Dream experts have long said that this dream is the effect of feeling exposed in real life.

I find that many small business owners feel that same feeling of being exposed when I suggest that they blog about their business.  When I tell them, “create content on your site to keep your website fresh and updated, show that you are an expert in your field, et cetera”, I immediately elicit blank stares and horrified looks – as if they’ve envisioned a big red “F” on the top of their upcoming article.

The phrase “write a blog for your business,” immediately strips them of their clothes, causing them to feel naked.  Is it the act of writing, or is it the time it takes to blog that causes one to feel so exposed?

If you have a business you need to blog.

“Why” many small business owners ask me, “is it necessary to write about my company?”  The answer is simple.  Blogs are a great marketing tool.  All business relationships start with one essential ingredient – trust. Blogging will help potential clients see you differently, which will increase their confidence in your services. This is because blogs are informal.  Readers should never feel like they are being sold.  They should feel that you are giving them useful information, tips, and resources that they need and want.  Blogging = Leads = Sales.

Blogs are also an inexpensive way to promote your company name and help it gain an Internet presence. It’s an economical way to advertise your services, because it allows you to orchestrate your own PR campaign, or even become your own news anchor.

If you have an active search engine optimization (SEO) campaign, blogging can help your website rank higher because search engines love new and updated information.  Content that is constantly changing, or dynamic versus static, will always have a higher rank.  Be strategic about this process with the right content and keywords (an article about this topic is forthcoming!).  The important thing to remember is to think about whom your ideal client is, and what will attract that person to your business.

Give people the opportunity to post comments.  Your responses will show your personality, and how engaged you are (I often find the comments more interesting than the article itself). Be personable in your reply and let your audience see your character.

Writing a good blog that features good, consistent content will ensure that you are found online.  And once that’s done, there’ll be no end to the success it can give you.

So, get comfortable with your nakedness and start blogging!

Onward!

These tips were generated for Boulder Business Professionals-www.boulderbuisnessprofessionals.com

We thought we would share!

Don’t Do It

• DON’T BE AGGRESSIVE- No one likes to be sold!  Throw that “used car” sales approach out the window!
• DON’T’ FORCE AN ARTICLE-This will show-up in your writing.

Do It…

• SHOW PASSION- Be passionate about what you are writing about.  Passion will make your writing more interesting.  Plus, readers will detect the excitement, which will persuade them to read on.
• SHARE USEFUL INFORMATION- Posts should help people solve thier problems.  Share good practical tips.
• SHOW THE REAL YOU- be personable.
• REMEMBER YOUR READER- You are not writing for yourself, but for your target audience.
• SPEAK YOUR MIND- People like it when others have something unique to say.  So, write good original content.
• KEEP IT PRECISE- The attention span of a reader is short, so make your post easy to scan.  Don’t write a dissertation, or something that takes a lot of concentration to read. Keep the blog precise.  Don’t write about (5) topics in one article.
• HEADLINES- Write catchy, captivating headlines.  Keep the headlines to 50 characters or less.  Make sure keywords are inserted into the headline title. 
• IMAGES- Provide something visual.  We all like to look at images.
• BRANDING- Include your logo or photograph.
• CONTACT INFO- Blogs are great way to promote your website, include a link.  If you want people to call you, include a phone #.  If you want them to email you, include an email address.
• WORD COUNT- Keep the article to 250-300 words.  If you have more to say, stick to around 1000 words.
• KEYWORDS- Include keywords in the body of your copy.  The keywords should not occupy more than 3-7% of the total word count.
• GENERATE KEYWORDS- by using Google’s keyword tool.
• TAGS- include keywords in the tag section of the article (when posting, most blogs will ask for this)
• GIVE CREDIT- when quoting form other sources (like the majority of these tips were taken from problogger.com—great tips on that site!)
• EMAIL- send an email with your article and link to the blog.  This is a great way to keep in-touch with existing clients.
• STOCKPILING- Create a stockpile of posts, so you can update your blog on a regular basis.
• NOTEBOOK- Keep one to jot down article ideas.  Talking with your clients will often give you good ideas.
• ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE!