More About Blogging
There is a ton of information on the net about Blogging and how it affects your search engine rankings. One of Australia's most successful bloggers is Darren Rowse. Click Darren's name for a link to his blogging site. If you'd prefer to stay on this site, I'll paraphrase some great points he makes.
Darren Rowse, king of the Australian blogosphere, sets out key points for making a really successful blog. Here is our version:
Darren Rowse, king of the Australian blogosphere, sets out key points for making a really successful blog. Here is our version:
- To create a successful blog, you need to build up a body of content. Solid pieces with a 'How to' or tutorial elements are excellent. This takes time but yields rewards.
- Once the blog is up and running with a good readership, think about having a designer look at improving the layout and graphics. For example, I have built this site myself out of Lego and string but once the traffic increases, I will be choosing one of the great web developers I work with to take it to the next level.
- Establish a publishing routine. Darren started with 3 blogs per site per week but found that eventually 7 was much more effective. Having said that, blogging is Darren's full-time job so generating the high volume of content is something he is able to handle.
- By publishing valuable information in a very easily digestible form, you will gradually attract a loyal readership. A percentage of that readership can become subscribers and eventually you will build a list of people interested in what you do and the products and services you provide. That sort of self-selected list is a hugely valuable potential resource.
- A blog that genuinely provides value attracts a community, a forum, and out of this forum can emerge leaders who will actively help build the blog. Many people meet other experts in their field through their blogs, exchanging ideas and information. That's the internet at its best.
- When a blog takes off and significant numbers of people are regular readers, there are ways to monetize your blog.
- Saving the best to last, as your blog takes off, you will need to hire writers. We can help you get the blog started and then make sure you keep the content flowing.
A Simple Blog
If a mega-blog with bells, whistles and a fanfare, fully monetized and pumping out to millions is not what you can envisage just yet, a simple blog, between 300 and 1000 words per week, will start to build up your web presence. And it is a really interactive way of staying in touch with your current and future customers, colleagues and the business community in general. With the right briefing, we can do your blogging for you.
Have you ever worked with a business coach? Have you studied for a Degree in Commerce or Marketing, done an MBA or simply attended a few business seminars? If you have, you will have been reminded that finding new customers is one of the biggest expenses any business incurs. In a working environment where competition gets more ferocious every day, keeping your most valuable customers is more vital than ever. Now, for your best customers, you can probably make the time to pick up the phone and say hello. Direct human contact beats even the most beautifully crafted marketing - but if the business is growing, that direct contact is going to become more and more challenging. There simply aren't enough hours in the day.
The next best thing to direct contact can be a personalised letter - receiving a hand addressed envelope with an actual stamp on it is a rare event these days. We can certainly help you with that if you feel less than 10% confident about knowing what to say or how best to say it.
Realistically, apart from maintaining personal contact with your highest value clients, how else can you reach out to your customer base? Newsletters? They work some of the time - but when you talk to marketing experts these days, newsletters are starting to feel a bit out-of-date. They can take a lot of work for relatively small returns. All of our business communications need to show measurable results for time and treasure invested. Blogs are shorter, easier to produce and faster for the reader to scan for items that they may value. Those regular 300-1000 well chosen words form the basis for a conversation with your customer base.
Have you ever worked with a business coach? Have you studied for a Degree in Commerce or Marketing, done an MBA or simply attended a few business seminars? If you have, you will have been reminded that finding new customers is one of the biggest expenses any business incurs. In a working environment where competition gets more ferocious every day, keeping your most valuable customers is more vital than ever. Now, for your best customers, you can probably make the time to pick up the phone and say hello. Direct human contact beats even the most beautifully crafted marketing - but if the business is growing, that direct contact is going to become more and more challenging. There simply aren't enough hours in the day.
The next best thing to direct contact can be a personalised letter - receiving a hand addressed envelope with an actual stamp on it is a rare event these days. We can certainly help you with that if you feel less than 10% confident about knowing what to say or how best to say it.
Realistically, apart from maintaining personal contact with your highest value clients, how else can you reach out to your customer base? Newsletters? They work some of the time - but when you talk to marketing experts these days, newsletters are starting to feel a bit out-of-date. They can take a lot of work for relatively small returns. All of our business communications need to show measurable results for time and treasure invested. Blogs are shorter, easier to produce and faster for the reader to scan for items that they may value. Those regular 300-1000 well chosen words form the basis for a conversation with your customer base.
