Small Buisness Web Sites

This post is about why small businesses must invest in a blog. The primary benefit for Businesses to have a blog and website is to drive more sales to your company. Above all, it is particularly important if you have an online company that depends on traffic over the Internet to drive sales.

For example, a company with a blog will get more search traffic and build a more loyal audience. Further, your website ranking will improve and you’ll have a higher level of engagement via social media which many people are embracing. It is important to build an online brand with useful content for your readers and customers. Loyal readers will generate more leads and you will be able to convert these leads into paying customers. Finally, your blog is a media channel that advertises your business, your services, and products that will give you long-term results.

Why Small Businesses Must Invest in a Blog – Key Steps

• Choose the right platform
• Location
• Define the objective
• Blog posting strategy
• Create a checklist for blogging
• Create a promotional strategy

Details

Choose the right platform – A content management system like WordPress makes your job easier in the blogging world. It is optimized for search engines, there are many themes and plug-ins to provide various functionality that you may need. It is important to also have your own domain name that represents your business. You can build your firm’s authority in the business area that you represent.

Location

Attach your blog to your existing domain name as a subfolder. This provides flexibility and allows you to actually run several blogs if that makes sense for your business, each in its own subfolder.

Define the objective – it is always important to know what the objective is for your blog. You can measure results against the objective and determine the value of the investment that you are making. Objectives could include building awareness about your product and services, building more subscribers, presenting your expertise in your business area, and developing your blog as a source of qualified leads.

Blog posting strategy – each blog post should have it’s own objectives and strategy. You might be announcing new services or products. Your company could also be providing information on frequently asked questions by customers. You should establish a schedule for each post and a schedule for keeping that post-up-to-date as your business changes and products and services are updated. A blog without any new posts on a regular basis will not attract readers and customers.

Create a checklist for blogging

Here’s a general checklist for blogging however it should be customized for each company in the objective set for the company.

• Every post must add the value of uniqueness for the reader.
• Each post should be a minimum of 300 words and deliver a specific message to address readers’ needs. Some posts will be as long as 1000 to 2000 words based on the subject.
• Add appropriate images to add color and to contribute to the subject.
• Add links to another post on your blog that relate to the subject you’re discussing.
• Insert share buttons that allow readers to share a link to your post on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media engines.

Create a promotional strategy

Developing a blog is step one in your promotional strategy. Firstly you need to think about sharing links to your blog from other social media engines. Add social share buttons to each post. Build email distribution lists and newsletters. Develop your promotional strategy based on what makes sense for your business.

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