Despite those that predict its demise, blogging continues to grow in popularity. For small businesses, it still represents a great way to engage with a user base and develop a following.
Starting a blog is relatively easy now, but there are a few steps you should go through. Here are some suggestions:
Step 1 – identify a need
Too many business blogs sit on the company website quietly and lacking in any new, original or fresh content. This is pointless. If you are going to start a blog, you will need it to compete with the very best out there and that will rely on having something fresh and original to say. So have a long think about what the blog is going to focus on. Give it a theme – what would you want to read about if you were one of your customers?
Step 2 – who’s going to write?
In some small companies, this might be an easy answer if the workforce is small. But it’s important to work out if you want this to be a figurehead blog for the CEO or MD or whether it will be open to all. Maybe you’ll want to invite guest bloggers to participate. If you are opening the blog up to your workforce, then you’ll need to consider what conditions or policies you put in place. How will you uphold quality and keep the focus mentioned in step 1?
Step 3 – where will you host it?
This may sound a bit obvious, but there are a wide range of different blogging platforms out there, each with a range of features or functionality. If you want a unique URL for your blog then you will need to host it yourself and this will bring about a range of other considerations. Our advice is to give all the top platforms a test drive – you want to make sure you choose a platform that you feel entirely comfortable with.
Step 4 – how will you integrate it into your other marketing activities
A blog itself won’t really cut the mustard on its own. You need to consider how you are going to integrate all this content into your other marketing activities. Maybe you could do a round-up email newsletter every month? Why not announce your new posts on Twitter or Facebook? Or you could feature your latest blog post on your website homepage.
Step 5 – get out into the blogosphere
Any savvy blogger will tell you that a lot of your time should be spent reading. Reading other blogs or even traditional media will help inspire future posts. It’s also a great way to get you and your blog better known. When you read a good post, leave a comment or, better still, blog about it. Maybe the blogger you refer to will return the favour.
What are your top tips for a small business that is looking to set out on a blogging strategy?
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