Looking for a way to entice new customers by putting a virtual spotlight on your business or products?
A business blog might just be the high beam that you are looking for.
Blogs are a great way to increase your web presence and get people to start loving your brand, instead of just liking it.
But starting a business blog is more than just registering a domain and posting about what you had for lunch or how much you sold last quarter.
In the hopes of leading you on the write track (I apologize for the pun), I’m going to outline 5 of the biggest business blog no-no’s and how you can avoid them.
Ready?
Don’t Use Your Blog As Another Sales Page
The most common mistake first time business bloggers make is treating their blog as an extension of their normal website. Without mincing words, this is the wrong way to go.
You website is for press releases, product information and sales. Your blog should be about connecting with customers on a more casual level. In other words, take it down a notch.
Think about your business blog as a place where you go to have a chat with your customers. Sure, you can talk about your business, but also talk about the industry or the economy. This is your chance to let them know that you are a real person who is interested in more than just making a sale.
Don’t Ignore Comments from Your Audience
Like I said in the last section, your business blog is all about making connections with your customers. But, it’s actually more than that. A better way to think about it is in terms of a relationship.
You want to open the lines of communication and start a dialogue with the people who visit your blog, and the best place to do that is in the comments section. All too often I see comments sections where the blogger doesn’t take the time to respond to the comments that people spend their valuable time posting. You don’t have to answer every single one, but it’s important to let your visitors know that you are listening.
Don’t Be Flaky
The other most common pitfall among first time bloggers is the lack of a steady blogging schedule. I’m not gong to lie, blogging is hard work. In most cases, you can end up doubling your time at the computer, but it will be worth it in the end, and if you don’t update your blog regularly you’ll find that people will stop visiting. No one likes to be disappointed and readers will only come back looking for new content a handful of times before they write off your blog all together.
Don’t Forget to Share!
Just because you have a blog doesn’t mean that people are going to know it exists. This is where social media comes in.
I’m sure you have a Facebook page and a Twitter account. You may even have a YouTube channel if you’re the video blogging type. It’s important to use these social media outlets to your advantage and get the word out about every new blog post you write. And don’t forget to add a link to your blog on your company site as well (it’s always the little things that slip past you).
Don’t Give Up
All the promoting and heartfelt posts in the world won’t make your blog an overnight success. A good blog takes time to build an audience, so don’t get discouraged if your page views are meager at the start.
Remember, an effective business blog can do wonders for strengthening relationships and creating lasting customers. Be patient, keep writing and reaching out to your readers and your blog will start repaying the time you put into it before you know it.
Kostas…
These points are paramount. Nothing is more annoying than to go to a blog site and all you see is “sales pitch”. It becomes glaringly apparent that the site owner has a different agenda…one that might be considered “inauthentic”. Be open…be honest and above all your point of not giving up is the key to success. Thanks.
One of the best set of tips I have read. Sometimes you just feel there is no hope in blogging. One question, how many blog posts is idea per week?
Excellent points! A couple especially resonate with me. The importance of posting new content for example. It’s sad to see how many people go to all the work of setting up a blog and then post on it only infrequently, or even worse just keep rehashing the same posts over and over. The only thing is responding to comments. I confess I’m on the fence a bit with this one – I certainly respond to every quality comment.; but everyone gets those one liners that really don’t give you anything to respond to. And if someone just repeats in the comment what I’ve written in the post, it doesn’t even get approved.
Thank you, these are wonderful points to review and learn for first time business bloggers. Though I admit I also did it wrong the first time, I have learned it the hard way. Reciprocating comments, making a relationship with your audience, and giving them information other people cannot, these are some of the most important thing I have learned which is also relevant in your post.
We have been debating adding a blog to our company’s website, and you’ve given us some really interesting things to think about.
How long do you think it takes for a business blog to start taking off if it’s posting quality content a couple times a month?
Nice points Kostas,
…. not giving up and refreshing content are 2 things I feel ok with.
I am wondering if the conversion rate is higher putting the blog in the home page and how to measure if this is a good strategy.
Blogs to me are the blood of our business, our voice our values and the way we serve are all important to build trust before someone approaches us.
Thanks again for this share!
Those are all good points. The one on not being flaky is really important. It’s not good to post once in a great while. I must admit. I have one blog that I don’t post on enough. That’s a problem with having 5 active blogs. 😉
I consider my blog to be the hub of my business. But also a wonderful way to engage back and forth with my audience. Kind of like a wheel and the spokes are the channels to other social sites.
So the points that you make here Daniel will make any blog a highly effective ‘hub’. And I especially like the fact you should ‘never give up’. Working your blog each and every day will bring huge rewards to both you and your customer.
Actually, these are good tips for all kinds of blogs, not only business blogs. Keep in mind that blogging is not so much different from having an extended conversation with your audience. You write a post to give your personal thoughts on a subject. Then when people comment, use that as an opportunity to extend the conversation.
Most importantly, be patient while you are building up traffic for your blog. It all takes time.