The Marketing Message Blog

If You Are in Business You Need a Squidoo Lens Now!

I wrote this post almost a year ago and I wanted to reprise it again today.  Using Squidoo is more valuable than ever if you want to help people find you.

May, 2006:

I started this blog to engage in conversation about creating the right marketing message for your product or service.  If I told you there is a service that allows you to provide expert information on any topic, product or service you choose; it drives traffic to your website; donates money to charity and is FREE, would you use it?  Well if you haven't created a Squidoo Lens then the answer is 'No.'  Are you an expert on any topic, launching a new product or service?  Then you need a lens.

I have worked in marketing for over 25 years.  Eight years were spent as a marketing director for AOL.  I don't understand why every business hasn't built at least one lens.  Martha Stewart has one on cookies!  It won't cost you any more than it cost Martha's team to put up a lens--zero.  It's just one more way to get noticed.  I'm sure you want to get noticed.

If it's the time you're worried about, it's easy.  You have all the information in your head now.  The lens builder is a snap.  Do it.

Also, there are lots of fun lenses to explore.  Don’t forget to check them out while you’re there.

Blogging Tips from a Visionary

There's a great article in the Washing Post about Ted Leonsis' adventures in blogging called "For Ted Leonsis, a Quest to Find Himself Faster Online." Ted is one of the genuises behind AOL and majority owner of the Washington Capitals hockey team and the Mystics of women's basketball, and minority owner of the NBA's Wizards.  I worked for Ted's new media consulting company, Redgate Communications when it was acquired by AOL in the early 90's.  He is always a visionary.  If anyone could understand how to make blogging work, it would be Ted.  So he started a blog called Ted's Take with the goal of putting the information HE WANTED people to see first on Google.

He says there are 3 main factors in Google's algorithm: 1) The more popular a Web page is the higher it ranks; 2) The more a Web page is linked to other websites and blogs the higher it ranks; 3) Frequent and current entries boost rankings. 

His recipe for success?  Post several times a day; link to lots of other bloggers; link your site to your other sites and link to well-known people in the blogsphere.  His future plans are to add more video and photographs. 

What are you waiting for?  Start blogging!

Small Business Blogging, Want to Participate in the Blog Lab?

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 in my BlogLab  If you are interested in participating in this free pre-series group, let me know by posting a comment at the blog lab on the post Blogs for Small Business.

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

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

Five Ways to Create Content for your Business 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