Business Blogging

Archive for March, 2009

Just imagine for a moment you spend less time with good paying customers and they love you and how you help them.  These evangelists then sing your praises to everyone they know, bringing more customers your way.  Sound good?

How?

Your best customers are those who get it, don’t struggle with the message and do everything you suggest (which works).  When something does go wrong, your best customers call you and you solve the problem.

Write down everything about this ideal customer.  Age, income, education, marital status, religious and political believes, hobbies, children, the type of house they live in, and everything else you can think of.  The more you can define, the easier it will be for you to write articles that appeals to the prefect prospect.

For example (extreem as it is), if your ideal customer is socially conservative but your written article is very liberal then your words will not echo with the target prospect.

Create one client profile at a time, otherwise you’ll confuse the language.  Client profiling includes building sample language and topics of interest.  Your blogging strategy should including creating an inventory of topics that are appealing to this perfect customer.

Write your client profile, then write two sample articles and ask a friend to give you feed back.  Does the articles speak to the client profile defined on the page?  The trick here is making sure your client profile is very detailed.  For example, if you only state you want to do business with people who have money, then when reviewing your article, your editor will not be able to give you constructive feedback.

When starting your blog site, be sure to limit the number of client profiles your are writing for.  Readers will get confused it the language is trying to speaking to too many different people all at once.

Happy Blogging!

For more information about how we can help you and your company build a lasting business blogging strategy, please call me at (503) 709-1454.  We want to earn your business.

Ed Bejarana
Zenith Exhibits, Inc.

There is no right way or wrong way to write you blog articles.

This outline is just one suggestion on how to compose your blog publications, we suggest you talk with other business people and find out how they are creating blog articles.

There are two basic goals for blogging:

1. Building more inbound links to your company website.
2. Present you and your ideas to a wider audience.

We suggest you:

• Write articles that are 250 words (+/- 25 words)
• Format your article into four or five paragraphs
• Construct paragraphs that have three to five sentences
• Write interesting titles that are less than 12 words long
• Keep your article focused on a single topic
• Use the most appropriate category from those available
• Add tags that further classify or categorize your article

In your first paragraph, state your thesis.

The middle paragraphs should support your thesis, be easy to read, and use few filler words (e.g. and, the, where-with-all, etc.).

You last paragraph needs to state a conclusion.  If possible make your conclusion action centered.  For example, if your article is on a decision made by the City Council, then conclude with an action challenge to make you voice heard at the next council meeting.

Always sign your document and add a link back to your company website.  Where ever possible, use keyword rich text and the achor for your link.  For example:

Affordable Website Hosting

.vs

BusinessBlogging.net

Be sure to add text to the “Excerpt” field located below your main article window.  The Excerpt text is used on the home page as the lead in for your blog articles.

Also, make sure you have updated your user profile with your company’s webaddress, because each article will show your name as a link back to your website.

Write articles that your target customer finds interesting.  For example, if you know your best customer’s love dogs, then write about your dog.  When presented with two options, your prospect will choose the service provider they like the best (when all else is equal).  Social marketing is being socialable.  Give the world a window view into your soul.

Happy Blogging!

Should you wish to get more help building your business blogging strategy or writing blog articles, contact Ed Bejarana at (503) 709-1454.  Editorial assitance is only $25 per article.

Last week your employer gave you a final paycheck.  This week you face the grim job hunt reality, too many applicants, not enough jobs.  Is now the time to strike out on your own?  Millions of Americans are taking fate into their own hands and starting a small business.

Startup businesses are nimble and price flexible.  The smart entrepreneur who guards their cash and streamlines their operation will have the advantage over big business.  During recessions, customers will trade loyalty for price:  if your small business can do it cheaper, then your business can capture market share.

Big Business Equals Big Overhead

Now is not the time to take financial risks.  Hold on to your cash and focus on expanding your market.  Use affordable marketing (community papers, SEO, and networking groups) to expand your customer base.  Do not go deep into debt, leave that to your competition.

Keep Your Prices Low and Offer Bundles

What is your current margin?  Can you live on less?  The goal right now is get by and grow your customer base.  When the recession ends, you’ll be in a much better position to turn big profits.  Bundle products and services together then deliver amazing service.

Use You Website To Reach More Consumers

Refocus your website to build new traffic streams.  Optimize more web pages on fewer keyword topics.  Write great content and blog about it everywhere.  Use your spare time to increase your internet marketing.  Internet marketing can be your most affordable marketing tool, but don’t go crazy.  The goal is find MORE customers.

Ed Bejarana
Zenith Exhibits, Inc.
(503) 709-1454