Blogging to Market Your Business
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The document discusses how blogs can be an effective marketing and sales tool for businesses. Some key points include: Blogs allow businesses to generate leads, build email lists, position themselves as experts, and naturally rank high in search engines. Setting up a business blog is inexpensive and levels the playing field for small businesses. RSS feeds expand the reach of a business's content by distributing it as a news feed across multiple search engines and feed readers. The document provides tips for businesses on starting a blog and dos and don'ts for an effective business blog.
Blogging to Market Your Business
- 1. Blogs: Today’s Marketing and Sales Tool for Business SEM Made Simple Anita Campbell – May 2007
- 2. Hello, My name is Anita. I’m a blogger.
- 3. Your Presenter Anita Campbell 20 years in Corporate world Blogging since 2003 Small Business Trends is flagship blog Blog started as a better way to publish newsletter articles Blogging transformed my business
- 4. Blogs in Business We Will Cover: What is a blog? Why have a business blog? Blogging Do’s and Don’ts The power of RSS
- 5. About Blogs (web + logs) Chronologically arranged websites Lots of content Easy to update / instant Web publishing Attract inbound links Informal two-way conversations RSS feeds = more ways to be found develops loyal readers who subscribe indexed in additional search engines
- 6. Business Blog Example “ Me to You”
- 7. Business Blog Anatomy Chronological entries: most recent at top. Easy to scan.
- 8. Blog “ Conversations ” Comments by readers
- 9. More “Conversations” Conversations continued on other blogs through trackbacks
- 10. Links for Search Engines Blogroll links to other sites
- 11. Who’s Blogging? Mainstream – small businesses Technorati.com tracking 70+ million One third are active 5% (over 1 million) are business blogs 55 million read blogs (Pew Internet study) “ Everybody has a blog today ” – Website Services Magazine, May 2007
- 12. Benefits of Biz Blogs Sales and Marketing Generate leads Build house email list via online sign-up box Cut through marketing-speak – communicate authentically Develop status as an “expert” Replace a newsletter / content does double duty Online Search Naturally high search engine rankings Draw traffic to your main website
- 13. Benefits of Biz Blogs (cont’d) Public Relations Fast / inexpensive way to publish press releases online Back door to media interviews Repeater effect – expands impact of other PR General Inexpensive -- levels the playing field for small biz Recruit employees Network with industry professionals
- 14. Are Blogs for Everyone? Not everyone likes to write Possible solution: team blogs or hire writers “Blogging is a contact sport” Interaction with visitors and other bloggers is important: are you comfortable with this? Not a substitute for a full Web strategy Just one element of your Web marketing plan
- 15. Biz Blog Tips: Do’s Get a professional design using your logo Integrate blog into your overall Web presence Host at your own URL Post at least once a week Write for customers – information they can use Participate in the conversation / comments Use photos (team & office) Do “day in the life” posts Use keywords customers are likely to search by
- 16. Biz Blog Tips: Don’ts Don’t try to be Google News – add value Don’t forget the “Mom” rule Don’t stray off theme Don’t oversell Be inclusive, not ex clusive – watch that lingo! Don’t be boring Don’t forget to link, link, link!
- 17. A Word About RSS Feeds Blogs generate RSS feeds – your content is also distributed as a news feed Expands reach of your message More search engines to be found in Embraced by the Big 3: Google, Yahoo and Microsoft (Vista and IE 7) Develops community following – readers subscribe through “feedreaders”
- 18. Feedreaders are convenient, letting a person read many websites from one place at one time
- 19. … all it takes is one click to jump to see another site’s updated content
- 20. … it’s a little like reading email – except that you are reading Web site content – and no spam!
- 21. Look For Them… Feed chiclets Rectangular “Add” buttons
- 22. RSS is the Future Blogs automatically generate RSS feeds of your content Another important reason to have a blog!
- 23. Getting Started Experiment with a free, hosted blog: Blogger - www.blogger.com WordPress.com – www.wordpress.com But not for long – upgrade to a professionally-designed blog at your own URL for flexibility & branding: WordPress -- www.wordpress.org (notice the dot org)
- 24. Website Email marketing Blog Pay-per-click ads SEO LinkedIn Twitter Affiliate program Facebook MySpace Voting sites: Digg, Mixx Squidoo, Knol Podcasts Video / YouTube Bookmarking: Del.icio.us, Stumbleupon Online press releases Forum / Blog commenting © 2008, Small Business Trends Small Biz Online Marketing ROI Yellow Pages listings
- 25. Blogs in Business Thanks and Questions??? More resources: www. smallbiztrends.com/blogging