you have to decide which way you're going before you ever launch your blog. Define your audience, what its needs are, and how far better meet those needs. If you are having trouble deciding on a direction, you really should launch multiple blogs, as was done by Stonyfield Farm and Ice.com. However, if you are new to blogging, it's probably far better start with one.

Identify the editor and retain a geniune voice

Effective blogs are high maintenance--they need to be updated regularly to keep the interest of journalists, customers and search engines. You should choose an editor immediately. If you decide never to edit it yourself, make sure you choose anyone who has the time, whom you trust, and who comes with an engaging writing style that may draw in readers. Most importantly, don't allow your PR department write your blog. Bloggers will figure it out, and it'll cause your blog to reduce all credibility.

Find the appropriate tools

There are too many blogging tools to list in this posting, therefore the best strategy would be to research what's on the market and what will best meet your business needs. Blog tools range between free resources like blogger.com to highly specialized resources that offer all the bells and whistles you can ever want. Also, new tools are added on an almost daily basis. In order to be overwhelmed with options, head to Google and type in "blogging tools."

Facilitate discussion and become open to comment

Part of the appeal of blogs may be the interaction they fuel. Every time you post, you need to make an attempt to start out a discussion, either among your employees or with your customers. Plan topics which will start the original discussion and ensure your editor is prepared to post as had a need to obtain the conversation going. It's also advisable to ensure it is a two-way conversation by including a good way for readers to respond.

"Permit both negative and positive posts on your own blog, and answer comments made on other blogs pertinent to your area of focus," says Katherine Heires in her article, "Does Your Company Belong in the Blogosphere?." "Respond in a specialist and business way. If you don't want to hear from your customers and critics in a public environment, don't blog."

Update regularly

Blogs are high maintenance. That's because, for a blog to work, it ought to be updated at least once a week. In accordance with marketing writer Brian Quinton, "Nothing kills off consumer interest--and therefore internet search engine interest--like a dead blog. Give people a reason to check the blog site regularly."

Drive and analyze traffic

You can't just let your site sit there and hope people will find it. Use any existing newsletter to announce and promote your site. Link to more info from your own website. You may also boost your search engine rankings by using keywords and key phrases with which you want to be associated.

You also want to analyze how your blog is being used. Be sure to have the tools in place to know who reads what, when and where. This can assist you to better adjust your strategy and meet your customers' information needs.

Monitor occasionally

Unfortunately, you can't just let your blog go and hope everything turns out all right. Periodically check discussions and see if they flow the way you intended and when they meet your goals. If they don't, you may want to rethink your blogging strategy.

Final Word

Blogs probably aren't the final great word on marketing, however they are here to stay. To be able to get your name out on the Internet and prove you take your customers seriously, consider blogging.

"The phenomenon is real," says Andrew Sullivan in his article, "The Blogging Revolution." "Blogging is changing the media world."

Andrea's writing background includes features, editorials, reviews, profiles, poetry and fiction. She was the winner of the MOTA short story contest in 2002 and received honorable mentions for fiction from Writer�s Journal magazine in 2002 and 2004. Andrea served as editor of AVA (Advertise Virginia) Magazine from 2005 to 2006. Check out her blog at http://creativewithwriting.blogspot.com.
My Website: https://www.olcbdfan.com/justforex-review/