The Top 5 Business Blogging Essentials

Business blogging isn’t fast or easy. You have to master the writing, command your audience, and grasp the technology. Upload images and download plugins. Moderate comments and manage posts. It’s a ten-man job, there’s only two hands on the helm, and chances are they both belong to you.

If you’re lucky, you’ve got a partner or an assistant and you can spread the workload around a little. Otherwise, it’s all yours. So you grease up and get down to business churning out blog posts and moderating comments like a freight train barreling down a steep, slippery slope.

And what a slippery slope it is. I know, you’ve got your hands full. With a business to run and blog to maintain, who has time for the details? But there a few core essentials that every blogger should master, even if business blogging is simply a means for you to drive your online marketing efforts.

1. Master WordPress

Do you just log in, write a post, hit publish, and then go about your merry business? WordPress needs your attention. After all, it houses your blog. Like any home, it requires care and maintenance. A few quick tips:

• Always stay upgraded to the latest version of WordPress. Otherwise, stuff might break and your blog or website will not be secure (in other words, a hacker could get in).
• Fill in those fields. The tags and categories aren’t there for show. Make sure you don’t have a bunch of uncategorized posts and use your tags for Google’s sake.
• Check your dashboard. Don’t you want to know who’s linking to you? Don’t you think you should head over to their place and show a little love? Okay, if you’re a big shot blogger, maybe not. But if you’re a big shot blogger, why are you reading these tips? Plus, your dashboard provides a summary of how many posts and comments you’ve acquired to date, stats you should be aware of.

2. Embrace Plugins

Don’t neglect your plugins. There’s a reason a little red blurb pops up to let you know that your plugins require maintenance. When you see that red blurb, it means your plugins are jumping up and down, waving their arms in the air and yelling “Over here! We need your help!”

If you’re using the latest version of WordPress (see number one above), upgrading your plugins takes about two clicks and just as many seconds.

Don’t have plugins? Get some immediately. They’re there to serve a purpose – to make your blog run more efficiently and effectively. My favorites are: All in One SEO Pack, CommentLuv, and of course, the plugin nobody can live without – Akismet. Actually, there are a lot more but that’s a whole ‘nother post.

3. Track Traffic

If you don’t know how many people are visiting your blog, then how can you know whether it’s bringing in more business? Knowing how many visitors you’re getting on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis is how you will determine whether your business blogging efforts are paying off.

Some key stats to check:

• Unique visitors – how many individuals visited your site
• Pageviews – how many pages of your site people looked at
• Top landing pages – how people are entering your site
• Referring sites – who is sending traffic your way
• Time on site – how long people are hanging around

Where you do get this information? There are several options for tracking traffic, but I prefer Google Analytics (it’s free and easy to use).

Make sure you always keep the purpose and goal of your website and blog in mind when you analyze your stats. Lots of traffic won’t do you any good if your visitors aren’t buying whatever it is that you’re selling. In other words, don’t be misled by hoards of traffic.

4. Draw Traffic

The other day a friend and I were having a little chat about our blogs and when she complained about her statistics I asked her what she was doing to draw traffic. Her response: “What do you mean?”

I’ve said it before. I’ll say it now and probably again later: If you build it, they will come, but first you have to tell them about it.

If nobody knows about your website, how can you expect them to visit? If the only keyword you’re ranking for on Google is your name and you’re not famous (yet), how do you expect people to find your blog? The opportunities for drawing traffic are limitless but first you’ve got to make it a priority. Whether you use an ad campaign, social media, or word of mouth, you’re going to have to put a little effort into attracting a crowd.

5. Inform, Educate, and Entertain

None of this matters if your content fails to tickle readers where it counts. Every single person with an internet connection could visit your site but if the content isn’t compelling, all that traffic won’t do you one bit of good. A decent design helps and a spectacular one might push you over the top, but nothing beats good writing. This is especially true for business blogging because readers expect professionalism in a business blog.

Start by planning out your posts in advance. Schedule some brainstorming sessions so you have a nice big pile of ideas for topics. Then, write some killer headlines. Make sure your content has value – offer insider tips, free but valuable information, and a hearty laugh.

Don’t forget to establish your voice. That would also be the voice of your company, which is one part of its image. Are you clever and dry? Is your company image gritty or sleek? Develop a voice that is in line with your brand. And if you don’t have the time, skill, or interest, then hire a professional writer to do it for you.

Want More?

When it comes to business blogging, there’s a never-ending list of tasks to do. Even though these are the essentials, they’re easy to neglect, and often go unattended by small business owners and hobby bloggers who get caught up in other, distracting activities. Sure, there’s a lot more you can do for your blog and for your entire website, but if you don’t stay on top of the core action items, those extras won’t matter a whole lot. The pro bloggers know this and tend to their blogs with due diligence. You should too.

Scribizzy offers a range of blog services to help small business communicate with customers and market their products and services on the web. Want to learn more? Get a quote online.

Seven Simple Tips for Business Blogging

When you’re business blogging, you need all the skills that every other blogger uses to establish a successful blog, plus you need a strategy to promote your business.

But if you get too caught up in the business end of things, you might find yourself skimping on some very basic business blogging strategies.

Let’s get back to basics and look at a few simple rules of good blogging. These blog tips will help you build a better blog whether you’re blogging for business, as a profession, or as a hobby.

1. Never make your readers work to access your content. Avoid breaking up one post over several pages unless it’s a series and you’re publishing each stand-alone section on a different day.
2. The same goes with verification codes and comments. Comments benefit your blog, and they are your readers’ gifts to you. Don’t add extra steps to the comment process by forcing readers to enter verification codes. If you have spam problems, get the Akismet plugin (it absolutely works!).
3. Full feed RSS! I recently had to clean out my subscriptions because there were simply too many to keep up with – and guess which were the first to go? Partial feeds. Besides, they defeat the whole purpose of RSS, which is for readers to get content in one convenient location without clicking all over the place.
4. Quality assurance testing. Check your site for functionality, and check it from different browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari). Also, review your site on a Mac and a PC. You might be surprised by how different one site can look across various browsers and platforms.
5. Clickable header. Most WordPress blog themes include this feature. Visitors generally expect that if they click on your logo or header, they’ll be taken to your home page. Keep your site navigation consistent with standards by making sure your header is clickable and takes the browser back to the home page.
6. Website copywriting. If you’re business blogging, your blog is probably integrated with your business site, but what if your blog is your business? Make sure that your blog posts as well as the pages on your site (about page, contact page, FAQ) all have solid, compelling web content writing.
7. Subscription options. Include at least two options for subscribing: RSS and email. Lots of people still don’t know how to use RSS, so it’s essential that you include the email option. Make your subscription options clearly visible and test them to make sure they work properly (be your own subscriber!). Bonus tip: Use Feedburner!

Some of these business blogging practices may seem like more trouble than they’re worth. You don’t have the time to dig into your code and figure out how to turn comment verification off. Or, you can’t be bothered with making your header clickable because you’ve got too much to do.

Here’s the thing –the more minor annoyances readers bump into on your blog, the more likely they are to unsubscribe or stop reading. If your content’s great, a verification form might be forgiven (just don’t sit around wondering why you get so few comments). But comment verification plus a header that’s not clickable — these things just build up and suddenly your reader is saying, “Why do I come to this blog? It’s such a hassle.” Then poof! They’re gone.

Business blogging might mean you have to focus heavily on ensuring your content relates to your business offerings, but neglecting the basics of good blogging will only come off as amateurish and unprofessional – and that’s not good for business.

Scribizzy offers a range of blog services to help small business communicate with customers and market their products and services on the web. Want to learn more? Get a quote online.

A Rough Guide to Business Blogging for Absolute Beginners

So, you have a small business and you’re thinking about adding a blog to your website. You’ve heard that a blog can help your business attract new customers while building loyalty among existing customers. And you’re right; business blogging is a great way to grow your business online.

But blogging is a world unto itself. Think of your blog as a house on the web. Other blogs dealing with topics that are similar or relevant to yours make up your neighborhood. Like all houses, your blog needs to be carefully planned and maintained. And if you want to be a successful member of your community, you’ll have to connect with your neighbors.

Like a home, a blog is an investment. You can invest dollars by hiring a professional blogger to manage and maintain your blog or you can invest your own time and to learn how to do it yourself.

The Rough Guide to Business Blogging

This guide is for small business owners who want to explore business blogging as a way to grow their online presence. The list below includes basic elements to help you get started blogging. It’s by no means an exhaustive list. There is an endless array of blogging activities that you can do to build and grow your blog. But this list does include the bare essentials.

Check Out the Neighborhood

Start by subscribing to blogs in your niche. Find businesses like yours (some of these will be your competitors) and find businesses that complement yours. If you’re an architect, find blogs about construction. If you’re a hairstylist, find blogs about makeup application. Use an RSS reader or subscribe by email. Then, incorporate blog reading into your daily schedule. This is the single best way to get familiar with business blogging. Watch and learn. And make sure you visit the blogs you read directly so you can check out the features on site and view the comments.

Draw a Blueprint for Your House

Once you’ve familiarized yourself with blogs in your niche, start putting together a plan for your blog. What topics or issues will you address? Make a list of possible post titles. Write down the categories that you’ll use to organize your posts. Be sure to think about features you want for your blog, such as plugins that make your blog more attractive to readers (CommentLuv) or that make your blog easier to find on the web (All in One SEO). Learn how to use these features to your advantage.

Put Your House on the Map

Once you launch your blog, focus on creating excellent content. Every article you post should be useful to your readers. And make sure you know exactly who your target readers are. What questions do they have? What kind of help or tips do they need? Answer their questions and fulfill their needs. Will you use your blog to reach out to customers? Other professionals in your industry? Are you establishing your expertise and credibility or are you sharing news and information about your service offerings? With business blogging, a healthy mixture of all these approaches will work best.

Hit the Road

Now that you know your way around your neighborhood and have your house fitted with great content, start connecting with other bloggers. Visit those blogs you’ve been reading and make it a point to leave comments. When folks comment on your blog, be sure to reply and then head over to their place to reciprocate. Set up a Facebook page and mention your posts on your Twitter stream. Add a link to your email signature. Tell your friends and colleagues about your blog and be clear about how they can benefit from reading it.

Build Your Community

You’ll start building your community when you’re out on the road promoting your blog. Return to home base every once in a while (be sure to keep those posts coming regularly!) to make sure your visitors are comfortable. Use questions to encourage readers to comment and participate in discussion. Throw a little contest, host a giveaway, and make your home the hottest spot on the block.

Bring it Home

Throughout the business blogging process, you’ll pick up a lot of blogging techniques and strategies simply by observing other bloggers. Notice how they format their posts. Do they use images or video? How does the layout affect you as a reader? What do they blog about? Ask yourself what other bloggers in your neighborhood are doing to be successful and then bring it home so you can succeed too.

Scribizzy offers a range of blog services to help small business communicate with customers and market their products and services on the web. Want to learn more? Get a quote online.