As of February 2011, there were over 116m blogs available for public view on the net. Think about that figure for a minute: 116m. That’s a huge number (and here’s another one to add to the ever increasing total). More than anyone could ever read in their lifetime if all they did was read blogs 24hrs a day for the rest of their life. If you haven’t ever blogged, you might read this and think the cyber-world doesn’t need another blog, so I won’t bother. Wrong. Giving the cyber-world another blog may just be the best thing you could do for your business.
When consumers go online, it’s often to find someone who can provide a service for them. They might need a tradesman, a new car or want to book a holiday. So what do they do? Type the relevant words into a search engine, start with the top listing and go down the first 3 or 4 until they find one they like the look and sound of. And often that can be a blog instead of a website. That’s because many blogs are loaded with keywords and phrases designed to drive traffic to them. Blogs can make you appear to be industry experts, the go-to company in your field. Plus, you can post links to your blog on social media sites for people to read. And that means more business.
So, how do you go about writing a blog? Well, it’s not as daunting as it seems. First, think of a subject. Choose something you’re interested in or your business specialises in. Then do some research to see what other people are writing about on that subject. Be inspired but don’t copy – plagiarism is never looked kindly upon. Next – write your blog! Just write and see what comes out, then read it, read it again and again making edits and improvements as you go. I always write mine on a word document first, and then copy and paste onto the blog page. Then when you’re happy with it, you need to publish it. And that’s not difficult either. There are loads of free blogging sites on the net, like Wordpress or blogger.com. It takes seconds to create an account and most of them have free apps so you can blog on the go on your smartphone or tablet. Perfect for when inspiration strikes and you’re not near a screen.
Make sure your blog post’s not too log either; around 500 words is perfect. Don’t use too much jargon that most people don’t understand, and try to let the writing flow. Your blog will have stacks of competition for readers’ attention, so keep it interesting. And update your blog regularly, but only when you have something relevant to talk about. Don’t just blog for the sake of it.
Hopefully, this has inspired you to catch the blogging bug. If you do, pretty soon, you’ll see the benefits as consumers and other business owners will see your expertise shine through your words. And then the referrals will start to flow.
Nick Pagan - thebestof Wrexham