Blogs build relationships
Small business blogs are conversations and relationship builders, part of social media. And that’s different from old millennium Websites.
You’d think the toughest part of getting a blog up would be the software, the techie side. But that’s the easy part. And fun to puzzle out. (I realize I may be somewhat alone in this enjoyment of the techie world, but stay with me on this.) The hard part is rethinking what the Web is and can be. Blogs are not Websites.
Blogs are ever-changing.
Most small business Websites that I’ve seen are static presentations of the business — online brochures that include the mission statement, the product descriptions, the seminar listings, the contact information, and such things that would also go well in a hardcopy brochure. Mine still is. After all, we’re just trying to tell people what our businesses offer and customers can contact us to learn more.
Blogs are conversations, and blogs build relationships.
They’re two-way communication, and even if no one ever talks back to you, the place you have to come from on your blog is a place of open communication and informal conversation.
That idea of ‘open communication’ brings up a whole discussion of transparency and expectations in the world of social media (which includes blogs). We can get into that at a much later date, but for now, I’m focusing on the relationship aspect of my blog.While my Website is my formal presentation of my business, my blog is my personal contact with you. (Hi there; how’s it going?)
I get to know people and people get to know me on blogs. It would seem that since I’ve been a writer all of my life, this would be easy, but it’s a riskier position even for me. It’s more exposed, less protected by the formality of journalism or of a corporate persona.
And here’s a stop that I’ve already discovered. If you can’t open the window into your world and your business thoughts, then blogging’s not for you. I had to think this one through before I slapped my photo up on the Web and invited everyone in to watch, join me in my struggles, and learn with me as I build my small business blog.
But isn’t that how it is in non-Web relationships? We meet over lunch, chat about our latest business challenges and share insights. Sometimes I help pals wrestling with PR issues; other times pals help me in my battle with corporate accounting. And along the way, we build a web of relationships.
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