Blogging for Business

Blogging has become a popular tool for bootstrap marketing. As of 2005, 10% of small businesses were using or were planning to use blogs for their businesses. Blogging allows for very targeted, personal contact with a customer base and can build strong customer loyalty.
Blogging can become a good public relations tool. It can set you apart as an expert in your field, which can lead reporters looking for content for their stories. I promise that I would never have been called by the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, US News, etc. for interviews had I not been a blogger.
There are some suggestions and cautions to keep in mind before you take the plunge:
– You need to be prepared to be consistent. Multiple posts each week seem the most effective at building a loyal following.
– Don’t just hype your business. Avoid crossing the line and becoming too self-serving or self-promoting as blog readers will not come back to such a blog for very long. Find content that will be of interest to your audience. It probably would be best to either be general content about your industry or material that would interest your target market. For example, a law firm may write a blog on employment law.
– It takes time to do it well. Plan on several hours each week to do research and to write. It has to become part of your routine. I generally start each day very early in the morning on my back porch (after our morning walk) blogging.
– Be patient, as it will take time to build an audience. You need to work on this by sending links via e-mail to reporters, other bloggers, customers, etc. to build awareness.
– Need to be cautious about what you say. Remember that the WHOLE world can read what you say, including your employees, your competition, your banker, etc.
A blog site called Bootstrapper has put together a great list of blogging resources if you are ready to give it a try.