Blog Lab

A Short Blog Rant

Jupiter Research just published a report that says that 35% of large companies plan to institute corporate blogs in 2006.  That's a hard figure to verify.  Regardless of the actual number, if you're still thinking about creating a blog for your small business get on with it!  The more crowded the field gets, the less likely you are to get noticed.

Two things will inevitably result as more large corporations start blogging:

1. The bar will be lowered—Right now people with important things to say are top bloggers.  Soon, we'll be inundated by blogs filled with corporate-speak and weak sales pitches.  Blogging will not present the great thought leaders, rather the great revenue leaders.

2. Small business owners will try to copy the style and attitude of the large company blogs—This will provide a new excuse for small businesses to feel inadequate and unworthy of a blog.  Of course, this is completely wrong-headed.  Blogs need to reflect a real person.  I cringe when I hear that people are hiring writers to write their blogs.  If you're really, really bad at writing, hire someone to edit your blog so it's comprehensible.  If they write it, it's not your blog.

Get started on your blog now, before your mind is clouded by big company blogs.

Technorati tags:

corporate+blogs blogging small+business small+business+blogs

Why Blogs Are Gaining in Popularity

An interesting email marketing survey was done by Skylist in April.  They found that 50% of survey respondents list 'email deliverability issues' as a challenge.  This should not be surprising given all the problems with spam.  In fact 32% cite 'list turnover' as their greatest challenge.  All the more reason you should be launching your business blog.

Blog feeds make it easy for readers to get your information on a regular basis—no hassles with spam filters.  The best way to experience this is to set up a free bloglines account and read some blogs on a regular basis.  You'll find that the information is 'more interesting' when you seek it out.

Blogs and IT Professionals-What's the Impact?

If you market through your blog to IT professionals you'll be interested in a survey that knowledgestorm conducted of more than 4,500 users of their whitepaper download service.  They found that over 80% read blogs, with 18% reading daily; 33% weekly.   They conclude that "blogs are not only being read, they are...having signficant influence over b-to-b purchasing decisions"—53% in this survey.

If you were wondering if anyone was paying attention to your blog posts, stop worrying.  Not only are more IT professionals being influenced, they are commenting and contributing to blogs in higher numbers as well.  The key here is to figure out the right blend of information and product advertising.

Session 1 of the Blogging Teleseminar Series

I just signed off from the first session of my 3 part teleseminar on Business Blogging.  It is a very smart, savvy group.  I selected this group based on the fact that they had different types of businesses and very different goals so that everyone would hear a different perspective. 

The key takeaway from todays' session is about developing a strategy before you start your blog.  Blogging should be treated like every other marketing channel.  There is a business reason you are blogging and an outcome you want to achieve.  Whenever you think about how your new content fits in, ask yourself what you are trying to accomplish by telling your reader this information. 

Technorati tags: business+blogging blog+strategy marketing+channels beginning+blogging blogs

Blogs for Small Business

I am preparing a brand new Small Business Blogging Teleseminar Series.  It will show small business owners how to get the most traffic and revenue generation from a blog.  I will show the key elements that must be included and the traffic generation 'must haves.'  I cut right to the chase on how to get people to start reading. I will be picking up to 8 people to participate in a FREE series that I will report on here at the Blog Lab.  If you are interested in participating in this free pre-series group, let me know by posting a comment at the end of this post.

What would you like to learn if you were attending a business blog teleseminar series?  I want to know.  What questions and comments do you have?  What would make the content special for you?

Also, don't forget to download my new free ebook Small Business 2.0.  It tells you how new online marketing tools can skyrocket your small business.

Technorati tags: blog blogging blogger small+business+blog teleseminar marketing increased+traffic lead+generation

Five Ways to Create Content for your Blog

You can find lots of information on the Internet about how to create a blog. There are recommendations about which tool to use and how to design something that's reader-friendly. But what happens once your blog is constructed? The cold blank page stares back at you on a daily basis.

Not as much has been written about creating content for your blog. As the "expert", it is assumed that you know what to write. Well, yes and no. Obviously, if you have a passion for your topic, you may be bursting with a never-ending source of ideas.

But what about the business-related blog? Even if you love your business, you may feel too close to the subject to decide what information would benefit your customers on a daily basis. You'll also have restrictions based on what is appropriate for a wider audience.

Here are 5 ways to help you develop content for your blog:

1. Read other blogs with an eye towards seeing how bloggers develop their ‘voice.’

You need to make sure your blog content reflects YOU and how you communicate. When you prepare a post, it should sound like a conversation you would have with a good customer. I keep a little notebook and jot down ideas after I’ve spoken with a client, read a book or heard something that I think will make a good post.

2. Create a “Mind Map” that spells out the strategy for your blog.

A Mind Map lets you develop the big picture and the details of your strategy at the same time. I use Mind Maps to develop strategies of all kinds for my clients. (See ‘Digimaps’ on my website for more information about how to create one.) Understand what the overall message of your blog will be and what your reader will find each time they read a post. You need a unified message, so think carefully about your blog's subtitle or description. Refer back to that each time you start a post.

3. Start with 10 categories that support your blog’s strategy.

You can add or subtract later, this is just an easy way to focus your thoughts. When you are staring at that blank page, a look at your category list may help spur your thoughts.

4. Decide whether you are going to monetize your site.

There are lots of ways to monetize your site. You can sell products, display Google ads and build your mailing list with free information that requires an email address. Some people prefer to keep their blog an expression of their thoughts without commerce-related activity. If you are growing your business, an e-commerce model will probably suit you. Give some thought as to what makes sense for you so that your design and content supports your model. Also, make sure that if you are selling a product or service, you put a picture of it just as you would on your website.

5. Look out for new blog tools as they are developed.

Great new tools are being developed daily. I find the best tools by reading blogs and being curious about what tools others are using.

Technorati tags: web+content blogs

Does the idea of creating a business blog scare you?

If the idea of creating a business blog scares you, you are not alone.  All the hype and media attention makes the average business person feel that blogging is too mysterious and complicated to try.   This is not the case! 

Both the largest and the smallest companies blog to great effect.  It’s not an experimental or risky technology. Blogs are easy to create and maintain.  I use Typepad, but there are several good technologies out there.

So why do they inspire fear?  Here are three things that I hear from clients that are not true about blogs:

1. You need to be hip and cool to write a blog—unless your business is built around a celebrity, this can be a distraction.  Readers are hungry for solid information.
2. You’ll run out of things to write about—ask the marketing and sales team to volunteer topics that they are dealing with.  If you are a small company, feature a guest blogger on a key topic to spice things up.
3. You’ll be criticized and unable to withstand the onslaught of negative comments about your post—the risk of being criticized is always there, but if you follow common sense business rules, you should be engaging in a debate about a business topic, not a personal attack.  If this happens, use your blog tools to prevent one person from hijacking the debate.

Most blog fears come from a misunderstanding about how a blog can support your business goals.  Blogs should be part of your overall marketing strategy.  They help you build and support your customer community.  This is a key part of Web 2.0 marketing. 

You need to sit down with your team and see how you can extend your reach. Ask for input from all your departments.  Customer Service should weigh-in on what they think customers care about.

Look at your blog as an alternate way to educate and sell to your customers.  If you have a newsletter, add a section at the bottom that lists your latest post titles.  This will make your customers aware of your blog.  If they are interested, they’ll subscribe. Remember, your readers can be as active as they wish.  They can subscribe to a feed or email update or drop in occasionally.  It’s up to them.

Also, one significant benefit is that blogs are naturally optimized for search engines so you can generate more traffic.  Just remember to focus on your keywords when you create your post titles.

The best way to start a blog is to start small.  Build up your content and go slowly.  Like any other marketing effort, you need to learn from your customers.

Technorati tags: business+blog blogging

What is the Blog Lab?

Welcome to The Blog Lab!   I'm using this blog to capture all the great information about blogs I collect as I do my teleseminars, interviews and meetings.  You are invited to join in! Let's face it, the blogging landscape changes daily.  We need a place to share ideas and find what works.

I will post details of  my upcoming events you can attend online.  The next free teleseminar series will start August 3rd, hosted by Annie Jennings PR.  Details to follow. 

You can listen to the series and post questions and comments in-between sessions.  I'll try to answer them and share the answer with you so we all become smarter along the way.