Blogging is the latest buzzword in online marketing and PR.
But with so many marketers jumping on the blogging bandwagon, few people give thought to whether blogs really up their alley, or taking time to consider how best to go about it.
If you plan to start a business blog, ask yourself these questions before you take the final plunge.
1. Do you really need a blog?
Writing and maintaining a blog requires a certain level of commitment, and passion (or at least liked a) to string up word a qualifying phrase. If you do not enjoy writing a lot, you can always make an audio or video blog.
But what is the purpose of your business really entertained by starting a blog? Or could other methods of online marketing - like SEO, ezine advertising or newsletter publishing work just as well if not better?
2. Who do you want to achieve with your blog?
The first step to reach your audience to understand where they go to find information about your products.
If your audience consists mainly of those who live in your town or using a product they are looking at the newspapers, offline advertising might be more suitable for your purposes.
If so, your target audience belonging to one or more of these segments, a blog may just things to improve your business.
- Internet users
What is your target audience really use the internet? If not, then start a blog (or online activities, in this case) will only be wasting the time and effort.
- Blog readers
What is your target audience read blogs? Or do they prefer to get their information in their inbox? If the latter is true, then an email newsletter might be a better choice than a blog.
Search engine users -
A blog is the best way to improve your search engine rankings and get registered for the many keywords your target. If you know that your audience uses search engines to find information, a blog will increase your chances of getting their attention.
3. What do you want to achieve with your blog?
There are many things a blog can do for your business. Blogs can help you -
- Increase your visibility and search engine rankings
- Check yourself, your products, your services, your company
- Developing community and network with people who share a common interest
- Extend your coverage to those outside your current influences
- Develop your credibility as a member or thought-leader in your field
- Put a human face on your business
- Reach potential clients and stakeholders
Decide what you want to achieve with your blog can help you get focused, so you can spend your time and effort in activities that help, not hinder your business goals.
4. How much can you spend on your blog?
Serious business bloggers not only spend time writing their own blogs, but also spent much time reading about current events and browsing other blogs in their field for more information.
If you are willing to put in the time and effort required to do such research, your blog will serve as a good branding tool for your business.
If not, you need to hire someone to do research or seriously rethink your decision to start a blog.
5. What blogging platform will serve your needs best?
Deciding your blogging platform is an important step that you should take only after becoming familiar with the features and benefits of each option.
The most important reasons is because it can very difficult to migrate an established blog to a new platform once you get started. Moving your blog can cause you to lose your data, search engine list and readers, so do not take this decision lightly.
Determine the best platform to meet your marketing goals, time constraints and personal preferences before you make your first post.
According T.L. Pakii Pierce, who wrote in "How to Blog for Fun & Profits!" http://blogforfunandprofit.blogware.com, if you lack the time, and wanted to spend more time writing, then a hosted solution like Blogger, Blogware, Squarespace or TypePad may serve your purposes better.
This may also prove a better choice if you want to start as soon as possible, new to the internet, or are not familiar with the script or code.
If, on the other hand, are you crazy control (like me) and do not mind spending some time and effort to customize your blog, then the server-installed software, such as Wordpress, b2evolution or Movable Type might be right for you.
If you do not want to install the script itself, choosing hosting solution with Fantastico, which comes with a one click install of a blog software.
6. How do you plan to promote your blog?
Why is good to know this before you start your blog? Because it will help you decide where best to invest time and effort when you need to build traffic to your blog.
You will learn more about ways to promote your blog when you subscribe to the email course below. Some of these tasks can be outsourced, while others you have to do themselves.
Decide what you want to take and look out for service providers to handle other functions until you can start building traffic to your blog as soon as possible.
7. How will you evaluate the success of your blog?
To determine how successful your blog is increasing your profile or profits you will need to measure your blog traffic and track sales or leads that have come through it.
This planning in advance will help you make more informed decisions about your blog metrics, choice of blogging platform and the customization that you need in your blog.
Understand that blogging is not for everyone. This is just another form of communication.
Do not get too fixated on the technology that you ignore the ways of ending more accurate to convey your message.
Some things may be easier to communicate face to face, in meeting rooms, or even good old telephone.
But if you ask yourself the questions above and decided that blogging meets all your goals, then the blog might be just the doctor ordered for your business.
But with so many marketers jumping on the blogging bandwagon, few people give thought to whether blogs really up their alley, or taking time to consider how best to go about it.
If you plan to start a business blog, ask yourself these questions before you take the final plunge.
1. Do you really need a blog?
Writing and maintaining a blog requires a certain level of commitment, and passion (or at least liked a) to string up word a qualifying phrase. If you do not enjoy writing a lot, you can always make an audio or video blog.
But what is the purpose of your business really entertained by starting a blog? Or could other methods of online marketing - like SEO, ezine advertising or newsletter publishing work just as well if not better?
2. Who do you want to achieve with your blog?
The first step to reach your audience to understand where they go to find information about your products.
If your audience consists mainly of those who live in your town or using a product they are looking at the newspapers, offline advertising might be more suitable for your purposes.
If so, your target audience belonging to one or more of these segments, a blog may just things to improve your business.
- Internet users
What is your target audience really use the internet? If not, then start a blog (or online activities, in this case) will only be wasting the time and effort.
- Blog readers
What is your target audience read blogs? Or do they prefer to get their information in their inbox? If the latter is true, then an email newsletter might be a better choice than a blog.
Search engine users -
A blog is the best way to improve your search engine rankings and get registered for the many keywords your target. If you know that your audience uses search engines to find information, a blog will increase your chances of getting their attention.
3. What do you want to achieve with your blog?
There are many things a blog can do for your business. Blogs can help you -
- Increase your visibility and search engine rankings
- Check yourself, your products, your services, your company
- Developing community and network with people who share a common interest
- Extend your coverage to those outside your current influences
- Develop your credibility as a member or thought-leader in your field
- Put a human face on your business
- Reach potential clients and stakeholders
Decide what you want to achieve with your blog can help you get focused, so you can spend your time and effort in activities that help, not hinder your business goals.
4. How much can you spend on your blog?
Serious business bloggers not only spend time writing their own blogs, but also spent much time reading about current events and browsing other blogs in their field for more information.
If you are willing to put in the time and effort required to do such research, your blog will serve as a good branding tool for your business.
If not, you need to hire someone to do research or seriously rethink your decision to start a blog.
5. What blogging platform will serve your needs best?
Deciding your blogging platform is an important step that you should take only after becoming familiar with the features and benefits of each option.
The most important reasons is because it can very difficult to migrate an established blog to a new platform once you get started. Moving your blog can cause you to lose your data, search engine list and readers, so do not take this decision lightly.
Determine the best platform to meet your marketing goals, time constraints and personal preferences before you make your first post.
According T.L. Pakii Pierce, who wrote in "How to Blog for Fun & Profits!" http://blogforfunandprofit.blogware.com, if you lack the time, and wanted to spend more time writing, then a hosted solution like Blogger, Blogware, Squarespace or TypePad may serve your purposes better.
This may also prove a better choice if you want to start as soon as possible, new to the internet, or are not familiar with the script or code.
If, on the other hand, are you crazy control (like me) and do not mind spending some time and effort to customize your blog, then the server-installed software, such as Wordpress, b2evolution or Movable Type might be right for you.
If you do not want to install the script itself, choosing hosting solution with Fantastico, which comes with a one click install of a blog software.
6. How do you plan to promote your blog?
Why is good to know this before you start your blog? Because it will help you decide where best to invest time and effort when you need to build traffic to your blog.
You will learn more about ways to promote your blog when you subscribe to the email course below. Some of these tasks can be outsourced, while others you have to do themselves.
Decide what you want to take and look out for service providers to handle other functions until you can start building traffic to your blog as soon as possible.
7. How will you evaluate the success of your blog?
To determine how successful your blog is increasing your profile or profits you will need to measure your blog traffic and track sales or leads that have come through it.
This planning in advance will help you make more informed decisions about your blog metrics, choice of blogging platform and the customization that you need in your blog.
Understand that blogging is not for everyone. This is just another form of communication.
Do not get too fixated on the technology that you ignore the ways of ending more accurate to convey your message.
Some things may be easier to communicate face to face, in meeting rooms, or even good old telephone.
But if you ask yourself the questions above and decided that blogging meets all your goals, then the blog might be just the doctor ordered for your business.
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