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// Business Blogs: Getting your blog on
Blogging for business has become the hottest new trend in saying hello online, reaching your audience and creating a following. Why? Consider this:
- Blogging gives you a chance to share your business message in a more personal and dynamic way than you could ever accomplish through static words on your website.
- Once you get past the basics of setting up your blog and defining its focus, blogging is quite possibly the fastest, easiest, cheapest investment you can make in promoting your business online.
- Your blog posts can be automatically shared with contacts in your social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, taking the power of word of mouth to a whole new level
- Frequent meaningful blogging is now the best method of keeping your name, business and brand visible in the search engines and across the internet.
- Blogging done well gets your online mojo working by keeping you involved and connected to people who appreciate how you think, like what you offer and will gladly join your community
- If you have something valuable to say about your business and you're good at networking, blogging is a no brainer
If you're new to blogging or don't really have a clue, read these articles from About.com to get perspective right away:
Quick tips:
- Before you start blogging yourself, take a few weeks to really study blogs that are popular within your niche. Get a feel for the way they flow, what they focus on and how straightforwardly thoughts are shared.
- While you're at it, read the blogger's profile to see what kind of information they reveal about themselves and their business.
- You might also want to look at their first few posts and their most recent ones, just to see how they've changed and improved over time. Yours will too.
When you're ready to choose a business blogging platform, look into these:
- TypePad – for business owners who need a basic 'choose your theme, your link boxes, your widgets and GO' service that's hosted and not attached to your website. TypePad, as a free service, doesn't allow advertising of any kind (including yours), so it may not work for everyone.
- WordPress – for business owners who want 'plug and play' features and the flexibility to promote their own goods or services. The basic platform is free (and hosted), but you can pay a small monthly fee for upgraded benefits like domain mapping.
- Squarespace – If you're in the market for a more sophisticated blogging solution with lots of features, point and click visual design, and easy editing, squarespace will make your day. For a hosted platform starting at $8/month and a 14 day free trial, it's definitely worth a look.
Now that you're past the basics, visit these business blogs to get some inspiration:
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