A blog (short for web log) is a website where entries are made and displayed in a reverse chronological order. Blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as personal online diaries.

Blogs make it much easier for your prospective clients and customers to find you! First of all, when you publish a new website the traditional way, it can take Google a few days to index it (include it in search results). When you publish a new blog site or add a new post to your blog, it is indexed almost immediately.

Next, you can use your blog to improve your traditional website's ranking because you can link to your website from your blog. The more "incoming" links (from other websites) your website has, the higher it will rank. What's more, you now have a new way of inviting people into your marketing funnel.

A blog is also essential for creating and deepening your relationships with your current and prospective clients and customers. You can start a conversation in every post, and they can reply by adding their own comments right on the page. Before you know it, you're at the center of a community of people who all have a similar interest in your area of specialty.

To get started as a blogger, the first thing you'll need to decide is the question I'm asked most frequently about blogging - "Free or Paid"?

Blogger.com is an example of a free blog service. Typepad.com is an example of a paid blog service. WordPress has both a free service with hosting included (http://www.wordpress.com) and a free download to use on a site that you've paid another company to host (http://www.wordpress.org).

Free, Hosted Services

Blogger and WordPress.com are examples of free, hosted blog services.

Pros: These blog sites are quick to setup, easy to maintain, and posting is a breeze. Both let you assign your own domain name (yourname.com) to the blog (though with wordpress.com, there is a nominal fee for this).

Cons: The templates are pretty plain and there are limits to the amount of customization you can do. In my opinion, Wordpress offers more stylish templates than Blogger.

There is nothing wrong with free blogs, and they might be perfect for you if you're brand new to blogging. And as you can see from Alexandria Brown's example (http://alexandriabrown.blogspot.com/), some well-known online marketers are using them.

Paid Hosted Services

Typepad.com is designed especially for the small business owner. It's a great option if you'd like to have a little more control over the look and feel of your blog, additional features, as well as the service and support that comes with using a paid service. Prices start with a Basic package at $4.95 per month.

WordPress.org the same company that provides free blogs at Wordpress.com, also provides an option for the more technically savvy blogger. The system itself is free, but you'll need to pay for website hosting from a separate company. Be sure your hosting package includes MySQL databases (tip: GoDaddy.com provides MySQL databases with all of their hosting plans).

The bonus of choosing WordPress.org over WordPress.com is that you have much more control over the look of your blog, because you can choose and customize your own template design (also referred to as a "theme"). Keep in mind, though, you'll need a certain level of technical expertise, such as the ability to edit PHP code (a programming language similar to HTML). You can see my Wordpress.org theme at my blog at www.marketingmindsetblog.com

What Do I Post?

Not sure what to write about? Here are some suggestions:

1. Make it relevant - post content that will enlighten, educate and benefit your customers and/or clients.
2. Share your opinion - comment about a recent news story, review a recently released book or movie, or summarize a teleseminar (telephone class) or webinar (online class) you attended.
3. Showcase your knowledge - write articles, tips sheets or how-to lists.
4. Be a guide - provide links to websites, blogs, books or products that you recommend (and ask your online colleagues to reciprocate!) - use affiliate links if you have them.
5. Give-away a taste - offer free special reports, e-courses or recordings in exchange for the visitor's email address.
6. Announcements - create fanfare and excitement when you launch a new product or service - focus on the benefits it offers. Send these types of posts sparingly.
7. Foster conversation and community - run a survey or a provocative question that's relevant to your target market.
8. Make it talk, sing or dance - audio and video are HOT additions to any blog.
9. Keep it short - don't be intimidated by the idea of writing pages and pages of new content for your blog posts. A paragraph can be more than sufficient.
10. Be consistent - depending on how much true "news" there is in your topic, experts agree that you'll get the best results if you post 1-3 times every week.

 

With so many advantages, not to mention these simple tools and instructions, there's nothing stopping you from adding a blog to your e-Marketing Toolbox. My friend, welcome to the Blogosphere!