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Secrets to Success
Deborah Cole Micek
and John-Paul Micek
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Finding the time to business blog
RECENTLY, I was asked this question on why I suggest that my clients blog for business:
"I have to ask you ... where are you wanting to go with blogs? Are you trying to increase revenues/sales, etc., or just trying to meet friends on the Internet to fill time? BIG difference here. Think about it. Do you have the time, and will the time you spend doing this, interfere with other more profitable ways to apply your time?"
Whether serious or not, these comments share common misconceptions that business people have about blogging for business in particular, and marketing with new media in general.
Blogs may have originated with political pundits and be popular with teenagers, but business people have a ton of marketing benefits they can gain.
The power of blogging for business is multifaceted and practical for even the smallest business owner -- IF they're interested in top search-engine rankings, steady increases in highly targeted traffic, and a growing prospect list. And, that's just for starters.
Branding, buzz, positioning as an expert, and more are benefits that come with a solid business blogging strategy.
NEW-MEDIA marketing and search-engine optimization both have costs. You're either spending time or money, or you're not getting new business. For most small-business owners, business blogging is the simplest, most effective method for gaining top search-engine positions and generating targeted traffic. And as far as time to do things yourself -- you don't have to!
The person creating your content doesn't have to be you or even your employee. You can hire an agent to create written posts along with audio or video podcasts.
Now I can hear some of you saying that you've read or been told that YOU must do the blogging for your business. With that response, I can't help but recall the words of my earliest business mentor:
"Always look at where the person giving advice is at in their life. If their lifestyle and achievements are what you'd like to aspire to, then take their advice into consideration. If not, then ignore it."
As a business owner, all you care about is providing valuable content and building relationships with your clients and prospects. That's all the people in your target audience care about, too. They don't care who generated the helpful information or whether it broke some arbitrary rule set by some early blogging adopters. They just appreciate being educated, entertained, or energized by what they find on your business blog.
Look at who the advice is coming from. If it's coming from someone chained to their keyboard, then you know that's advice you'll need to heavily filter or ignore altogether.
John-Paul Micek is the lead business coach at RPM Success Group Inc. Reach him at
JPM@RPMsuccess.com or toll-free at (888) 334-8151.
Deborah Cole Micek, chief executive officer of RPM Success Group, is a business success coach and life strategist. Reach her at
DCM@RPMsuccess.com or toll-free at (888) 334-8151.