HOW TO: Tackle Blogging for Your Business

Here’s part three in my ongoing series on social media. (Here are the Facebook and Twitter posts.) By now, I’m sure you have a pretty good handle on what a blog is, so this should be easy, right?

At the Social Media Marketing Book Camp with Sarah Evans that I keep talking about, I learned some facts about the average blogger. You might find them interesting:

• The blogosphere is dominated by affluent, educated male bloggers.
• Bloggers use Twitter more than the average person.
• Most bloggers do not make money by blogging.
• Most bloggers are hobbyists.

If you’re ready to get started, there are a lot of ways to go. As you can tell, we use WordPress. I’ve also used Blogger before. Both are free and easy to use. You can customize your URL (like ours is blirentals.wordpress.com), as long as no one else has already chosen it.

WHAT DO I PUT ON A BLOG?
There are so many ways you can use your blog, and I recommend checking out how other bloggers use their site. Blogs concerning the same industry will be especially helpful. (My general mission when checking out competitors is not to copy them — it’s to see what they’re doing, what they’re not doing, and how I can do the job better than they do.) Here are some general ideas:

• Pick a national issue (probably something you’ve just read about in the news) and add your own commentary and insights on the issue.
• Write about relevant events — specials, promotions, open houses, trade shows, etc.
• Invite others to write a guest post. This person should be an expert in a relevant field or have experience that is relevant to your readers.
• Share interesting anecdotes — maybe about a little girl’s reaction to her new playhouse or an interesting way a customer is using their barn or shed.
• Post corresponding images and videos. Original content is ideal here but not a requirement (as long as you give proper credit).
• Plan what to write about ahead of time. You can use themes. (Be creative: “How-to Tuesdays” and “Customer Appreciation Week.”)

ANY MORE TIPS?

• Use descriptive, interesting, attention-grabbing titles.
• Use the same language your audience uses. Do all your customers understand the technical details of how you build sheds? Probably not. So cut back on the jargon and put it in terms they can understand. And don’t overuse the thesaurus. Readers can tell when you’re using words you don’t usually use, and this detracts from their ability to relate to you.
• Ask questions to promote interaction.
• Check for comments once or twice a day. Respond to those who comment.
• Share your blog posts on other social networks, like Facebook and Twitter.
• Be consistent. Post one or two blog entries a week.
• Create your own content, and be yourself.
• Don’t forget to spell check!

Does this help you get started with blogging? What other questions do you have? As always, if you don’t want to post them here, feel free to call or e-mail me.