PART II: How to Blog

Written by Michelle Crossley

With a bit of creative writing, a small business can have big results from a blog. Many of my clients often ask, "What do I blog about?" and to this I have a question for them, "What are they interested in?" Below are other ideas to spark that creative writer hidden within all of us.

What to write about - a mini-brainstorming session

Future developments in your industry
Newsworthy (industry related) items that affect your clients directly
Ways you are incorporating "Green Living" into your life or business (studies show internet buyers are most interested in purchasing/doing business with people who are environmentally conscious).
How is your business different from your competitors? Quality? Variety of Services? Price?
Articles that address ways your product/service can help/benefit your customers
Broadcast sales or promotions
Announce new services
Share links about your industry, new products in the industry, etc
Include photos and descriptions of your [new] products

Just to give you an example: A friend of mine is starting up a business for her husband who does carpentry, building furniture, etc. I told her she should put a blog on her site and received the typical, "Why, what would we write about?" My reply was this. If someone is looking into a reputable carpenter for building furniture, I would want to know more about the furniture, his skills, what makes his furniture of the quality I would want, or how his is different from something I could purchase at IKEA. This definitely was an "ah-hah" moment for the client.

Promoting your blog

Post each new blog on your site, then spread the word to Social Media sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc. Here you can create an account and post a link back to your website blog article. Email your frients/contact that you've posted it. They can then vote for it on StumbleUpon, Digg it, Reddit, Delicious, etc. This gets the visitor to your site to continue reading, to help your SEO.
Add an RSS Feed to your articles so readers can stay abreast of new postings.
Monitor what people leave for comments too. Comment on their comments. Keep the communication going.
eMail (eNewsletter, eVite) Marketing can also be a valuable way to get out informational and educational blog articles out to potential clients. Start the article in your email and link back to your site for them to continue reading.

PART I: Why you must have a blog if you own a business

To get started with your own website with a blog, fill out our free estimate form located here...