Blogging basics for business people is a post I should have done months ago but have been too busy to attend to. But I can’t put it off any longer because this is important. Especially for business people and business owners making their first foray into blogging.

Your blog is your attempt to open the veils surrounding your business and communicate directly with the outside world. This means your blog is NOT ADVERTISING and must not be treated as such. At least, if you want anyone to read it.

When you start writing your blog, treat it like you’re writing an email to a friend. Namely, a friend who asked you a question about your business. Or about a product you sell or a service you perform.

DO NOT write like you’re trying to sell the product or service to them. Instead, write about it from an open and honest viewpoint. These are the people who usually need it and this is what it did for them.

AND talk about the people, businesses and situations it’s probably not a good fit for. Talk about the situations where it’s been a good fit and treat it like a case study. Talk about failures where it turned out to not work out. (As long as it wasn’t a failure of the product, simply a failure because it turned out not to be the right situation.)

A fabulous use of a blog (and something I do all the time to help establish myself as an expert in Online Marketing) is to post helpful tips related to your business. If you’re an accountant, post tax tips and business management tips related to keeping better track of business finances and statistics. Or how to mine those statistics for information on running your business more efficiently.

If your business is flame cutting, post regular tips on how to prepare metal for flame cutting, what metals work well for flame cutting and which ones don’t. When flame cutting should be used and when other methods will be better suited to the situation.

(This might sound scary, advising people when not to use you, but it’s this kind of openness, honesty, and willingness to help others rather than just helping yourself that wins people over.)

Another great thing to blog about is people at your business. There’s research showing that while men use the Internet mostly to collect information, women more often than not, use the Internet to establish and grow relationships.

And every smart business person I know, male or female, understands that business is all about relationships. Let people know who that voice is on the other end of the line when they call in for help or with questions. Tell them that the guy at the parts desk is the star bowler on the company team. Share some human interest stories about your people.

Remember that the most popular shows on TV, the most popular movies, and the most popular books and magazines are always about people, not things. That’s why action movies only succeed when the story is about people and the action is just helping to move the story along.

Imagine Independence Day or Armageddon or Gone In 60 Seconds if it was just action scenes strung together without the human interest and character development and relationship building. Your blog must be the same.

Let them know that the receptionist loves kayaking and also runs in the local marathon every year. And that the company sponsors a wheelchair basketball team.

Another great use for a blog is to ask visitors what they think of a new idea you have for a new service or product or a change you want to make to a product or service.

Or ask them if there’s a new product or service they’d like to see you carry. Talk about a great opportunity for marketing research.

Do not hesitate to contact every customer or client you have and ask them to subscribe to your blog. Tell them there will be no advertising on the blog. That you will be using it for all the things I mentioned above.

Make sure they understand that the whole purpose of this blog is to help you service them better by giving them a channel to communicate directly with you and the people in your firm.

If you have any social media profiles like Facebook or LinkedIn or BizNik and you have people you’ve connected with through these sites, remember to send them all a notice about your new blog.

One last tip about blogging. When I advise clients about writing advertising copy, I tell them to never use the words I or we or us. Because advertising copy should be about the reader. Letting them know that you understand their problem and how it is affecting them and that you have a solution for their problem.

Blogging is different. With blogging, you should be using I, us and we. You are trying to put a human face to the business. People only like dealing with people, not corporations. Just think back to the last time you tried to get a problem resolved by a large corporation. The frustration of dealing with a bureaucracy and a business hiding behind “corporate language” and “legalese.”

Or think of the last time you went to a website to try to get some help or answers and there was no contact information because they really don’t want to be bothered by you. They just want your money.

Don’t be that faceless, “soulless” corporation. A blog gives you an opportunity to appear human and friendly. Take advantage of it.

If you’re still a bit iffy about the whole blogging thing, I highly recommend the Beginner to Blogger ecourse. I just wish it had been available when I started out “blogging for business.”

HackingEthics

Originally posted 2009-06-06 18:38:31. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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