Feb
THE 10 MYTHS OF BLOGGING - PART 1
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone ’round and ’round with small biz owners and entrepreneurs about the importance and value of having a blog. It’s an easy and FREE way to market your business! When money is tight and other resources slim, blogging is the fastest and cheapest way to drive traffic to your website and market your business or service.Most people seem to have the same silly objections to blogging, so I’m going to dispel them one-by-one. There’s so much info here that I’d thought I’d go easy on you and break Common Blog Myths into a couple of different posts for you. Here are the first 5:
Myth #1: Aren’t blogs just for teenagers writing diaries for themselves?
- Most people who don’t “get” blogs have never read professional blogs. Most of the magazines and newspapers you read have them now; visit their websites and check out the blogs! There’s no better proof that blogs aren’t just for teenagers any more!
- The main thing to realize is that your professional blog should be about you and your expertise, your business or your industry.
- If you are brand new to blogs, and aren’t sure of their ultimate power, check out some of the most popular blogs on the planet. These blogs boast more than one million visitors a day: The Truth Laid Bear and Technorati.
- Also check out the blogs of small businesses. Some good ones: Eat My Words, and Three Girls Media & Marketing Inc.…and of course the one you’re reading now is brilliant!
Myth #2: I don’t think that my company needs a blog/blogs aren’t popular in my industry.
- Whether you think so or not, if you want to be on the cutting edge of marketing your business, YOU NEED A BLOG!
- If they aren’t popular in your industry, this is your opportunity to come out as an innovator in your field – why be a follower when you can be a leader.
Myth #3: Blogging takes too much time.
- Ok, this is a LAME excuse! Solid small business blogs can be maintained for about 10-15 minutes a day. If you’ve got time to go to Starbuck’s 3 times a week, you’ve got time to blog! While you may not have a “extra” hour in your work week as it is, this may be the best 60 marketing minutes of your week!
- Blogs don’t have to be updated everyday, but at least 2-3-times a week is key.
Myth #4: Creating a blog is hard.
- So is starting your own business, but you did that didn’t you?! I assure you, creating a blog is far easier!
- There are dozens of companies that make blogging platforms that take about 15 minutes to set up and allow you to start posting as easily as writing an email - really!
- To make creating a blog easier, use Typepad.com, or Blogger.com. These are both basic FREE blogs that are very easy to set up and use. You could literally be blogging in less than a ½ hour…
Myth #5: Writing a blog is hard.
- It doesn’t have to be! If you can write an email to a friend, then you’re good enough to write a blog post. Blogs fall under a unique writing protocol - hard-core writing expertise isn’t expected.
- It’s not like you’re being asked to write a research paper! Blog posts don’t have to be long to be effective.
- Readers are accepting of less-than-professional writing if they are finding information that is important to them.
- Ok, maybe you aren’t the best person at your company to write your blog. There is absolutely nothing that says a small business blog has to be written by the owner or CEO. In fact, some of the best small business blogs are written by several of the employees of the company. The Three Girls Blog & PR 101 Blog are great examples!
