Good Marketing Tip #229: Start a Blog

Today's good marketing tip is: Start a Blog.  By doing so you can quickly and easily improve search engine rankings, expand your reach and build a following.  There are many free and inexpensive ways to start a blog and it doesn't require a great deal of internet marketing knowledge.

Free services like Blogger and WordPress are well known in blogging circles. These two programs are used to create free blogs that essential work as content management systems allowing you to make posts, updates, control web pages, and come with tons of additional features.

There are many benefits to blogging.  The first is that by adding a blog to your website, you're creating additional exposure to your products, services, and information.  As your blog starts showing up in search results, you generate more traffic to your site and can quickly build a list of followers.

Individuals can choose to follow the posts on your blog via an RSS feed or via email. Each time you make a post, they receive a notification and can easily view your content.  This type of system allows you to push out valuable information on a regular basis - essential for building and maintaining customer loyalty.

In addition to building a following, having a blog can actually improve your search engine rankings. Search engines like Yahoo and Bing like to see social media sites related to a particular website.  This means that you are interacting with your audience and creating a great user experience.  Additionally, once you are posting original content on a regular basis, you start to generate inbound links.

In bound links are essential for improvements in your search rankings.  As sites attract more inbound links, Google and other search engines see this as a vote of confidence.  The more sites that are voting for you the more weight your site has and therefore will appear more readily at the top of search engine result lists.

Whether you've been blogging for a long time or are new to the blogging phenomenon, be sure to make blogging an integral part of your overal marketing plan.  Being found online is the first step towards building a successful business either online or offline.

Read more »

Posted in: blogging

Today's Marketing Tip: Start A Blog!

I love blogging. If you haven't already heard of blogs or even considered starting one of your own, now is the time to give it considerable thought. Blogging is fun and can help drive visitors to your main website. In addition to the blog you're reading I also blog at The Marketing Blog.

You can start your very own blog in as little as 3 easy steps. After hearing about the popularity of blogs and learning about the multiple benefits of creating a blog, I set out to start my own. After doing some additional research, I found a number of popular sites that actually let you create and host your own blog at no charge. What's even better is that the process of creating your blog is incredibly fast and simple. I suppose this is why blogging has become some popular.

Step 1: Choose a Purpose or Topic

One of the most important things you can do to ensure a quality blog is to determine the purpose of your blog and the topic you will be writing about. For example, a number of individuals who host blogs do so for the purpose of sharing their ideas on a particular topic. Others are simply looking for an outlet to make posts on just about anything- without a real agenda. Often times, these individuals are simply looking to drive Adsense revenue.

Regardless of the purpose you choose, select a topic that provides you the flexibility to contribute on a regular basis. Often times you will develop ideas for your next post based on the comments of others. This is one of the best ways to develop new content that is relevant to your readers.

Step 2: Select a Blog Provider

There are a number of websites that offer free blogs. However, the two largest and easiest to use are Blogger.com and WordPress.com. These sites have millions of users and have been offering free blogs for some time. The benefit of using established blogging hosts is the reliability and ease of use you can expect. I personally use Blogger for my marketing blog. The service is very easy to use - even for a web novice like me.

Step 3: Launch Your Blog

If you're selecting Blogger to launch your blog, all you do is simply create an account, name your blog, and choose a template. From there, you can begin posting to your blog immediately. Many of the blog providers, like Blogger give you the ability to choose from a number of blog templates. Advanced users can design their own blog template.

Wordpress, another blogging tool is also very simple to use. After creating a username and entering your email address, you create a blog name and title. You'll receive a confirmation email that provides instructions on how to begin.

Once you've launched your blog and made a number of posts, you should really focus on generating traffic. Not only will the traffic support any online business you may be supporting, but it can also improve the overall quality of your weblog.

Some simple techniques for generating traffic to your blog include:

• Registering your Blog with DMOZ and other Blog Directories
• Designing your blog for search engine optimization
• Generating Links to your blog via link exchange and article marketing
• Updating content on a daily basis
• Establishing a pay-per-click budget

One thing you'll find about starting you own blog is that blogging is both simple and fun. As you develop a loyal readership, you'll find blogging to be a great learning experience as well. Simply put, there no reason why you shouldn't start blogging today.

Read more »

Posted in: blogging

Today's Marketing Tips: 7 Reasons To Start Blogging

Today's marketing tips are all about blogging. Blogs are a great way to promote your products, services, and communicate with current and future customers. Maintaining or posting to a blog is very rewarding a carries a variety of benefits. Let's cover some basic marketing tips and corresponding benefits:

Marketing Tips #1.

Blogs are easy to create. Unlike starting your own website, weblogs can be created in just a few minutes. Sites like Blogger allow you to register and start your own blog for free. All you need is an email and a topic to start blogging about.

Marketing Tips #2.
Blogs provide a dialogue with prospects, customers, and friends. Blogs are now being used as a communication vehicle to share important information with customers. Because blogs can be updated in real time, businesses are finding weblogs to be one of the quickest and most accurate ways to distribute their message.

Marketing Tips #3.
Blogs are here to stay. Blogging gives you the ability to publish your thoughts in real time, whenever and where they like. If you enjoy writing, want to share your ideas, or even learn more about a particular subject, contribute to a blog on a regular basis. Now that blogs have become popular, you can find blog directories that can help you locate weblogs by category. Find one aligned to your interests and post your comments.

Marketing Tips #4
Blogs can drive traffic to your website. Using a blog, associated with a particular topic, can drive additional traffic to your website. This is essential for anyone seeking new leads for their business or interested in generating online sales.

The benefit of using a blog to generate traffic is that weblogs attract a different type of user - one that is very focused on a particular subject. These users are more prone to take interest in what you have to offer and convert into customers.

Marketing Tips #5.
Blogs give you the flexibility to post whenever, wherever, 24/7. When authoring a blog, all you need is an Internet enabled PC to post an entry. This level of flexibility removes many of the barriers associated with traditional forms of communication. Some blogs even allow you to make a post via email. Simply construct an email and send it to the blog address and the result is an instant post to your blog.

Marketing Tips #6.
Establish yourself as an expert. By keeping a blog up-to-date, and contributing in an area where you have experience, you can quickly build your reputation as an expert. Once you've establish yourself as having knowledge in a particular subject area, you can begin contributing to other web sources such as news articles and interviews.

Marketing Tips #7
Generate Ad Revenue. The beauty of a blog is that you can attract those interested in a very specific subject area. This is an ideal market for online pay-per-click advertising like Google Adsense. You can easily integrate Google Adsense into your blog - many blog hosts provide it as a built in option- and generate ad revenue. This is a great way to provide value to your readers while generating revenue for your business.

These are just some of the benefits of creating and contributing to blogs. You will find that weblogs are a great way to share information with others who share similar interests. Its also a great opportunity to learn from others who comment on posts. This is one of the most rewarding aspects of creating your very own blog. So what are you waiting for, start blogging!

Check back daily for more helpful marketing tips. If you have any marketing tips you'd like to share, please comment on this post.

Read more »

Posted in: blogging