Blogging Tips for Beginners
A blog is a place where you can share your thoughts and ideas on either a personal or professional level. But what’s the point of starting a blog if no one wants to read it? Most bloggers aren’t professionals but they’ve learned a few skills that have helped them along the way. Here are a few to get you started:
Choose a Relevant Subject
You should be blogging about a subject you are passionate or knowledgeable about. The more you know about a topic, the easier it will be to write and the less likely you will be to run out of ideas or burn out after working so hard to find one. Business should, of course, blog about subjects relevant to what they do.
Proof Your Articles
The silliest mistake most new bloggers make is forgetting to proof their work before they hit the “publish” button. No one wants to read poorly constructed sentences and most people hate having to decipher abbreviations (especially those that are industry-specific and not known to the general public. Make sure your posts are so interesting that anyone who finds them will want to read them.
Don’t Steal Articles
You might, in a pinch, be tempted to swipe an article off of someone else’s blog or website. Don’t do it. It’s a) very rude and b) represents copyright infringement. If you’re lucky the site owner will simply ask you to remove the stolen material. If you’re not so lucky the owner will ask your webhost to remove your site for lack of compliance or, in some cases, may even slap you with a lawsuit.
Allow Readers to Comment
Some bloggers don’t care about whether or not their readers leave comments but you really should. If you’re running a business you’ll want to hear what your readers think about your business. If you’re a personal blogger you’ll want to encourage conversation. Either way, allowing your readers to participate by commenting and networking will make them feel as though they’re a part of your blog and they’ll be more likely to return.
Make it Easy for Readers to Subscribe
There are a number of different features you can use to allow your readers to subscribe to your blog. You an set up email subscription tools or encourage RSS feed subscription. Either way, make sure something is an alternate method for your readers to get your information aside from visiting the website itself. The odds of seeing return visitors are greater if you can bring your content to them in a format they enjoy.
Keep these things in mind as you begin to build your blog. The easier you make it for your readers to enjoy your content the more likely it is they will return, referring others to your site along the way!
5 Reasons Businesses Should Blog
By now you’re probably thinking that creating a blog sounds like a lot of fun but if you’re an entrepreneur we know you’re asking yourself another question. Why should I blog? We’re going to give you five good reasons today.
5. Staying in Line with the Competition
The truth of the matter is this – if you don’t blog you’re soon going to find that your competitors are bloging. Blogging really gives businesses an advantage, allowing them the opportunity to get in touch with their customers on a personal level. Blogging will show your potential customers that you’re not stuck in the ice age and that you know how to take advantage of modern technology. If your potential clients had to choose between your blogging competitor and your non-blogging business, which do you think they would lean towards?
4. Increasing the Google PageRank of Your Website
Blogging will help you to increase the overall Google PageRank of your website and, in turn, will drive new traffic towards your business. A good blog, especially one that constantly updates with fresh, relevant conent, will garner the attention of search engine web crawlers. People who like your site might even link back to it, making it even more popular. Eventually, as they begin to index your pages and your site becomes more popular, your website will begin to appear closer and closer to the top of search engine result pages.
3. Corporate and Product Public Relations
Blogging gives you, as a business owner, the opportunity to talk about your products or services while at the same time building your brand. You should take advantage of this opportunity to talk to the public about the things you do. They’re never going to get a more honest or accurate story than the one that comes directly from you.
2. Positive Customer Relations
If a customer has a bad experience with one of your products what will he do? Chances are he’s going to go his own blog or to some other forum and vent about how terrible your products or services are. The problem with this is that you might never find out about his issues. If you have your own blog that same customer will probably visit your site and make a comment. You an use this opportunity to address his concerns, rectify the problem, and enhance what might have otherwise been a bad customer experience. Who knows – he might even go on to post about how helpful you were in the end.
1. Surveying the Playing Field
The #1 reason for starting a corporate blog is the advantage it gives you when it comes to understanding what your customers and prospects think not just about you but about your competitors as well. By providing great information on your own blog you will encourage those who visit to start their own conversations in the comments. They’ll tell you exactly what they think and you will eventually be able to use their opinions and ideas when formulating your next customer service strategy or when planning your next product upgrade.
Businesses with active websites and blogs have a huge advantage over the competition. It’s not difficult to create a blog and business that do find that they are constantly at the forefront and, because the provide valuable information, are more likely to gain the respect of their customers and peers.
What is Blogging?
A blog is, simply put, another word for weblog. That term really doesn’t mean anything unless you understand what it means to blog. Blogging is a form of online communication. Where we once used diaries, emails, old fashioned bulletin boards, and standard letters we now use blogs to share information. The Internet allows us to communicate with people all over the world – whether they’re individuals with likeminded interests or businesses we wish to network with.
Blogs themselves didn’t come into existence until the mid-1990’s. In the beginning they were only used as personal diaries where individuals could share their thoughts and receive comments from their readers. As the internet grew businesses began to realize the value of blogging. They soon learned that instead of hosting simple static websites they could also incorporate blogging – giving them an opportunity to reach out to their consumers, gather their feedback, and earn their respect in a way that was at that point unprecedented.
Today you’ll find that both individuals and businesses are using blogs to express their personal opinions, advertise products, or show their support for different causes. Some blogs feature simple text posts while others incorporate images, videos, or a combination of all three. Some people update their blogs daily while others only update 1-3 times per week. The choice is up to you and as long as you keep up a regular posting schedule you’ll eventually find more an more people are drawn to your blog.
Blogs are customizable, too – making it easy for you to create a blog that represents your ideas, opinions, or products in the most efffective way possible. There are dozens of free blogging services available online but if you’re building a blog for your business you’re probably better off installing a blogging platform on your own domain.
Regardless of the type of blog you choose to write we’re sure you’ll find blogging to be a fun and productive way of spreading the word – no matter what your purpose!
