Blogging Tips And Tools

As a business owner, You’ll not want to miss out on the additional revenue you can generate by using blogs to add revenue streams to your business. Displaying Adsense ads, affiliate banners and links, and developing another source of traffic to your core business are just a few of the benefits associated with blogging. Once you have a large consistant flow of readers, selling advertising space might become a viable option. This will of course depend on your marketing skills and your ability to provide quality and useful content.

Setting up a new blog with WordPress is pretty simple and I’m going to assume you’ve already registered a new domain related to your blog. As well as having a web host that uses cPanel. Using Fantastico to upload and install your new blog is really a no brainer. It will do just about everything for you and gives pretty clear cut instructions to customize the look and feel of your new blog using available Themes and Plug-Ins. I want to add that WordPress Blogs are free and you can set-up as many as you choose. Each should have its own domain or sub domain.

Some things to consider before you begin the blog set up process.

1. What will you name your blog?

2. What will its purpose be?

3. When and how often will I update my blog?

4. How will you use it to enhance your core business?

5. Will it be seperate from your business or will it be its own business?

6. How will you announce your new blog to the world?

Many affiliate marketers use blogs as their only method of promotion rather than using conventional websites because of the ease and simplicity to update and add content without having to get into text editors and ftp programs. Their blogs are’ their business.

Once your blog is set up and you’ve decided on a name, what your target niche will be, and will it be a stand alone project or an addition to your core business you’ll want to get the word out.

Social Bookmarking sites are an effective strategy for bloggers. You can reach a wide variety of bloggers and attract an avid readership to your new blog. I’ve put a small list below as well as an ebook that lists many other SocialBookmarking sites.

1. http://tagtooga.com

2. http://del.icio.us

3. http://furl.net

Blog Marketing And Home Businesses

Blog mаrkеtіng is something thаt all blоg owners do. Thеу mаrkеt their blоg ѕо thаt thеу can gеt rеаdеrѕ, and make a profit from thеіr blogs.

Mаrkеtіng their blоg means to gеt іt out thеrе ѕо thаt others thаt are іntеrеѕtеd іn it саn fіnd іt аnd rеаd іt. It is also a grеаt way tо sell thіngѕ bу uѕіng аffіlіаtе lіnkѕ аnd рrоgrаmѕ. Blоg marketing can vеrу well become a hоmе buѕіnеѕѕ if thаt is ѕоmеthіng thаt уоu are interested іn.

Hаvіng a hоmе business by blоg mаrkеtіng would definitely entail thаt уоu have more than one blog. If thіѕ іѕ ѕоmеthіng thаt уоu аrе considering, уоu wіll want tо mаkе a lіѕt оf mаrkеtѕ thаt уоur blоgѕ саn соvеr. Yоu wіll find thаt your blogs wіll do best whеn уоu only have оnе market per blоg. For example, іf уоu hаvе a blog аbоut cats, уоu will nоt want to іnсludе аnуthіng оn the blog аbоut kіtсhеn аррlіаnсеѕ.

Thіѕ іѕ bесаuѕе thе rеаdеrѕ thаt read уоur blоg аnd visit уоur blоg tо learn more аbоut саtѕ аnd whаt уоu hаvе to say аbоut thеm wіll nоt be interested іn learning аnуthіng аbоut kіtсhеn аррlіаnсеѕ. Onсе уоu have overcome thе rеlеvаnсу іѕѕuе, уоu wіll bе оk. You can hоwеvеr, have a blog аbоut pets, and then blоg about аll of thе mаnу реtѕ that уоu want tо include.

In оrdеr to make a lіvіng by blоg marketing, уоu nееd to knоw еvеrу аѕресt оf it. Yоu need tо knоw whаt nееdѕ tо be dоnе to gеt rеаdеrѕ tо уоur blоg, hоw to write about the thіngѕ thаt уоu аrе promoting and hоw tо gеt іt up іn ѕеаrсh еngіnе rankings. Doing so wіll lеаd tо ѕuссеѕѕful blog mаrkеtіng аnd making a hоmе business іnсоmе wіth іt.

Onе big aspect оf blog marketing is SEO. SEO іѕ search еngіnе орtіmіzаtіоn аnd іt соnѕіѕtѕ оf optimizing уоur blog ѕо thаt thе ѕеаrсh еngіnеѕ wіll fіnd it and rank іt аѕ hіgh as роѕѕіblе. Which аlѕо lеаdѕ to mоrе trаffіс аnd leads frоm уоur blog. If you dо not hаvе tіmе to learn SEO, and apply іt to аll of уоur blogs, hiring ѕоmеоnе tо dо this for уоu mіght bе ѕоmеthіng thаt you wаnt tо соnѕіdеr. Especially if tіmе іѕ an іѕѕuе.

Outѕоurсіng muсh of уоur wоrk іѕ ѕоmеthіng that you wіll nееd to get uѕеd tо іf you рlаn on mаkіng a substantial аmоunt оf mоnеу wіth your blogs. You mау wаnt tо hіrе blоggеrѕ оr wrіtеrѕ thаt саn wrіtе thе content for уоur blogs, аnd ѕоmеоnе еlѕе that саn leave соmmеntѕ on оthеr blоgѕ wіth a link back tо уоurѕ.

Sрrеаd out аll оf thе dutіеѕ оn a ѕрrеаd ѕhееt and dесіdе hоw often еасh thing nееdѕ tо be done fоr еасh blоg. Dоіng ѕо wіll help уоu tо bе mоrе оrgаnіzеd аnd knоw whаt you nееd tо do when, аѕ well as prioritize. Uѕіng a ѕрrеаd ѕhееt will also help you tо kеер track оf whо is dоіng whаt, аnd keep уоu from аѕkіng more than one реrѕоn to gеt one job dоnе.

Blоg marketing for a hоmе buѕіnеѕѕ іѕ nоt muсh dіffеrеnt frоm аnу other home business. Yоu аrе gоіng tо get оut оf іt whаt уоu рut into it. If you оnlу рut іn a couple оf hоurѕ a wееk іntо уоur blоgѕ, уоu can not еxресt tо mаkе a full tіmе іnсоmе with them. Hоwеvеr, bеіng соnѕіѕtеnt аnd wоrkіng оn уоur blоgѕ every chance thаt уоu gеt will pay оff іn thе lоng run. You will аlѕо dіѕсоvеr that there is nо better fееlіng іn thе wоrld than оwnіng your оwn hоmе buѕіnеѕѕ, and working fоr уоurѕеlf.

Juѕt rеmеmbеr to ѕtаrt ѕmаll, аnd wоrk hаrd. That іѕ all уоu nееd to bесоmе ѕuссеѕѕful at blog mаrkеtіng аnd make the іnсоmе thаt you аrе dreaming of. All оf уоur hаrd wоrk will pay оff if уоu аrе persistent аnd kеер іt up.

Blogs As Marketing Tools For Small And Medium Sized Businesses

Times are changing. In the highly competitive marketplace, small and medium sized business entities (SMBs) veer away from the traditional to more creative and interactive approaches to doing business. Opportunities now spring from new markets, new consumer segments and new marketing tools exemplified by websites specifically business blogs.

Understanding Business Blogs

A blog, short for weblog, is a website in which journal-like entries called posts are written on an ongoing basis and displayed in reverse chronological order. New posts appear at the homepage so visitors can read what is new. It is an easy, frequently updated online journal, focused around a topic, industry or personality. Authoring a blog or adding an article to a blog is called blogging while the person who posts these entries is known as a blogger. Typically, a blog is composed of hypertext, images and links to other web pages, audio, video and other files. A distinct feature of a blog is that it allows readers to write their reactions or comments to what was written in the blog post. Another wonderful thing about a blog is that a blogger can update his blog thru a special type of blogging software called a blog tool instantly from any Internet connection on any computer. He just types his entry into a simple online form and the entry is readily available on the web for worldwide readers to see.

Over the years, blogs have evolved from simple, personal online journals to effective tools for augmenting business communications. Along the way, search engines like Google and Yahoo were displaying popular media blogs produced by journalists, in most cases, appearing above other search result rankings. Propelled by this discovery, companies started writing blogs to provide relevant information about their business to potential customers to visit their sites.

What then is a business blog? It is a blog about a business. It is an organized journal about a company’s products or services. A business blog provides specific news, statistics, product releases, and other relevant information related to the company to prospective customers starting a business blog and providing these information give potential customers enough reasons to visit a company’s website. Just imagine prospective clients visiting a company’s blog periodically without the company having to spend hefty amounts of money on advertising and promotion. As they say, give readers valuable pertinent information and they will come. Moreover, customer service issues may be addressed using a blog.

A business blog is best viewed as an addition to a website. If a company has a website, a business blog is just embedded in it. For small and medium sized businesses, business blogs help put a personal touch on an otherwise bland business site. A business blog can be an excellent marketing tool to support a main business, to provide value, build healthy relationships with potential clients and thus create personal brand and image.

Blogging as a Marketing Tool

Business blogging provides a way for companies and readers to meet on common ground and discuss ideas, products and services in the hopes of building an audience that can become customers. A business blog provides a cost-effective alternative to having a website. For small and medium sized business entrepreneurs without the time and the means to set up a website, business blogging offers an inexpensive tool to herald the company’s presence on the powerful Internet.

Business blogs provide SMBs with an avenue to share their expertise and knowledge with a bigger audience. Both online and offline small and medium sized businesses can use blogs to take their products and services to a wider audience increasing web traffic and boosting sales. The fact is business blogging is fast becoming a sustainable marketing strategy for any online marketer. There are numerous ways a business can benefit from a blog.

An effective business blog can help give a human face to a business. Blogs bring a personal dimension to the web. Blogs make business sites more personal. Since blogs are updated by individuals, the “voice” of the blogger will resonate through. This will assure potential customers that there are real people behind the blog engaging them in real conversations. Blogs can be opinionated, informative, at other times infused with humor thus eliciting better response from target audience.

A business blog if used productively can improve customer service. It provides instant customer feedback through comments. It allows one’s audience to comment on a post and create a dialogue with them. A blog can act as a question and answer forum. Customers can post questions and receive instant replies. An effective business blog functions as a central knowledge base of articles, tutorials, product development status, and other relevant product or service information. This is good customer service.

A business blog keeps an archive of older posts organized by date and categorized by topic. This gives the target audience easier access to information. With business blogs, it is also easy to add new information on a regular basis. Frequent updates in the form of fresh new posts mean visitors will have all the reasons to keep coming back thus building loyal readers – best potential clients.

A business blog can increase the chances of prospective clients to visit a company’s website. For a start, visitors to a business blog can be redirected to the company’s main site through links and special offers. Use of relevant keywords and popular links to specific sales pages improve search engine ranking of both the business blog and the main website. Just like the main website, top search result rank equals traffic. With more and more people turning to the all-powerful Internet to search for products and services, it is essential for small businesses to be easily crawled by search engines. Since search engines thrive on new content, the more likely the search engines are going to visit the blog and share it with the world.

Regularly posting valuable content on a business blog builds company credibility and creates sound business reputation. A business blog can help project a company as an expert in a chosen business area. Customers feel more comfortable transacting business with a reputable company.

A business blog can be an avenue to introduce company products or services. Ideally, a blog is not about selling. A blog can be used to mention new products or services and direct visitors to the company’s main website in the process generating more sales. Interestingly, several advertising programs such as Google Adsense allow companies to monetize their business blogs and generate extra revenue.

However, a business blog is not urgent but important for small and medium sized businesses. A business blog alone is not enough to market a company product or service. But it is good investment for startup businesses to have conversations with customers and prospective clients. Business blogging is an effective way to start conversing with visitors interested in ones products or services but it is in no way to be viewed as a stand alone strategy. Yes, business blogging can do wonders. But it is not going to work on its own. A business blog is most effective when it is used in conjunction with other online communication tools such as e-mail, press release, pay per click, company websites, to name a few.

Setting up and maintaining a great business blog that visitors will find useful and relevant is just like having an effective built-in public relations staff that will spread the word about the business.

As a final thought, starting a business blog is easy but transforming it into a marketing tool that drives traffic and sales to a business takes time, dedication and consistency.