In many ways building a business blog is like designing a rolling ball sculpture. Rolling ball sculptures also known as kinetic sculptures are so engaging because of the visual and aural spectacle -- following intricate roller coaster paths, clinging and clanging along the way. But the basic element is they are designed for perpetual motion.
The same goes for your business blog and the basic key to success is to plan for it to be a perpetual outlet for remarkable content. When planned right blogs end up with the appeal, rhythm and engagement found in rolling ball sculptures.
Here are seven things to consider prior to launching your business blog:
1) Set aside time
Blogs fail because businesses cannot keep up with them. Blogging requires frequency and commitment. You should think about how frequently you want to blog and how much time you need per week to write. Then set aside that time and stick to it.
2) Build a network or following
Your blog has a greater chance of succeeding if you have a larger community to share your content with. Plan to build up a network or following prior to launching your blog. That way it will have a wider reach from the get-go because more people can share it.
3) Keyword research
One of the biggest benefits of creating content is the search traffic it will attract to your site. Do some research so you are targeting keywords that will bring in good qualified traffic to your site. If you are struggling with what to write about this is also a great way to queue up some ideas for articles.
4) Queue up articles
It never hurts to stay ahead of the curve. If you plan to write once a week it may not be a bad idea to queue up four to five articles so you have a month's worth of content ready to go. This way you can stay consistent and keep up with your established publishing frequency.
5) Create calls-to-action
You should take the time to think about what calls-to-action should go into your blog posts and create them. If you want to derive business value from your blog in the form of leads and customers you need good, relevant offers to go along with your content.
6) Set up RSS/Subscriber feeds
If you want to grow your business blog you need to build a subscriber base. Think about how to position your RSS feeds or email opt-in on your blog and your website to maximize subscriptions.
7) Ways to promote it
Lastly, it is critical to think about ways to promote your blog. Will you tweet your articles or include them in your company newsletter? How often? How about sharing them on Facebook or LinkedIn? You might want to include your RSS feed on each of your profiles. Spend some time on figuring ways to get the word out there!
What are some of the preemptive things you have done to help the success of your blog? Please share your experiences in the comments. Thanks.
Photo credit: Crimfants
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Dale Berkebile 8:31 AM on October 22, 2009
Great article Prashant. I have been trying to educate clients and prospects on many of these items. Now I can just point them to this page.
Thanks for the great tips!
Christian Web Trends 8:39 AM on October 22, 2009
Good tips. I think even before any of these, the most important thing to do before starting a blog is to develop a plan.
- What are you trying to accomplish with your blog?
- How will you know if you're successful? Goal? Metrics?
- What specific topics is the blog going to cover?
- Paul
Kyle James 8:45 AM on October 22, 2009
The thing I tell businesses about starting a blog is that they need to put out content at least once a week. Start out with that low number and as you get more comfortable writing then maybe you start writing more often.
Nothing is worse than coming out of the gate running and building a following then getting burned out and not keeping up.
Toni Anicic 8:46 AM on October 22, 2009
I think most of the business blogs fail due to their owners not realizing that blogging takes time.
It takes lots of time, and in some cases results will not be seen for several months. But that's not the reason to quit because if you stick with it and constantly improve your skills you will eventually succeed.
Justin Deaville 8:58 AM on October 22, 2009
13 more tips on Blogging for Business.
Robyn Bradley 8:59 AM on October 22, 2009
Another thing to remember: don't strive for perfection. While planning is a smart strategy, agonizing over your posts isn't. You'll make typos, you'll discover you could have said things differently/better after hitting "publish," and you won't always be as clever or eloquent as you'd like. Just ask yourself: is what I'm putting out there valuable, relevant info? (The answer should always be "yes.")
Dan Tyre 8:59 AM on October 22, 2009
In 2009, a blog is not just an article. It can be a video or even a cartoon. Multi-media makes it fun interesting and easy
Kate Gillette 9:04 AM on October 22, 2009
In speaking with prospects, we often find that people have already created content that can be re-purposed for the blog article. It's as easy as copy and paste!
Suffolk Wedding Photographer 9:06 AM on October 22, 2009
Excellent article, sums up nicely all the key points. The being consistent and sticking at it is definitely a good reminder for me.
Pat
PatB Wedding Photography
Justin Deaville 9:16 AM on October 22, 2009
This article is very useful, too. A great summary of why you should be blogging. 13 reasons your business needs a blog - by social media guru Chris Garrett.
Brett Houle 9:23 AM on October 22, 2009
Great article and a good starter for folks starting to blog. Keep up the good work guys!
Christi Wharton 11:58 AM on October 22, 2009
I'm glad you put setting aside time at the top of the list. That is the thing that I and most bloggers I know struggle with. It really does help to have a goal and plan ahead.
Rituraj Sharma 1:55 PM on October 22, 2009
Great tips. I am about to start this practice. This article would help me a lot.
Deborah Richmond 4:58 PM on October 22, 2009
I am so happy that my blogging software allows me to schedule blog posts to come out on future days. I do write posts ahead whenever I can and schedule them to come out in the future. I find I don't write every day, but get several ideas and write about them all in a sitting. Scheduling posts is a great way to ensure you're posting consistently.
Dennis Cook 12:28 AM on October 25, 2009
Thanks for some great pointers. Although our self catering cape Town holiday accommodation has been in business 6 years, we have only recently started blogging for business, and it works.
sara 5:59 AM on October 25, 2009
Thanks for publish my comment
sara
http://www.socialpark.net
Sean McVey 10:49 AM on October 26, 2009
Have you experimented with putting ads for your blog on facebook? I just started doing this and was wondering if any of you have had success. It seems very targeted.