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Blogging for Business

Not long ago a weblog was simply an online diary. Initially, people decided that blogging was describing, in excruciating detail, how their day went, what they had for dinner last night, and why they spent the whole weekend doing laundry.

Since then, blogging made the transition into the business arena. Now blogs are frequently being used as business journals, tools that can help keep your customers and web site visitors up to date with what is going on with your company. A business weblog is an excellent tool to toot your own horn, let the world know about your new products, and tell your target customers why they should do business with you, rather than your competitor.

Don't have a weblog for your business yet? No problem! Here is how you can start blogging in just five easy steps:

* Set up a weblog for your business. If you don't want to have to set up things on your own, visit Blogger.com. Blogger will host your weblog on its server, so that you don't have to add anything to your own web site.

On the other hand, if you'd like to set something up on your own, get blogging software from WordPress.org

* Make your weblog an extension of your business identity. The look and feel of your weblog should match that of your business web site. Don't forget to include your logo!

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* Don't make the weblog into a giant ad. Your readers will immediately recognize that ruse and stop reading the weblog . Instead, post the items that are of interest to your current and potential customers. Use the weblog to post tips and ideas, articles, information about new products, etc.

* Strike a balance between personal and business stuff. While customers like to read the weblog to learn about the person behind the business, don't use the weblog as a tool to vent, complain and discuss the details of your personal life. You use the weblog to converse with your customers, so the weblog should be as professional as your newsletter and phone conversations with customers.

It is great to post a story about how you helped a client get an important product out on time, and how proud that made you feel. It might not be appropriate to post a story about an argument you had with a video store clerk over the weekend.

* Leverage your Blog. When you are in business, you realize that many customers have similar questions/concerns. Address these concerns in your weblog , and when another customer has the same concern, link directly to the weblog entry that answers these concerns.

A weblog is an excellent tool to reach potential customers, rank higher in search engines and generate more of the ever-important visitor traffic to your web site.

Related: XML Document - Content Development Plan

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Biana Babinsky helps coaches, consultants, and other solopreneurs create passive income streams, get more clients online and make more money. Get her FREE Special Report, "Top 5 Ways to Increase your Online Sales" by going to http://avocadoconsulting.com/free_newsletter.html

7 Tips for Successful Blogging

So, you have a weblog ! Do you have traffic? Do you know how to build traffic to your weblog? There are seven proven methods for building readership of your weblog . They start with defining the purpose, or life, of your weblog . Then, after you have a weblog worth promoting, driving traffic is crucial to your ongoing success at blogging.

Here are seven tips to help you build and hold an audience for your weblog :

Tip #1: Provide quality content.

On the Internet, whether you are talking about web sites or blogs, a lot of space is given to content. Everyone directs you to provide quality content. But, what is quality content? The quality of your weblog 's content is directly related to how well you have defined your ideal audience.

A successful weblog is written with a distinct audience in mind. In this way, you can provide content that is unique to your audience's issues, needs, or desires. If you create content they like and wish to return to read, you have quality content.

The second issue is to stay true to your audience and tone of your weblog . If people are reading your weblog , it's because they like your topic and tone. Try not to stray from your typical topics and style too much. This will give your readers a reason to link back to your weblog on an ongoing basis, as will posting on a regular basis.

Tip #2: Blog regularly

If you don't update your weblog often enough, weblog readers will move on to other blogs. There are too many blogs out there competing for attention. Blog readers will go where they can get enough of what they want.

Successful blogging takes a commitment of your time. When you begin blogging and wish to capture an audience, you should be prepared to weblog every day. In this way, you can develop an audience who counts on you to help them begin or end their day.

This means you should also try to post at the same time each day. Your readers will get accustomed to your schedule and check your weblog at the appropriate time. The time of day is not as crucial as the consistency in your posting.

Since you now have quality content and a regular posting schedule, it's time to drive traffic to your weblog . Your readers will do a lot to promote your weblog just by telling their friends. Don't count on this alone! You need to do some additional work.

When you post, make sure you set your weblog to "ping" weblog tracking sites every time you add a new post. Think of this as a means to get their attention. The ping says "Hey, we just added a new post". An alternative to automatically pinging from your weblog is to use pingomatic.com. This is a one-stop place to automatically ping everyone you should notify of your new post and only takes a couple of minutes to accomplish. Tip #3: Mention your weblog wherever you can

Mention your weblog 's address in your email signature line, in forums where you post, on your business cards, on address labels and in conversations with anyone you meet. Use a tag line under your weblog address to further entice them to visit. Mine reads:

Michele Schermerhorn http://www.imarketblog.com A sassy little marketing weblog
Beyond just mentioning your weblog in writing and conversation, you must actively participate in the blogging community too.

Tip #4: Participate in the blogosphere

Get involved in other people's blogs. Visit blogs that interest you and are in line with the general topic of your weblog . Then, leave thoughtful comments. Almost every comment option on someone else's weblog will allow you to post your weblog URL and your email address. Help other bloggers out with traffic and they will help you.

If a blogger really likes your site, they will add you to their blogroll. A blogroll is generally found on every weblog which understands linking to the rest of the blogosphere helps drive traffic. A blogroll is a listing of other blogs. Think of it as a "recommended reading list". Don't be stingy with your weblog roll either. Add those blogs that you read and enjoy to your blogroll too.

Tip #5: Think keywords when you post

Think about keywords with your use of titles, links and weblog posts. Search engines, like Google and Yahoo, like keywords. The more targeted your keywords, the better the chances of your weblog appearing in search results. Search results can drive that extra traffic you want.

To increase the value of the key words in your content, make certain keywords are part of the hot link in your posts. Don't use "click here" as the hot link. You will be wasting valuable real estate in your post. Instead use the relevant keywords for the hot link, like "a great marketing idea. This gives the keywords added emphasis with the search engines. One last thought on keywords for driving traffic; if you want a real leg up in the traffic game, in your linking code add rel="tag". This helps Technorati, a major weblog resource, index your weblog for their directory. But don't stop there! It's time to submit your weblog to weblog directories.

Tip #6: Submit your weblog to weblog directories

In addition to submitting your weblog to the major search engines, make certain you submit the weblog to exclusively weblog directories like blogwise, blogcatalog, or bloghub. Many people find blogs through these online directories.

When you do submit your weblog to these directories, remember to add a description that will entice your targeted audience to check your weblog out. For instance, when I post my weblog in weblog directories, under description I put "General musings, rants, advice and strategies from a battle-worn veteran of the Marketing Wars, online and off". Your description should help the potential reader understand your blogging topic and the flavor of how you write.

In addition to submitting your weblog to weblog directories, join a few of the free or inexpensive traffic exchange sites like blogexplosion or blogclicker.

Tip #7: Use free and inexpensive weblog traffic exchange communities

There are many sites which can be termed "traffic exchange" sites for the blogging community. It won't cost you anything to sign up. At the very least, join blogexplosion, blogclicker, and blogazoo. Once you sign up, you have two options to help drive traffic to your weblog . Use both of them!

The first method is to earn credits (guaranteed visitors to your site) by using the "surf member sites" function. As you surf through those sites, you will be earning credits (visitors to your weblog ). When you find an interesting post, leave a comment as discussed above. When you find a blogger you like, add them to your blogroll and let them know you did. The second method to drive traffic is to purchase credits. The cost is very cheap for the traffic you will drive to your weblog . The more traffic to your weblog , the more customers you'll have. The more happy customers you have, the more they will tell others. The more they tell others, the more customers you get. Don't you love this dance!

In summary, blogging may not be for everyone. However, it can be a great method for bringing your unique perspective to the Internet. You will surely find others who think the same way you do. Some bloggers will entertain you, some will inform you, and some will drive you to tear your hair out. Decide what type of blogger you want to be and be the best you can. See you in the blogosphere!

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