Well, for now, we’ll wrap up the series on business blogging today. I hope you’ve seen a few examples of blogs in a variety of industries – be creative and adapt a blog to your business or ministry TODAY!
In his 2006 book “BLOG WILD!: A Guide for Small Business Blogging” – Andy Wibbels shares some very practical reasons for blogging and frankly, a step-by-step guide in doing it. I picked up his book recently for less than $7 at Half Price Books and I’ve learned alot! A good investment. Wibbels, in one chapter, quotes from one web designer who suggests that blogs: (1) offer fresh content on a regular basis, (2) present an informal voice that visitors and prospect clients can respond to and resonate with, (3) blogs provide useful links. Wibbels goes on himself to suggest ways to us blogs in marketing and business:
1. Communicating with Your Team (internal blog)
2. Enrich your Clients’ Understanding of Your Business (educate)
3. Reach Out to Your Customer (build trust)
4. Build a Buzz – (generate excitement and attention – like free PR!)
5. Test Drive New Ideas (get feedback quickly)
6. Go Global (don’t be bound to local necessarily)
7. Create a Backdoor to the Press (exposure – again, free PR!)
8. Write Your Book (as an expert, you can preview your writings)
9. Highlight Success Stories (living testimonials give a voice to prospects)
10. Communicate in a Crisis (update news, products, changes quickly – without having to pay a web designer to do that on your static site)
OK here’s another post that could help if you haven’t started a blog (warning: the article was written 4 years ago so you may feel behind – and you should!). One last one if you have a blog but want to make it better. (These links go to a site that requires membership…they are good articles and the basic membership is FREE – so well worth it!)
Get blogging!
I think you’ve made a good case for the business blog… there so many people out there that should be doing this and just aren’t seeing the great opportunities. I think it certainly builds a level of TRUST with your current and potential customers because you can be more real that some “static” website to hind behind.
Great job Randy !!
There’s so much to this blogging thing. Opportunistic bloggers have been doing this for several years – so much more room for growth. I really do think the issue of TRUST is key for small businesses, churches, non-profits. We live in in a age where the population is naturally skeptical. Transparency over a blog is a key way to let people in on the “real you” – whether you are a contractor, a doctor, dentist, carpenter, or even a retail shop owner.
It’s not the ONLY way to build trust. Trust comes from alot of hard work, delivering on your product, the customer service you offer – but blogging can help bridge that trust gap even BEFORE someone buys anything. In the “old days” a business owner would have to wait until the consumer made the first move (purchase) before you could deliver on the goods. But now, we can initiate the relationship and get in their heads!
I love the idea that building trust helps eliminate the absolute need to SELL….in its place is a TRUST that COMPELS people to buy. I would much rather blog and offer some bit of value/personality that might COMPEL someone to pay me money than I would having to SELL, SELL, SELL. No one likes to be SOLD anything. But I think when people are compelled to do something, they WANT to do it.
-Randy
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/04/the-wealthy-g-1.html
I love reading Seth’s simple thoughts – often profound, rarely complex, but always practical.
I am looking to sign up for Andy Wibbel’s SIX FIGURE BLOGGING course (LINK: http://sixfigureblogging.com/purchase ), and then saw this post from Seth.
I am committed to blogging and do it alot during the day. So can I make a TON of money on it? We’ll see. But alot of people do, so the question remains: how much work is required and do have the desire OR TIME (more likely the culprit) to do what it takes to earn 100K on my blog?????