Blogging as a Revenue Generator

LeAnn Huffman of At Your Service Group (04/16/2008)

Blogs are not just an excellent way to build relationships; if used in the right way, they offer tremendous marketing power.

If you’re not yet convinced that blogs are here to stay, consider this: according to blog-tracking firm Technorati, some 112 million blogs now exist, more than double the number a year ago. About 175,000 new blogs are created each day, more than two blogs for every second of every day. And all those blogs are generating about 1.6 million postings per day!

There are a range of inexpensive and even free tools to help get you started, including Blogger, Movable Type, WordPress and many others. Creating the blog isn’t the hard part - it’s what’s in them that counts. The following tips are for those about to blog, or to help improve a blog you may already have in place:

It’s the content— Make sure you have something say. Position your blog around your expertise and offer solutions to problems—solutions your business can solve. Make it humorous and personal, but always have it relate to your business.
Take advantage of interactivity—Unlike a static web page, direct mail or advertising, blogs give you the opportunity to actively research your community of prospects and customers.
Extend your website—It may seem like common sense, but use a blog service that works with your current web address. A lot of blogs use the web address of the provider, like “www.blog.typepad.com.” If you can link the blog address to your existing web page, it will be easier to find and will let readers know that it’s part of your business. And, if you ever decide to move to a new web host, you can keep your name.
Use your own posts—Make sure you effectively use what you have. Linking to your past information within your post using key words is a good way to keep circulating good information, and it helps customers and prospects continue to find you.
The company you keep—Having others link to your blog and use your content, and vice versa, is a great way to enhance your credibility.
Get found—Among the chief benefits blogs offer is that they are extremely search-engine friendly. That’s why it’s important to highlight the key words that relate to your business in your blog. As opposed to a web search by company name, blogs are about finding you based on the products and services you offer. Key word search tools, like Key Word Discovery, Good Keywords and Google AdWords—and these are just a few examples—can show you what people are searching for, which can help you with the terms you’d want to include.

The most critical part of blogging is to be in it for the long term. If you use a blog appropriately, it can be a very effective form of communication that can level the field for the smaller business, giving it as much potential presence as a larger player. It’s best to have a plan and a timeline, and attack it with a vengeance. Approach your company as you would any other project: gather your team to prepare your materials, and execute the plan.