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There's no question, blogs are big news in online advertising with some top industry blogs attracting over 10,000 unique visitors a day! A blog is like a window into your mind-giving your customers access into your thoughts, opinions, and expertise. A blog is a great way to position yourself as unique in your market, generate consumer interest, and promote your product or business. But not every business blog succeeds. Here are a few tips for better business blogging. Update regularly. Think of your blog as a sort of online newsletter. Just as readers would lose interest in your business newsletter if you didn't stick to your publishing schedule, so they will forget all about your blog if they keep returning, only to find last month's content still up. Set a schedule you can live with-be it daily, weekly, or monthly-and stick to it. You want your customers to get used to reading your blog, and if you don't update regularly, you won't stay at the top of their lists. Know your market. Just as with any advertising medium, your blog needs to be tailored to your audience. It's more than just an online diary containing your random thoughts on your industry-it's a marketing tool. So pick topics that are of interest to your customers, offer tips and advice in your industry, or provide reviews of other products related to your business-in most cases it's best to stay away from direct competitors, however. Keep it well-written. People tend to shrug off bad grammar and spelling as though they aren't important. But the truth is that mistakes in your writing can damage your credibility as an expert. Bad writing in general-even without overt mistakes-can make your blog difficult to read. If you know that writing isn't your strong point, delegate the blog to a talented employee or hire a freelance writer rather than publish it in a less-than-stellar form. Incorporate keywords. There's nothing wrong with a little search engine traffic, right? Just as with a page in your website, work a relevant keyword or phrase into your copy and your title. Be sure to keep it natural-don't cram your copy so full of the keyword that it's difficult to read. Think of your blog as a conversation-starter. It's great if you can get readers posting back to you about the topic. Be an active conversationalist-respond back to people who ask you a question or voice an opinion. Readers like the idea that you're active and accessible to them. Keep the tone professional. A snappy, even slightly provocative tone can be a great way to keep reader interest up-depending on your audience, of course. But always keep your tone professional and never say anything that can come back to haunt you. Although blogs generally started out as online diaries, remember that these are very public venues and whatever you say reflects back on you, for good or ill. Flaming may have been funny when blogging was new, but they never make you look good in the business sphere-no matter what industry you're in. Keep it short and sweet. Readers tend to like short, concise posts, bullet points and lists-easy to read and understand. Many professional bloggers will tell you that it's better to write short posts often than it is to write long posts at long intervals. Content matters, however-make sure you're offering high quality advice or opinions. If you link to other web sites and articles, offer insightful opinions on what you're linking to. Blogging is a great way to increase your traffic, raise your search
engine rankings, and generate consumer interest and loyalty. Follow
these tips and above all, stick with it for more than a few months-and
your business will see the benefits.
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