Create Blogging For Business |

Does your business need a blog?

A blog is a Web log, an online joual. Blogs started out as online diaries, a form of revelatory writing in which diarists shared their everyday lives with the world. From their beginnings as a weird web fad in 1998, blogs have moved on, and are well on the way to becoming a standard business tool, often as content management systems and instant publishing tools.

In February 2003 Google.com bought Pyra Labs, the company which owns the Blogger weblogging tool and blogging began to take off. Blogger.com, one of the main sites providing blog software and hosting, boasted a million hosted web logs in early 2003, and now has tens of millions.

Blogs are mainstream. Many businesses are starting to see the value of a blog: instant communication with their customers, and for new businesses, and better Inteet visibility with faster indexing in the main search engines, like Google.

A blog help your business in many ways, depending on whether you create a private or a public blog. Blogs are so useful that you'll want to create both.

=> Your business's private, inteal blog

These days, no one works alone. Even if you're a solo business operator, you have colleagues --- partners, contractors, and suppliers with whom you communicate daily. A private blog makes working with a group easier, because you can streamline your interactions, saving time and energy.

A private blog can contain notes to yourself, or to colleagues. It's a place to store information and tips that might not warrant a special email message. You can post information like meeting notes, project tasks and summaries, and updated price lists. You can also post links to large files --- no need to email, fax, or mail them to and fro.

Your blog is more useful than email, because blog postings are dated, and easily searchable. You can post a message you want everyone to read, and the message stays on the blog. With email, you read and delete, or read and forget.

If you've worked on a project with someone in another state or on the other side of the world, you've blessed email, because it makes sharing information so easy. Using a blog to share information is even easier than using email.

=> Your business's public blog

A business blog is a marketing tool. A blog can add value to your Web site, or it can take the place of a Web site. Look on it as a combination "What's New" Web site page, and an online joual. Because of a blog's freewheeling nature, it's friendly and relaxed.

If you don't have a site, your blog's a place to put your online CV, portfolio and client list. You can, and should, use your blog to express your personality and expertise.

If you have a Web site, your blog page builds loyalty, because if you provide interesting content, your visitors will retu to your site. And because it's a Web page, your blog will appear on search engines, attracting new clients.

Google has been treating blogs differently from other Web pages for a couple of years. Whereas it takes a standard Web page/ site a month to be indexed by Google, blogs are indexed daily. This means that your blog is mega-cheap advertising. You can post something on your blog and have it indexed by Google within a day.

Note: As of late 2005, Google is somewhat warier of new blogs, because of splogs (spam blogs), so it might take a few weeks for Google to index your new blog.

So go ahead, blog your business!

Author of many books, including Making the Inteet Work for Your Business, copywriter and joualist Angela Booth also writes copy for businesses large and small, and consults on search engine marketing. Angela has written copy for companies in many industries, ranging from technology and real estate to the jewellery trade. Her clients include major corporations like hp (Hewlett Packard), WestPac Bank, and Acer Computer. For copywriting services and marketing advice contact Angela at angelabooth.com

What is a blog? Have you, like so many others, heard this word and have no idea what it means? You aren't alone, but you should know that blogs are a huge part of the inteet and it's marketing. A blog is perhaps best defined as a daily joual, which is posted on the inteet. It's purpose is to gain attention and gaer the interest of website visitors. By grabbing visitor's attention, you keep them wanting to come back for more information.

If you are just starting a new business, are a veteran business owner or have something exciting happening within your company, blog your news online. If you have a website, include a link on your homepage directing visitors to your new daily blog. Post something new every day - just as you would in a diary or joual. If nothing is going on, post something silly. If your business is slow, explain what you are doing to change that. Add some humor if at all possible. The trick is to get your readers attention and make them want to come back tomorrow and the next day and the next. Well, you get the picture.

If you don't have a website, there are blog services online that let you post your daily antics. Remember, this is a terrific marketing tool. A recent article was featured about an author who blogged his way to bestseller status. Having no idea the popularity he was gaering, he began a daily posting of his progress on the book. By the time it was published, thousands of readers were anxiously awaiting the release. A success by any standards, this author became a bestseller and many believe that his blog helped push him to success. Another individual, who is currently in college, claims to have reached millionaire status through his website and updated the progress regularly on his blog.

If you aren't a writer, but still want to explore the avenue of blogging your business to the world, hire a freelancer to write for you. Work with them closely to ensure that the content is what you desire and you will soon have professionally written content available on a regular basis. If you do hire a writer, make sure that he/she is available on a regular basis. Your blog won't work if you do not update regularly. While daily updates are best, several new entries each week will also work nicely.

Mark Kenny is an eBay expert who specialises in launching eBay related online businesses. You can see his selection of Tukey websites at: http://www.Trading-Web-Solutions.com or read his blog via http://www.Trading-Web-Solutions.com/blog.