June 20th, 2008
(www.businessandblogging.com)
Tip: Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
If there’s something about your business blog that you are having trouble with, don’t be afraid to get help with it.
It may be that you need help with your blog design - it’s okay to consult with a professional blog designer.
It may be that you don’t have enough time to write blog posts - it’s okay to designate a professional blogger.
Whatever it is, getting help can make your business blog stronger.
Why it’s important: Many business bloggers try to go it entirely on their own, only to have their efforts fizzle out after a short time.
Often, getting help or delegating responsibility is the wisest course of action.
Image Source: Laura Spencer of WritingThoughts
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By Laura Spencer -- 0 comments
June 20th, 2008
(www.businessandblogging.com)
Tip: When you find information that your customers can benefit from, it’s okay to refer them to it.
Let’s say that you are an automobile dealer and you find information that will help your customers get more mileage from a gallon of gas.
Linking to the information, or otherwise referring to it, provides a valuable service to your customers and prospective customers.
Why it’s important: Providing information that is useful to your customers builds customer loyalty.
Not only have you helped your clients by giving them information that they can use, you have shown that you really care about your customers.
Image Source: Laura Spencer of WritingThoughts
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By Laura Spencer -- 0 comments
June 20th, 2008
(www.businessandblogging.com)
Tip: You can use your business blog to deal with a business crisis.
The key in such a situation is to discuss the situation in a calm and rational, yet informative way.
Be honest and open about what happened. Correct any misinformation, but do not attempt to gloss over the situation.
You want to get the company’s message out there, but at the same time you need to acknowledge that there has been a problem.
Why it’s important: Being open in times of crisis will help to restore customer confidence in your company.
Most business bloggers shy away from posting during difficult times, but those times are exactly when having a business blog can help the most.
Image Source: Laura Spencer of WritingThoughts
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By Laura Spencer -- 0 comments
June 20th, 2008
(www.businessandblogging.com)
Tip: Offer prizes and discounts to your business blog readers to build readership.
Everyone loves contests and prizes, so why not post special offers on your business blog?
Why it’s important: Your business blog needs a community.
The bigger your business blog’s community, the more likely you are to reach current and potential clients.
Also, providing discounts to blog readers can help build customer loyalty.
Image Source: Laura Spencer of WritingThoughts
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By Laura Spencer -- 0 comments
June 20th, 2008
(www.businessandblogging.com)
Tip: Make sure that readers are able to subscribe to your business blog.
You can achieve this by making sure that the orange RSS feed subscription button is clearly visible on your business blog.
You may even wish to label the button with a caption like “subscribe to [blog name].”
For your reader’s convenience, you can also provide a means of signing up for an e-mail subscription to your blog.
Why it’s important: Many readers prefer to use an RSS feed reader rather than going directly to your business blog.
By making it easier for them you make your blog mroe user friendly.
You can learn more about RSS feed readers in this post from About.com
Image Source: Laura Spencer of WritingThoughts
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By Laura Spencer -- 0 comments
June 20th, 2008
(www.businessandblogging.com)
Tip: Make sure that the the information on your business blog is up-to-date.
Has your company moved? Changed a phone number?
Be sure that those changes get made to your business blog as well.
Also, you should check your business blog for broken links periodically and remove any that you find.
Why it’s important: Out-of-date information and broken links inconvenience your reader.
You might be losing customers if you’re not keeping the information on your business blog current.
Also, broken links are sign of carelessness and make your blog less user-friendly for the reader.
Image Source: Laura Spencer of WritingThoughts.com
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By Laura Spencer -- 0 comments
June 20th, 2008
(www.businessandblogging.com)
Tip: Don’t post to your business blog in anger.
From time to time you may receive comments that are rude or angry in tone. They may even post incorrect information.
Never respond to those commentators in anger. Instead, make sure that your replies are calm and rational.
Also, you should never use your business blog to express your anger towards clients or vendors, even if you are in the right.
Why it’s important: Angry words written in haste are likely to come back and haunt you later.
Remember that what you write on your business blog may be quoted or saved in cache by others. Even if you remove your angry words after you have calmed down, chances are that they still exist somewhere in the blogosphere.
Image Source: Laura Spencer of WritingThoughts
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By Laura Spencer -- 3 comments
June 20th, 2008
(www.businessandblogging.com)
Tip: Look at your business blog with a visitor’s eye.
Is it easy to find what you are looking for on your business blog, or will a visitor have to struggle to get the information that they are looking for?
Is your business blog’s navigation user-friendly and intuitive, or will a reader become frustrated as they move through your blog posts?
Why it’s important: Your business blog’s usability affects whether or not visitors return.
You won’t be able to build a blog community unless visitors to your business blog want to return.
Image Source: Laura Spencer of WritingThoughts
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By Laura Spencer -- 2 comments
June 20th, 2008
(www.businessandblogging.com)
Tip: Never copy another blog post or news story in its entirety into your business blog.
Generally, it’s okay to link to information found on other sites, but you should always acknowledge the original source.
There’s a lot of information available online, but much of it is copyrighted. Pay attention to copyright notices and respect them.
Why it’s important: Copying information from another site may be illegal.
It’s called plagiarism.
You could find yourself in legal trouble if you simply cut and paste information from another site into your business blog.
In addition, plagiarizing another blog can ruin your company’s good name.
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By Laura Spencer -- 2 comments
June 20th, 2008
(www.businessandblogging.com)
Tip: Make sure that your webhosting company is reliable.
You want your business blog to be there when visitors type in your URL, so avoid using unreliable webhost.
To find a reliable hosting company, research your options carefully. Ask for references. Remember, the cheapest option is not always the best.
Why it’s important: If your business blog is constantly down, then it will lose readers.
Fewer readers for your business blog mean fewer prospective customers for your business.
In addition, a business blog that is constantly down may irritate readers and create a negative feeling among members of your target audience.
Image Source: Laura Spencer of WritingThoughts
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