Blogging To Success

Blogging (blog, from "web log") can be a great way to get your business noticed. There are many reasons why the online seller would want to create and maintain a blog. I've outlined a few of the important ones below.

Getting a blog up and running is generally an easy task but most people jump in without planning the process. As Dr. Robert H. Schuller often says, "If you are failing to plan, you are planning to fail!" This is never more true than when setting up a blog. A little planning in the beginning will go a long way over the weeks and months to come.

First you need to decide where you want your blog to be. There are blog hosting sites and blog software packages you can add to your own website. Both are good choices but you will want to check out the sites and/or packages carefully before you commit to one. It's always good to find one or more people who already use the sites or packages you are looking at and ask them what they like, or dislike, about it. Hosted blog sites are a little easier to get started as there is no software to install or configure but many of the software packages are so easy to install that you will hardly notice the difference. A hosted blog may get quicker search engine placement and may get traffic from people already visiting other blogs on the same site. Installing your own blog gives you much more control. Both will usually provide preformated designs, often called "skins" or "templates" that you can use to provide a look you feel comfortable with.

Once you have chosen your blog site you will want to target an audience. If you plan on writing to everyone you may find that no one is reading. If your scope is too broad it's hard to attract a dedicated following and that can be critical to your success. Choose a more narrow topic that relates to your business in one way or another. You don't have to write directly about your product or service. For example, if you sell jewelry, you can write about choosing the right gifts and the process of gift giving. You can make your blogs seasonal and you can reference your jewelry as a suggestion for gift giving. You will want to reference other gift ideas besides your own jewelry as well. Provide solid traditional information and ideas but add your own spin to it. Be original. Be unique. Become the "go-to" expert on gifts. People will follow links to your online store when they want to purchase jewelry.

Put yourself into the process. Be sincere. Add a fresh approach to what is already there. Find and add new material if you can. If you don't have anything to say, spend some time reading and learning. Build on the information you find. Add your own ideas. Be creative. Don't just talk about your business, though you do want to work it in to the presentation when it is appropriate. After all, bringing traffic to your business is what the blog is all about. In order for the blog to work, however, you need to give something of value; new information or a new look at traditional information that benefits the reader without forcing them to your selling site. If your blog is valuable to your target market many will follow along to your selling site and many of those will become customers. They will trust you on your business site because they have come to trust you on the blog.

One way to develop content on your own blog is to read other blogs and comment on what they post. Develop one or more threads from what they have said and add your own comments, content, and spin, to it. You never need to be out of ideas or material. There is a lot of good material out there just waiting for your take on it. Fresh material can often be a fresh take on old material. Offer to link to the blogs you comment on. Ask them to link back to you. This concept of cross-linking between blogs is known as "blog-rolling".

Blogs, just like any website, get indexed in search engines and their placement is determined by the same algorithms as any web page. This is one of the reasons why you want your blog to be focused on a single theme. You want the blog to be content-rich in relationg to that theme. Each blog post should build upon the previous and lead the way to the next. Make your text rich in relevant keywords. Don't forget about your post titles. Stay on topic and link to other blogs that relate to the same theme.

Your blogs can be short but you should write often. Adding new, fresh, content is important both for search engines and the people who follow your blog. They will both keep coming back if new material appears regularly. Many people like to check their favorite blogs as a part of a daily routine. Taking the time to write daily, even just a few short musings on a related topic, will show you care about your readers and will keep them coming back regularly. Regular readers will become regular customers at your selling site.

I've heard the phrase "ruthless persistence" used to describe what you need to develop in your bloggin. I've also hear people say, "I don't have time to blog!" I hear those same people saying things like: "I'm just not making any sales" or "How can I improve traffic to my website?" If you are serious about building a successful business you probably need to set aside an hour each day for blogging on your own site, reading other blogs, and participating in other social networking sites. If you are serious you will develop that "ruthless persistance" and you will find the time.

As with any other website you need to monitor your traffic. Use Google Analytics or another statistical analysis and traffic tracking function and check the results regularly. If your blog doesn't work for you (give it several months at least!) you may want to change your theme or start a different blog. In most cases, though, sticking to it ("ruthless persistecne") is what you need. If you have multiple ideas for different themes you can always run more than one blog but be smart about your use of time and how much of that valuable commodity you have available. One very good blog is better, perhaps, than two or three poor ones. Like so many other things, blogging will work for you if you will work blogging!
http://www.google.com/analytics/
A site like Business Blog Consulting provides information about, and comparisons of, the various blogging choices; both hosted and software solutions. You may want to check it out to see if there is any information there that can help you get started with blogging or to further develop an existing blog.