Entries Tagged as 'Small business blogging'

DIY - Bloggers Shift Content to Top Spot

DIY (Do-It-Yourself) – A movement? A good idea? What got me to thinking was an article I read recently in Entrepreneur.com on the benefits of designing your brand yourself. The author is talking about logos, that foundation of branding, but logos are just a piece of the DIY “movement” in today’s small business world.

There’s also the somewhat sacred cow of the business world, the business card. Though most businesses are still tossing money into the coffers of printing presses, creating whole boxes of business cards every time there’s a new employee or promotion or website addition, some of the new generation, I’d argue, are rethinking this old habit of pricey business cards. Boosted on by the availability of home office printer-ready business card stock and the ease of setting up cards on blank templates, these do-it-yourselfers are forging ahead on their own.

And now, Enter – the Blog.

The blogosphere is surely a do-it-yourself world! From the setup to the assumed authorship of the blog. In fact, the blog is based on a very personal, DIY premise, the assumption that you, the business owner, are there making a connection, that you, yourself, are the writer.

And with blogs the focus on on the Web shifts to content. People care more about what you say than the color of your font or the choice of your graphic. They want to know what you’re saying, what you’re thinking, and how they can be part of this conversation. They want to respond, to engage.

This is the part that, as a writer, I love!

Blogging doesn’t allow us to hide behind the shield of our logos, at least not much. Bloggers have forced us to shift our attention to our online content.

Speaking of logos, though, here’s mine,

Harlan Editorial Logo

designed by a pal of mine, Teri Rose:

yours, Judith

Blog - The Biggest Misconception

I’ll blog in my spare time. After work; after I close the doors for business that day; on my way home from work; my son (daughter, wife, husband) will blog for me; I’ll blog whenever I get the urge. I don’t like to write but I’m sure I can pop off a blog every coupla days.

If you’re blogging for fun and frolic, then all of the above works brilliantly and you can share your day’s log with the world: nothing wrong with that. But if you’re blogging as part of your business e-marketing plan? Different ballpark.

Here’s the great misconception I hear - have heard - several times. I can build my blog in wordpress and that’s the hard part. (No, I must tell you, that’s the misconception: creating the blog is the easy part.)

The time, effort and expertise goes into turning that pretty blog into a business tool.

yours, Judith

Remember the People?

A big part of blogging for small businesses is linking up with the blogging community, plugging into that viral marketing that all of us Website managers love to bend your ear about. Everyone I talk to these days is tuned into the fact that blogging boosts your SEO (search engine optimization).

But in their all-out quest for SEO, some are forgetting the real audience for a Website — the customer, your reader, us (the people).

So, today I just want to plant this one tiny seed: small business blogging is only one piece of a larger Website content puzzle. And the entire puzzle must be pleasing to the eye and ear not just of spiders and robots, but of real people, too. Your readers. Us.

Then when you go viral and we visit your blog and your Website, we’re all yours.

Judith

Free Blogs for Small Businesses

Can a free blog do all you need it to do for your small business? I’d say, yes, but.

(Since you asked!)

Yes — if you’re a solopreneur or a small business without the need for paypal or a shopping cart on your blog; if your branding is such that it can be imposed over an existing template (most are); if you’re content to have your blog live on Google or Wordpress or one of the free Web 2.0 sites that exist; if, in some cases, you do not mind having ads on your blog.Price TagPrice TagPrice Tag

But I’m not convinced that free is all it’s touted to be, not when you can download blog software to your server or to a server you subscribe to for 8 bucks/month. And, once setting up your blog on your own server, then you are flying solo, your own pilot.

You can’t get more free than that!

Found it! Successful Retail Blog - Check it out

I don’t give a fig about yarn, but I sure do like this yarn store blog. yarn

Bloggers Kathy and Steve, owners of WEBS Yarn Store in Massachusetts, blog about their family, the retail yarn biz, and the latest in yarn trends.The blog seems to be written mostly by Kathy, though she gives Steve equal billing. (Just another fine and generous New England lady.)

On the last blog I saw, she and Steve were all atwitter about an upcoming yarn show and the new yarn colors and textures they anticipated seeing there. And especially, they were keen on seeing how the new eco and organic yarns were spinning out. And then, after that, there’s the excitement of this year’s sheep and wool festivals. What, with the “shear” promise of dancing and general hoofing about, I’m starting to get excited about those festivals right along with them!yarn skeinsyarn skeins

I love a couple that can get that excited — that passionate! — about yarn. And I love this blog. They also generously link to other knitter-blogger faves. Check it out for a fine example of a retail blog.

yours, Judith

Make Money: Start a Shopping Blog

old treeold treeYou really can make money directly off a blog. Blogs sell hats, handbags, all kinds of products – Shopping blogs.

And who’s to say a blog on shopping can’t be interesting? Well, to be fair, most are not, unless you’re seeking that hat or handbag.

Great Green Goods blog, one that seeks out products from recycled materials — all in Old umbrella tree in Romethe name of living green. This is one that earns the title “interesting” and one I’ll go back to just to see how it’s shaping up.   Because, you see, it’s more than a shopping blog. It’s a great example of a blog set up to bring in ad revenue with google ads andold Roman tree has survived the agessponsored links, as well as links to the products they feature. And it has a focus and a mission: eco-friendly producold treets.   Pretty simply set up, with a theme straight out of Wordpress. Take a look; it might inspire you to set up a shopping blog related to your passion. Yours and still holiday shopping, Judith

Blogging Artists

Artists, with all the beauty in the world at their fingertips, ought to be creating wondrous blogs. So, I searched for some. I found this one, Belinda del Pesco. And I liked two things especially:

  • She blogs frequently
  • She uploads info on how she creates her art

 And she’s in business, so she’s got a quick link to buying her art. All-around good, I think. (Only beef I have with the site is its accompanying website. I suggest you do not click on that link. It’s a porno-built site, circular, so that once on you can never leave. (And how do I know about those? Unfortunate google searches, need I say more.) Yours, Judith  

Make blogging part of your marketing plan

You can’t just start blogging and expect the world to come to you. So true! And here’s another challenge we all face: what’s truly important on the list of to-dos? Picking and choosing from among Web marketing tools is key.

Nick Stamoulis lists the tools that make it happen, Web especially. It’s a terrific list! And gives you a place to start on your marketing, now that you have a blog. Which tools will you discard because your small business cannot sustain them or because they don’t apply? Which will you keep? (Hint: a few are auto-keeps, such as SEO, can’t do without that one!)
yours, Judith

 

A Call to Bookstores: Take Time to Blog

All bookstores oughta be blogging. That’s what I think. I love books; what writer doesn’t? And I spend waaaayy too much time and money in bookstores. So, when I came across this bookstore blog, I paused. Here’s a bookstore (Powell’s Books in Portland, OR) using a blog to talk about books, to sell books, to keep customers updated on the latest book-signings and in-store promos. It’s got a guest blogger or two. I love it! Now I can spend even MORE time in bookstores!

Makes sense to me that a bookstore, full of people who love reading, books and writing would have a blog. And now, when I pop into other bookstore sites, I wonder, why don’t they have blogs?

They’re missing out on a terrific sales tool. And one that’s virtually free.

So far, no one has been able to answer the question, and I’m searching the far corners of the continent to find good bookstore blogs.

yours, Judith

Blog marketing done well

Some of the best blogs — so they say — are online coffee shops. So, leave it to coffee shops to come up with some excellent retail store blogs. Here’s one I came across, from Wisconsin, where I suspect they appreciate a good cup of steamin’ hot coffee when they come in out of the cold to get one.

What I like about the site is its use of blogging to both market its events and to create a cozy, family feeling. Exactly what we seek in our coffee shops. I’d stop in at one of these coffee spots; they sound like they know what they’re talking about, and besides, they’re a cheerful group. I like ‘em. Now, that’s a good blog!

Yours, Judith