To blog or not to blog… this is a question I’m being asked a lot these days. What is blogging? Why should I do it? How do I do it? Sounds like it takes a lot of time.
Blogging is the latest tool in the small business owners arsenal, as it is a cost effective method to share your expertise and information with a larger audience. But before starting a blog, you should plan it with these important considerations.
Critical to the success of your blog would be to identify what you wish to achieve and for whom you will write, i.e. your target audience. These two little but important things will help you to generate more focused content for your blog posts.
Below are 5 key areas that should be considered while planning a business blog:
Define your blogs goals and objectives.
A clear vision will always provide direction. If you know your business goals better, you will be more focused to achieve them. So is – with a focused business blog. Write down what you wish to achieve, is it increased traffic, stronger networking, or something different all together.
Who are you writing for?
Make sure you know your target audience well, their needs, their pains, etc. When you know your audience better, you are able to show an understanding of their situation and offer a unique solution. Connect with your audience; communicate in a conversational tone and begin the relationship building process.
Who will author your corporate blog?
Always plan in advance who will write the blog posts – Are you the one responsible to write posts or would it be some other staff member or are you planning to include multiple guest bloggers? Do you have a blogging policy manual? Is there someone approving all posts before they are posted live?
How often will your blog be updated?
There is no right or wrong answer here. Establish an expectation for your viewers and stick with it. Quality is always more important then quantity. Plan for a certain number of regular posts and mark them in your “to-do” calendar.
Yes or no to commenting on your blog.
A blog is ultimately meant to create an open dialogue with your readers. The truth is, if you are receiving comments on a post, it means that you were able to engage your audience. Good or bad, comments are the beginning to establishing rapport with your readers. Be sure to monitor and reply to comments, whether positive or negative.
The planning phase is a vital part of any successful business blog. So, invest your time at the beginning, plan for the above-mentioned items and open the lines of communications.
Ecentric can help in the planning or execution of your business blog, give us a call today.
