What in the world is a blog?
It’s not a monster that lives under your bed, a swampy lake or a germ you can catch in foreign countries. The term “blog” was originally coined in 1997 from a combination of the terms “web log” to describe what is essentially an online journal.
Back then, few people had the time, need or desire to start a blog, but in 13 years the world wide web has evolved into something of a blogging machine. CNN has one, ESPN has one, your ex-girlfriend from high school probably has one and we have one, too. In fact, there were a reported 152 million blogs on the Internet in 2010.
You might think that with so many blogs available, it’s pointless to have one of your own–but that’s not true! With a little help and direction, you can have a very successful blog that serves to promote your business and improve your SEO rankings (as we talked about last week), which is why we’ve put together this week’s list of tips we call Blogging 101.
If you don’t have a blog yet for your business, we can set one up for you! Our content management system makes it easy to write and post blogs, sort them into categories, monitor comments and more. Call us today and we can get you on the road to blogging success.
- Old City
5 Tips to Help You Write a Great Blog
1. Bigger is not better.
The word “blog” is not synonymous with “novel.” Blogs do not (and should not) be extremely wordy. Keep in mind that most visitors to your site will be reading your blog while watching TV, surfing the web or cooking dinner. You don’t have their undivided attention, so keep things short, sweet and to the point. A couple of paragraphs should suffice for most topics, though on occasion, longer blogs are okay–but don’t feel like you have to write 5,000 words every time you post.
2. Timing is everything.
The moment you decide to start blogging, you need to set yourself up on a schedule. Choose something that you can handle with your current time constraints, whether it’s weekly, once every other week or once a month. This will help you stay on track, let your readers know when to expect something new and show the search engines that you are making regular updates to your website.
3. Topics galore.
You might think that you have very few topics to discuss on your blog, but that’s not true. There are endless possibilities when it comes to updates and information you can write about. On busy days, just find an interesting article related to your business, throw the link in the blog and write a paragraph or two with your take on the article. On days when you have more time, tell people about how your business got started, what you enjoy about it, what you’re working on now, what your vision is for the future. Here are a few more blog ideas:
- Talk about some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned in business.
- Share your favorite part of running a business.
- Highlight a positive experience with a customer.
- Discuss what you would like to change in your industry.
4. Spread the word.
Just like newspaper boys used to stand on street corners shouting “Extra! Extra! Read all about it!” you need to get out there and let people know that you have a blog worth reading. Use your social media accounts, website, weekly e-mails and any other tool at your fingertips to tell your customers every time you post a new blog. You can write a great blog, but if no one comes to read it, your time will be wasted.
5. Keep it consistent.
No matter how you decide to run your blog, the most important thing is that you keep it going forward. The worst thing you can do to your blog is leave it sitting stagnant on your website. It would be like leaving the same message on the marquee in front of your business for months on end.
Start blogging today with a content management system!
Call Old City Web Services and ask us to help you set up a content management system with a blog today. We have affordable solutions to give you the latest technology you need to not just keep your business afloat, but motoring.
Call us today at (904) 829-2772 or send an e-mail to letusmarketyou@oldcity.com.
