Are You Afraid to Blog?<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s common these days for website to have blogs, but it\u2019s also common that they go unused. Many small business owners think they have to be tech savvy run a blog and just avoid it all together. But good news, you just need basic computer knowledge to run a blog. In most cases, all you have to do is log onto your website, choose to create a new post, type what you want to say and publish it. It\u2019s really that easy. No coding necessary.<\/p>\n
What do You Write About?<\/h2>\n
Just pick a topic, any topic. If you\u2019re a landscaper write a blog post about at specific type of plant and why your customer should choose it. Or write about different block patterns used to build a patio.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a dentist you can write about teeth whitening or the importance of a good teeth cleaning. Initially it\u2019s hard to pick a topic because you already know this information and don\u2019t realize that it\u2019s not common knowledge to others.<\/p>\n People use the Internet to research everything. It\u2019s a knowledgebase for the world. And yes, it\u2019s likely that whatever topic you choose is already online, but wouldn\u2019t it be great if a potential customer found your page instead of your competitor\u2019s? They get to see that you are also an expert. Because of this you build trust.<\/p>\n Do some research yourself. See what other people in the same field are talking about. Obviously, you don’t want to copy or steal their content, but you can take away ideas of what to write about.<\/p>\n I\u2019m sure you get asked the same questions over and over again by customers. Do yourself a favor and write a blog post about one of those questions and answer it. Now instead of you explaining it over-and-over again, you can direct people to your website where they can find the answer. Often times customers are afraid to ask questions cause they feel stupid, but if they can read it online they will feel more confident about contacting you.<\/p>\n Remember, just because you think it\u2019s basic, doesn\u2019t mean your customers do.<\/p>\n Stop. Now you\u2019re just lying to yourself. Blog posts don\u2019t have to super in-depth or professionally written. Blog posts aren\u2019t about marketing yourself or your business (directly), they are about sharing information and answering questions. When you are thinking about what to write ask yourself what you would tell a customer face to face about this topic. You\u2019d be surprised how much you could share.<\/p>\n Could you talk 300 words about a topic? Yes, then you can write 300 words about it in a blog post. Remember, you\u2019re the expert. You have experience in your field; share it with others.<\/p>\n Blogs can be written in a casual conversational tone. This means if you can talk to a customer about what you do, than you can blog it as well. People like reading blogs that aren\u2019t stuffy and all facts. They like personality. You can be silly, you can tell stories, you can add fun facts. People like passion. If you are excited to share the information, they\u2019ll be excited to read it. You don\u2019t need to be perfect. But do your best not to have typos. Nobody likes typos. The spell checker will catch most mistakes though.<\/p>\n Liar, lol. This isn\u2019t true at all. You spend all day-week-month sharing your expertise with your employees and customers. Just take a couple of those thoughts and write them down.<\/p>\n That depends on what kinds of results you want. The more often you write the better results you\u2019ll see. My recommendation for small business clients is to try to do one blog post a month. That\u2019s only 12 blog posts a year. This keeps your site updated and fresh so visitors and search engines know to come back and check out your website from time to time.<\/p>\n You can blog more frequently if you\u2019d like, but keep in mind that his will require more time, more topics, more research and more writing. You should also stay consistent in how often you post. Don\u2019t do 8 one month, zero the next and 2 the following month. Try to space them out evenly.<\/p>\n![\"Digital](\"http:\/\/www.austadpro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/blog-letters.jpg\" "\\"blog-letters\\"")
<\/a>I know you think you don\u2019t have anything to say or that people wouldn\u2019t be interested in anything you write or someone else is more of an expert than you are. Well, this is all FALSE! You do have something to say. People are interested and what you write, and you are more of an expert than someone else.<\/p>\nWriting a Blog Post is too Hard<\/h2>\n
I Just Don\u2019t have the Time<\/h2>\n
But how often do You really need to Write a Blog Post?<\/h3>\n
Ok, I have One Other Option for You<\/h2>\n
![\"Austad](\"http:\/\/www.austadpro.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/watermark_large-BizCard-300x300.jpg\" "\\"austad-pro-logo-large\\"")
<\/a>If you really don\u2019t have time to blog, then you could always hire someone (such as Austad Productions) do handle your Internet Marketing, SEO, Social Media, and Blogging for you.<\/p>\n