Business blogging is about giving something of value to the reader. Discounts on your products or services do not count. The reader has given their time to your thoughts, reward them with something entertaining, enlightening or engaging.
An April 2003 Pew study found that 56% of all internet users consider the internet a source of entertainment. How? The same why you already tell fun stories to your best clients. Right now you probably wouldn’t share a story about your children with a total stranger, but you would with a valued client; why? Valued clients value us as people and as people, we have stories to share. Entertain your readership with insightful stories about yourself and how what you do for a living has changed you outlook on life. Do try to teach a lesson or draw a parallel with buying from you. On a blog site it is acceptable to just share news.
When getting personal on your blog site, avoid any subject that would be socially unacceptable told to a group of parents attending a Jr. High School assembly. Never be crude, racial, sexist or judgmental. Your blog site is not the bar where you and your best friends swap stories. Always be professional, but let down your hair (so to speak) and allow the reader to see a part of you reserved for only only best clients.
Treat strangers like your best clients and they just might be.
Educating your reader is the most common approach. For that reason, I suggest you educate sparingly. Every other business blog site (this one included) teaches. Stand out int he crowd when ever possible, but don’t ignore the power of establishing yourself as the expert. Just keep in mind that your reader should never be held hostage to doing business with you to gain the lesson. Give away your knowledge and your reader will trust you.
What does it mean to engage someone? People struggle with life. TV, radio, news papers and the internet are filled with negative energy. While making negative statements can be engaging, I am suggesting you be different. Engage your readers with a positive attitude. Become the online equivalent of a motivational blogger. Give powerful advice that can help change someone’s life. Pretend your reader just asked you for your advice on a particular subject. Your article should be the positive “can-do” speech you would give your very best friend.
Like ALL marketing activities, business blogging requires careful attention to details. Pick your topic based on things people are searching. Use free internet tools, like Google’s Keyword Tool, to find popular keyword phrases and associated searches, then outline what you want to say. Write, then re-write and edit once again. Ask a friend to read through what you’ve written. Edit, edit, edit. To help you get started, refer back to “Things to do when starting a blog article” for more information about getting started with your article.
Happy business blogging!
Ed Bejarana
BusinessBlogging.net
a division of Zenith Exhibits, Inc.
For more information about our business blogging services, please call (503) 709-1454 or eMail me directly at ed@zenithexhibits.com.
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[...] blogging for your business, remember to keep your message entertaining, engaging or enlightening (What I call the Three E’s). Direct sales pitches do not make consumers [...]