You've probably heard about blogging. The word "blog" is a contraction of two words--web and log. Like pretty much everything else on the Internet, a blog is something you already do (or did, when you were in junior high). A blog is nothing more than a diary.
The primary purpose of blogging for me (besides giving me a forum to express my passionate, appropriate and grammatically correct opinions), is helping people see me as a live human being. People seeing me making mistakes, feeling zealous about certain topics, and expressing my opinions helps them trust me. You might want to start a blog for the same reasons.
A blog gives people a place to communicate with you, and a place to invite them to share their ideas, opinions and concerns. On
my blog, I've begun conversing with clients about topics important to them. I hope you and other clients will contribute to the conversation and provide me with valuable feedback. (The Puppet encourages you to check out the Clarity to Business blog and to post a comment!)
If want to make blogging a part of your marketing, do the following:
1. Look at your competitors' websites and read their blogs. If they aren't blogging, hurrah! You can be the first on your block to start. If they're already blogging, read their posts. Are they interesting? Insightful? Dull? Make notes on what they're doing right and what you could do better.
2. Ask yourself if you could write two posts per week, regularly. The three keys to good blog posts are passion, authority, and intimacy. We don't want to know what you ate for breakfast, but we would like to know how you really feel or what you really think about what's going on in the world that is relevant to your business and your customers.
3. Make a list of ten things you might write about. Write two paragraphs about three of the subjects you wrote down. Was this fun? Want to do more of it? Or is it tedious and boring? Don't do it if you aren't having at least a little fun. You won't stick with blogging if you don't enjoy it.
The most common reason people quit blogging is that it takes time. Make sure you can commit to it; done correctly, blogging can be one of your most powerful marketing tools.
Remember: Don't extol the virtues of your product or service or business. Blogging isn't advertising; it's a way for clients and prospects to get to know and trust you. After that you can sell to them. But not on your blog.
