Not long ago a blog was simply an online diary. Initially, people decided that blogging was describing, in excruciating detail, how their day went, what they had for dinner last night, and why they spent the whole weekend doing laundry.
Since then, blogging made the transition into the business arena. Now blogs are frequently being used as business journals, tools that can help keep your customers and web site visitors up to date with what is going on with your company. A business blog is an excellent tool to toot your own horn, let the world know about your new products, and tell your target customers why they should do business with you, rather than your competitor.
Don't have a blog for your business yet? No problem! Here is how you can start blogging in just five easy steps:
* Set up a blog for your business. If you don't want to have to set up things on your own, visit Blogger.com. Blogger will host your blog on its server, so that you don't have to add anything to your own web site.
On the other hand, if you'd like to set something up on your own, get blogging software from WordPress.org
* Make your blog an extension of your business identity. The look and feel of your blog should match that of your business web site. Don't forget to include your logo!
* Don't make the blog into a giant ad. Your readers will immediately recognize that ruse and stop reading the blog. Instead, post the items that are of interest to your current and potential customers. Use the blog to post tips and ideas, articles, information about new products, etc.
* Strike a balance between personal and business stuff. While customers like to read the blog to learn about the person behind the business, don't use the blog as a tool to vent, complain and discuss the details of your personal life. You use the blog to converse with your customers, so the blog should be as professional as your newsletter and phone conversations with customers.
It is great to post a story about how you helped a client get an important product out on time, and how proud that made you feel. It might not be appropriate to post a story about an argument you had with a video store clerk over the weekend.
* Leverage your Blog. When you are in business, you realize that many customers have similar questions/concerns. Address these concerns in your blog, and when another customer has the same concern, link directly to the blog entry that answers these concerns.
A blog is an excellent tool to reach potential customers, rank higher in search engines and generate more of the ever-important visitor traffic to your web site.
Biana Babinsky is the online business expert who has helped many business owners attract more web site customers, bring in more online publicity and increase the bottom line. Visit http://avocadoconsulting.com/free_newslette r.html to subscribe to her newsletter full of marketing tips and ideas and join her online business coaching program at http://www.MarketingSalad.com
![]() Google News Updated : Mon, 08 Sep 2008 08:08:57 GMT Fla. Keys residents weigh evacuation ahead of Ike - The Associated Press
The Associated Press - KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) - As a ferocious Hurricane Ike ripped across Cuba, residents from Key West to the Gulf Coast watched the storm's unpredictable path, worrying it could hit anywhere in the US from Texas to Florida. 'Hurricane fatigue' shows Louisiana still possibility for Ike Publ.Date : Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:20:42 GMT Hurricane Ike Crosses Northeast Cuba After Landfall (Update1) - Bloomberg
Bloomberg - By Aaron Sheldrick and Demian McLean Sept. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Hurricane Ike is crossing Cuba after smashing into the northeast of the country with winds of 205 kilometers (125 miles) per hour, according to the US National Hurricane Center. Video: Raw Video: Ike's Harsh Impact on Turks and Caico Hurricane Ike set to batter Cuba Publ.Date : Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:56:09 GMT New Zealand compromises on India nuclear deal - Xinhua
Xinhua - WELLINGTON, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand government said on Monday that it got the best deal it could on nuclear trade with India. Indian shares rise more than 4 pct early Indian rupee rises as stocks rally seen Publ.Date : Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:36:42 GMT Store eases baby bottleneck - Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune - When Georgette Finnie e-mailed What's Your Problem? on Aug. 25, she was 9 months' pregnant with her first child. The expectant mom had done some research about the baby bottles she had received as gifts through her baby registry at Babies "R" Us. Hot Docs: Defending Georgia, Girls Married by 15, the Chemical BPA ... That Plastic Baby Bottle Publ.Date : Sun, 07 Sep 2008 12:18:53 GMT "Stand Up to Cancer" tops Friday ratings - Reuters
Reuters - By Paul J. Gough NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - The industrywide "Stand Up to Cancer" telethon averaged a modest 10.3 million viewers during its hour-long simulcast on ABC, NBC and CBS Friday. In a star-heavy telethon, Hollywood takes a stand on cancer 'Stand Up to Cancer' Raises $100M Plus Publ.Date : Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:37:28 GMT Persistence pays off for Serena at US Open - FOXSports.com
FOXSports.com - by Matt Cronin, Special to FOXSports.com NEW YORK - About nine days after Serena Williams lost in the Wimbledon final to her elder sister, Venus, she was still killing herself, unable to shake her mind of the errors that came late in a contest that she ... Williams beats Jankovic for title, No. 1 ranking Winning US Open never gets old for Serena Williams Publ.Date : Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:38:21 GMT McCain Leads Obama 50% to 46%, New Poll Finds, USA Today Reports - Bloomberg Bloomberg - By James Kraus Sept. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Republican presidential candidate John McCain leads Democratic contender Barack Obama by 50 percent to 46 percent among registered voters, according to a weekend USA Today/Gallup Poll, USA Today reported. Convention rejuvenates GOP US campaign sharpens as McCain takes poll lead Publ.Date : Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:38:07 GMT RSS Software |
PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... Blogging is a relatively new form of communication, closely related... Read More A blog usually is a web page that contains brief,... Read More Let me ask you three questions to get you thinking.... Read More When it comes to building and creating profit pulling niche... Read More As RSS news syndication gains popularity among users, new ways... Read More Blogs are being used on a more consistent basis due... Read More (Continued from Blogging Your Way To Success Part 1)By now,... Read More Since the recent rise in interest in RSS there has... Read More There is lively debate about the republishing of RSS feeds... Read More Using RSS on your website is a good way to... Read More As a work from home internet business entrepreneur you have... Read More In recent years, it's been pretty obvious that "blogging" (Web... Read More What is a weblog, well simply put a weblog is... Read More Before I address the following questions:* What is a blog?... Read More The most boring part of getting traffic to a website... Read More This question does not have a one sentence answer! If... Read More Below are the top 9 reasons why companies should blog.1.... Read More I was sitting in my local Internet Cafe yesterday, I... Read More Building niche sites is all the rage these days.The basic... Read More A blog is a frequent, online publication of comments, web... Read More RSS is a big buzz word right now, and this... Read More Blogs are an unbelievable way to achieve success on the... Read More When webmasters first hear about RSS they tend to concentrate... Read More Writing?Blogs?Blogs are on-line journals where people express themselves through writing.... Read More I've spent months answering questions from marketers about blogs and... Read More
Adsense
websites
Blogging: A Profit Making Internet Option
Blogging - Whats It All About
RSS - How to Promote and Profit From Your Feed
Profit Pulling Niche Blogs with Wordpress
3 Ways to Publish RSS
Prescription Blogs are Helping to Educate the Consumers on Prescription Consumption
Blogging Your Way To Success Part 2
RSS Publishing for Webmasters
Are You Thinking of Republishing RSS Feeds?
4 Fail-Proof Ways to Increase Your RSS Subscribers
Blogs And Your Work From Home Internet Business
Blogging will Soon Take Over the World
How Weblogs can Help Realtors
Improving Your Customer Relationship Management by Blogging
Building Backlinks With Blogs
What Is The Orange XML or RSS Icon I See More and More On Web Sites?
Top 9 Reasons Companies Should Blog
Starting Your Own Blog
How to Build a Niche Site With a Blog
Shorten Your Blogging-RSS Learning and Submission Curve
Will RSS Replace Email?
Seven Sizzling Ways to Turn Targeted Traffic Towards Your Blog!
RSS Can Keep You In The Loop
Blogs are an Art Form that Takes Practice to do Well
The Key To Marketing With Blogs
When it comes to new internet marketing opportunities for your... Read More
How RSS really does pay off...Have you heard of RSS... Read More
Bloggers blog. That's what they do. A blog is short... Read More
There are nowhere near the amount of webmasters using RSS... Read More
Long have I been proclaiming the effectiveness of RSS as... Read More
Recently I did an interview with a well known email... Read More
There is no doubt that the Google Adsense program for... Read More
RSS is totally hot. We have seen it everywhere, from... Read More
Putting up your business blog is an advantageous way of... Read More
"Why Should I Blog? I Simply Don't Get It"This post... Read More
RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication." It's a format that... Read More
Lemmings are cute, but dumb. If you tell them... Read More
I've never been popular in my whole life. I think... Read More
Everybody is talking about blogs. They are everywhere: on the... Read More
For many people blogging is the way in which they... Read More
RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, is the perfect answer to... Read More
A blog is an online diary or as some people... Read More
Blogs are an easy way to get your voice out... Read More
It seems like everyone is talking about RSS Feeds. They've... Read More
Blogs might seem like an old hat at this time... Read More
RSS feeds are the most important technology to arrive on... Read More
RSS for the Rest of UsI don't know about you,... Read More
Getting traffic to your website can be hard. No one... Read More
Has Google finally embraced RSS with their new XML powered... Read More
Blogging is the latest internet craze and it may turn... Read More
Blogging, RSS & Feeds |