How to Get Started with Small Business Blogging

May. 31, 2010

Small Business Blog Just because there are tools available for just about everyone to set up a blog, doesn’t mean that blogging is something every organization should just jump into. Many companies make the mistake of starting a blog without really taking the time to understand how it fits into their overall marketing strategy or plan.

Here are a few reasons why we think business blogging can be a good idea for small business:

It helps with your SEO strategy
Blogging helps differentiate and build your brand
It can position you as a thought leader in your industry
You can educate your potential customers
It can be an excellent lead generation tool
Blogs can create communities and conversations

How to get started

Determine the reasons why you want to publish a blog. Before you get started it might be a good idea to ask yourself these questions: What is the purpose of your blog? What are the goals your blog is meant to accomplish? Do those goals relate to your overall business objectives?
Figure out what businesses in your niche are already doing a good job. Researching successful blogs in your space can be a great way to help you figure out where to get started with your own blog. It’s a good idea when undertaking any new business initiative to see who your competition is and how they are performing and it also helps you get an idea what you can write about once your own blog is up and running.
Decide who your target audience is. Who will you be writing for? Understanding your audience can help you get a grip on their concerns, challenges and what they’re looking for from a blog in your industry.
Establish what you want your readers to do once they read your blog. This relates to the goals you set for your blog earlier. For example, If you want your blog to generate more leads for your business, then you need to have clear steps on how you’re going to guide your reader to subscribe to your blog updates or convert on your website’s other content.
Set aside the time to make it a reality. The fact of the matter is, blogging is a big commitment. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t undertake it, but a successful blog needs frequent content updates and this requires dedicated time and resources. It’s a good idea to establish in advance how often you want to be blogging (at least once a week is really a minimum requirement for business blogs) and then establish ownership and workflow schedules if necessary.
Start writing! Now that you’ve done the research; you understand your objectives and your target audience; and you’ve set aside the resources, it’s time to get down to business and start actually writing posts. Take the research you’ve done and write posts that you think your readers want to read, about information you think they need to know and remember, no blog is successful immediately. Like any business or marketing channel it takes time and effort to reach your goals.