Blog Usage and Strategy

Overview

A blog operates much like a “news” section might on a site in the sense you are creating time-stamped posts that are meant to convey a sense of presence and awareness. But because blogs often include additional functionality such as tagging, categorizing, and comments/reader involvements.

• Demonstrate knowledge of what you do
• Show users you are active and enthusiastic about your business
• Display a sense of awareness for your industry
• Provide valuable information for clients and readers
• Create a following which can be used for a wide range of marketing opportunities
• Spir community to get involved with your initiatives, and encourage them to continue the conversation

In addition, it's important to keep in mind that a blog is meant to ultimately attract people to your business, though it takes a slightly different approach than a lot of other conventional marketing methods. A successful blog will ultimately give readers who both are, and are not your current clients/customers, a sense that you know what you're doing and you can be trusted - This can be especially helpful in the industry of elderly care.

What To Post

A blog can be used to convey a wide range of information from news directly related to your business or to inspire conversation on a topic that is big in your industry. The key is finding things to talk about that are important to your readers - and remember, at the end of the day, you want your readers to feel like you know talking about. Here's a brief list of some suggested topics of posts, and how you might use them to your advantage:

• News at your company
  • If you have press releases or media coverage, a blog is a good place to post them.
• News in the industry
  • Is there anything happening in your industry that impacts your business or your clients/customers?
  • Are there any social movements or changes in laws that affect your business? What do you think of them?
• Useful or helpful information
  • How can people best take advantage of your product or service?
  • Are there any Do-it-yourself tactics your business can offer your readers?
  • Posts that demonstrate your particular expertise and knowledge in the industry.
• Theories/Ideas
  • In addition to delivering facts, you can also use a blog to convey ideas, theories and opinions.
  • What would you like to see changed in your industry as a whole?
  • How does your business positively benefit your community/audience?
  • Sneak peeks at upcoming features or releases from your company – how does your business see itself growing in the future?

A lot of people get caught up in the thought that they need to write about themselves, what they've been doing and what events they're attending in the future. While these are all perfectly viable and encouraged topics, its far from the only thing to write about. A successful blog will have articles covering a wide range of topics concerning your business, your ideas and your industry.

Here's an example, lets say you're a car manufacture. Naturally you'll want to write about the new line of car coming out, your successful last quarter, and your high rating of employee satisfaction. But you'll also want to demonstrate that you know all about your industry too. What are OTHER manufacturers doing? Has anything happened recently with emission laws that's interesting? How do you feel about hybrid gas/electric cars? Where do you see the industry going if that facility in Japan closes?

Writing about and showing an understanding for the industry around you will greatly improve your readership and credibility. Now, this doesn't mean you need to go far out of your way to gather information specifically to make a post. Many times, a blog post idea will come to you as you're reading another article in the morning. Maybe you hear a report on the radio on your commute home. Whatever inspires a thought you think is relevant to your business and want to communicate it to an audience.

When To Post

This is where a blog can become a double-edged sword. On one hand, an active blog will show users that you are an active participant in your community, you care about keeping your following informed and you DO in fact, have a running business. That said, a blog who's last post was dated December 10, 2010 could potentially hurt your business. It might lead to a reader saying “So....what have they been doing for the last couple years?” This is why it's important to keep your blog up to date.

At minimum, one post every two weeks for a small business is suggested. Obviously, as a small business owner, don't have the time to be writing a new post every day. Of course if you do, by all means, post away!

Also keep in mind that posts don't need to be novels. Sometimes, a blog post is just a paragraph long. Maybe you saw a video on youtube which you thought delivered a good point. Post a link to that video and write few words about your reaction and POST! Done. Again, a blog is meant to do a wide range of things and it's the little posts that often create the most value.

Community-Based Media

What makes a blog special is it's ability to involve the community. As with any social marketing outlet, a blog is fueled by it's readers.

Often, a “News” article will be meant to simply convey information while a blog is meant to start a conversation on a particular topic. For this reason it's important for your articles to have some sort of call to action, or call to response. At the end of your articles, present your thesis statement and pose a question to which readers can respond.

Another piece to consider when it comes to your readers involvement is your response. Monitor your posts and see what people are saying. As with social media, it's a good idea to respond to as much as you can. This will give your readers the sense that their voice is heard and that there is a bit of personality on the other end of their communications.

Finally, it's a good idea to consider cross-promotion between your social marketing avenues. When you make a post in your blog which maybe features a specific question or open-ended idea, make a post about it on your Facebook page and link to the post.

Know Your Readers and Write Accordingly

Different demographics consume content very differently. Some audiences prefer short posts about small details. Other are looking for detailed posts on a large topic. While others don't want to read at all and just want to look at pictures. Knowing who's reading your articles is important for growing and adjusting the way you write. A good way to tell what posts are effective are page views (using an analytics tool such as google analytics) and by people commenting on various posts.