Small business blogging
If you own a small company, you’ve certainly heard some people telling you that you need a blog for various purposes such as marketing. But is it worth the time you’ll spend? In a series of two articles published last week, BusinessWeek answers this question and tells you how to start a blog. There is nothing revolutionary in these articles, but this is a good summary to read before investing your time in a blog about your business.
In part one of this series, “Does Your Small Business Need a Blog?“, Karen Klein looks at some advantages of blogs, such as a low entry barrier in terms of technology or an easy way to build a personal relationship with your customer. But she also notes some drawbacks, the major one being the time necessary to manage your blog, updating it frequently or answering comments. Here is an excerpt.
Blogs must be updated frequently — several times a week, if not daily or even several times a day — in order to hold readers’ attention. “Depending on the situation, small-business owners either have [no time] because they’re constantly working on their businesses, or it’s the only resource they have since there are no hard dollars associated with it,” says [Josh Hallett, a business consultant who specializes in blogs.]
In part two, “The ABC’s of Beginning Your Blog,” Klein tells you what to do before starting a blog. And she strongly advises you to sit down for a while and think about what you want to achieve before starting to type your first post.
A small business which decides to enter the blogosphere should set specific goals and expectations up front. For instance, a goal might be to bring customers into a discussion about your company’s products and use their feedback to inform your development efforts. Your expectations for the project might be to expand your online presence and enhance your site’s status in search engines.
Klein also says that you can reduce the time needed to manage your blog by forming an alliance with other businesses.
Small companies that have formed alliances with other businesses could launch joint blogs that would help them share the work with others and deliver more interesting content to their readers, suggests [Ruth Bielobocky, president of Ion Design.] “An interior designer, furniture store, and painting company could form a blog to share current trends in their industries and cross-promote each other. [Just make sure] all parties are equally dedicated to the effort,” she says.
Klein also looks at more practical issues, such as selecting the right blogging software, and points you to some useful resources.
If you already have a blog, these articles might help you to look at it with a fresh eye. And if you don’t have one, please read them carefully several times before taking the jump.
Finally, what do you think of her suggestion to form an alliance with other businesses to publish a blog? And do you have great examples of such blogs? Thank you for sending me some pointers.
Sources: Karen E. Klein, BusinessWeek Online, May 15 and 18, 2006
