Now, I'm the teacher

When I began blogging a little more than a year ago, I had a friend who was very patient and eager to teach me all about this great mystery we know as blogging.  It was all very intimidating.  Will I be able to handle the technical stuff?  Will I be able to find things to write about regularly?  Will  people want to read what I post?

So I find it ironic and a bit amusing that a few days ago I was sitting with a client, laying out the basics of how to begin a business blog.  Me, the "newbie" who had to be literally dragged  into blogging, advising a small business about blogging.

I heard myself saying again and again, "It may seem intimidating, but it's really quite simple."  Simple, I suppose, to those of us who've been doing this.  Scary, though, to most who  have heard about blogs, but don't really know what they are and how they work.

The client has been using a variety of ways to get new business, including having an in-house salesperson. They have a good website that's easy to navigate and shows the work they do.  But the challenge has been to get visitors to the site.

The client has a firm to help with search engine optimization.  But that's not blogging, and it comes from a different direction.

For a small service business, as I explained to the client, a blog is a good way to create visibility and authority.   It doesn't rely on your ability to get publicity in the trade press, because your blog becomes, essentially, the media.

So here are the things I laid out for the client to consider as he embarks on this journey...

Identify target communities -- who are the people you want to reach?

Start looking at blogs in the communities you want to enter.   

Make a list of subject areas you'll be covering in your blog.  Start to write the first several posts, before you go live.

Get your layout and graphics ready, whether you use a template or design your own look.

I told the client to have patience.  Having a blog won't immediately raise your Google profile.  And it will take time to attract a readership.  Readership can be advanced by regularly visiting other blogs in the same space and offering comments, so your name becomes known.

But above all, have patience and don't get discouraged.  Blogging, especially when it's for business, is a long-term commitment if it's to be done well.

To most of you, this sounds very familiar, right?

Comments

[Norm Leigh]

David,
An encouraging post on blogging. I hope it inspires your readers to take the leap. The only thing I'd add to your list of advice is that aspiring bloggers should study the craft of writing. They don't have to transform themselves into Ernest Hemingway, but a solid grounding in the basics will make their blog read better and writing it will be less like a trip to the dentist and more like a day at the beach. For starters, I suggest every blogger should pick up a copy of Strunk and White's "Elements of Style," an easy-to-read classic on the fundamentals of stringing words together. Patricia O'Conner's "Woe Is I" is an entertaining and informative read, too. Finally, I'd suggest my tips on writing at bizwriterblog.blogspot.com

[David Reich]

Excellent point, Norm. Good writing is key. It can (and probably should) be conversational in tone, which can be easier to write than more formalized business or journalistic writing.

[Lewis Green]

David,

I will send you the case study MarketingProfs did on my blog. I suspect your client and I have more than a little in common. Feel free to share it with him/her.