Just in case you needed a government official to confirm the obvious… Yesterday they announced we are (and have been) in a recession. Every small business owner in America could have told you business was down, but the officials never seem to interview small business people during times is national crisis: why do you suppose that is? Joe the Plumber got interviewed, why can’t we get noticed?
Marketing budgets in small businesses are small. We don’t buy TV air time, most don’t advertise on the radio or even buy massive trade show displays. No we attend local chamber events, eMail all our friends and relatives, and pass out business cards. There is also FaceBook, MySpace and all the social networking site, but which one should you use? None of them talk to one another and most of the results is a flurry of SPAM.
Our web sites are important tools in our marketing arsenal, but often the small business owner knows next to nothing about how to market on the search engines. Pay per click, search engine optimization, directory listings, and all the other techno jargon is Greek to 90% of all small business people.
Internet marketing experts are expensive and all of their contracts say it will take six to nine months to see any results. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could sell something and tell the customer you have to wait nine months to see results? It is kind of like having a baby… Actually that metafor is appropriate in more ways than one.
I started BusinessBlogging.net, in part, to help me write my book, but another part of me was looking for a way to help business people reach more customers. Next Monday on PortlandBusinessCommunity.com I will publish a new article on the differences between social networking (on sites like FaceBook, LinkedIn, etc.) and Personality Based Marketing. Here is the short version, business blogging is better because it uses the search engines rather than personal introductions.
The best part about business blogging… It is free! Visit WordPress.com and start you blog today. No obligation, no spam, no advertising blasts on your site without your approval, no redirection of your customers, no slick sales pitch…just a forum for you to talk to the internet. The search engines will notice you and provided you write you articles correctly, they will list you very high on the search results.
How do you write your business articles to maximize search engine visibility? Read the articles on this site (FREE), reading the information on my BizBlog Wiki (FREE), read example on my story site (FREE), or eMail me your article for editorial assistance ($25).
Business blogging is the future of internet marketing because it allows you to tell a story to you prospect. Even if you don’t feel you are a good enough writer, you can blog… These are not magazine articles, blogs are your thoughts and feelings and ideas. The consumer who is seeking help will gravitate towards people they trust and like. Putting YOUR words on the net will give readers an insight to you that they could only get if they talk to you.
Ed Bejarana
BusinessBlogging.net
a division of Zenith Exhibits, Inc.
(503) 709-1454
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