Creating Your First Business Blog
Company blog can be a great way to get your message out
Blogs are becoming popular in the business world. Experts believe that the trend will continue and that companies should at least monitor blogs to learn what’s being said about their products and services. That being said, why not share your thoughts through a CEO blog or company blog that’s visible to your customers, clients and others who might become inspired by your entrepreneurial wisdom? If you have the time and inclination to start your own blog, the result could be increased business visibility, excited audiences and added revenue. Here are 10 things to consider before beginning your blog.
- Determine what you have to offer. You have learned plenty of lessons along the way, some of them the hard way. You could use your blog to shed light on the complexities of running a small business, which can add to your credibility and create added exposure for your company.
- Decide whether your blog will be a marketing tool. Blogs are both far-reaching and cheap to produce and maintain. They might not be a substitute for traditional marketing materials like press releases and direct mail.
- Define your editorial vision. There’s a lot of work to do before you start your blog. First, shape the editorial policy. How often will you publish? What will be the tone of your messages? What kind of content will you include?
- Consider the content. Your blog might include industry trends, hot topic news, interviews with other industry leaders, your position on industry issues, innovations in your industry or company, book and article reviews, case studies, shared experiences and lessons learned, and links and downloads to related subjects that might be important to your readers.
- Share your thought leadership. If you want to be a leader, you need to get others to buy into your ideas. That means writing about the sound tactics you’ve used to position, promote and reinforce your credibility within your company and, more importantly, within your marketplace. Everyone loves to get valuable information for free, and if you’re willing and able to provide it, that can only mean good exposure for you and your business.
- Be a credible source. Remember that as soon as you put something in writing, it lives forever. So be careful about what you write. If you want to stray from your personal experiences and opinions, consider devoting a section of your blog to breaking industry news, vital facts and key findings.
- Decide who will be the writer. Will you be the blog’s sole writer, or can your team and staff also make contributions? If a team is producing your blog, you may want to consider holding weekly editorial meetings to brainstorm ideas and give out writing assignments.
- Choose your partnerships wisely. You’ll want to consider which outside sources you want to share links with. Doing so is a great way to create cross traffic and to ultimately increase traffic to your blog. Consider who your customers are and what other blogs they might be interested in.
- Learn how to engage your readers. Your blog’s success will depend on the number of readers you have, and increasing their numbers is a matter of motivating them to come back time and again. You may want to provide access via links to recent topics, highlights, sub-topics and monthly archives. A little humor never hurts, either.
- Know what matters to your readers. This kind of blog is all about sharing what you know, including your experiences and knowledge, with a wider audience. Do this, and do it well, and they’ll come back to read your future good ideas.
