Remember a few years ago when the word ‘blog' could create a “huh?” moment? Today, blogs have become a primary way for us to learn, stay current, be entertained and find products and services that we need and want. There are hundreds of thousands of bloggers who write for many reasons: to express passion; to reach a targeted, closed circle; to entertain; to be heard; to promote a business, product or service; to express opinions; the reasons go on and on.
Blogs or weblogs can be hosted on a popular blogging site (such as Blogger) or they can appear as part of your website. A living, current forum, blogs are far more lively and useful than a static website that does not change and move with the times and seasons. You have probably been informed or helped by a blog. Can you think of a time when you were searching for something you had heard of or wanted more information on and when you looked at the search results, your eyes passed directly over the commercial links containing your searched subject and went straight to the link for someone talking smack about an item or praising it? Search engines crawl through the content of these blogs and when searched, offers links that are relevant.
Let's take a blogger who is a seamstress. She is simply excited about her new Singer sewing machine. She is so thrilled, she takes to the blogosphere to tell the world how awesome its serge features are and how easy it is to operate. She may mention the name and model of her new machine, maybe she even inserts a picture of it. She has nothing to gain from promoting the sewing machine except to help out her fellow sewing buddies and to express her own personal satisfaction.
However, this blogger/seamstress unknowingly just became a sales person. When others are searching for a new Singer sewing machine, her blog post may pop up in one of those searches. Because she is not a professional blogger for Singer and has experienced the benefits of this machine personally and noted it in her blog, she maintains the credibility that every vendor desires. Think Yelp or Urbanspoon for restaurants. As a blogger, you want to aim for this same credibility without overtly selling your services.
As you begin to blog, think about experiences or stories you can tell that are true, that have useful information to share and that leave the reader more and better informed than before they read your post. If you have photos or videos to share, all the better! So get blogging!
Helping businesses be found on the internet, one blog post at a time.
