Writing a Business Blog at myJournal
Recently I read series of blog postings at SEOmoz that dealt with blogging, it inspired me to write this article for existing and new members that will be coming onto myJournal. myJournal has been primarily set up to allow businesses, and individuals to promote their services and products via a system of blogs, networks, and showrooms. Many business leaders, owners and employees will join myJournal without knowing how to write a business blog. The purpose of this article is to give a few tips and ideas on writing a blog for your business.
Writing a corporate or business blog is not just about piling your thoughts on paper and then publishing it on your journal – it far more. Content, presentation, layout, and public perception of your business are keys in helping you write your post. The web is full of blogs written by individuals that have paid scant attention to detail and presentation and ultimately their fantastic blog post they have spent hours writing has ended up looking like a Times broadsheet or a page from the Magna Carta.
Keep the Journal Article Relevant
One of the posts I had read at SEOmoz was by Rand Fishkin talking about this very same subject. Rand went on to note that an important factor in business blogging is keeping the content relevant without being promotional – all too many business blogs will talk about their services and give their readers the impression that they are trying to sell to them – this can be put readers off as they will feel that the post is not of any great value and just another sales blog.
If we can’t sell our services, then why are we blogging?
Selling your services does not just come from selling the product, any good sales person will tell you that setting yourself up as an authority on all the areas based around your product will ultimately push your sales.
An example is a local auto garage near to me. In my free time I am bit of a sports car enthusiast and enjoy enhancing my engine subtly to give that extra kick in the horsepower. I went to a mechanics garage near to me who did a marvelous job on ‘chipping’ my engine. When I was leaving they asked if I would not mind if I could be added to their mail list for their latest updates on car customization. Of course I said yes and it was entirely opt-albeit by snail mail. Several weeks later I received their eight page newsletter ‘Out of Gear’ while it was neatly branded with their business logo, and logos of motor racing companies, the newsletter primarily talked about everything from best tips for driving in wet weather with low profile tyres, driving in Europe, and a lot of other interesting facts and news items.
Out of Gear also had a commentary section written by their owner who wrote a compelling article on “greedy auto insurance companies” that he believed were partly responsible for driving insurance prices up on sports cars. Reading this newsletter I never got the impression that I was being sold too, quite the opposite, in actual fact my impression was putting these guys as experts on everything auto. My mind was made up that if I wanted further parts for my car they would in fact be my first port of call.
The above should be translated into writing a blog post about your business – set yourself up as the authority in your given business area, “ make and create the news, be opinionated, talk about parallel markets that affect your business. Strive to be the source of news.”
Linking to your product
There is nothing wrong in selling your product but this can be achieved by your brand logo prominently placed at the top of your page, the occasional link to your services – don’t flood a page with links to your website, one link will suffice to a relevant area on your site based around the subject matter of your article.
Do not be afraid to link out to others web pages, even competitors, if someone is doing something good in your industry then shout about it – this will go towards creating good relations, while at the same time placing yourself in a stronger position of authority. It may also garner you a link back.
The following video will provide some very useful tips on corporate and business blogging:
Break Up Your Content
For a lot of readers seeing a long blog post or article can be quite a daunting task to read – and may put off some from reading the entire article. In this day and age of high speed internet, ADHD, and a culture that is becoming increasingly more impatient – it is a good idea to break up your article with images, diagrams, and maybe even video. It gives the reader a short breather before they dive in your next paragraph. It also looks good visually.
Enjoy Yourself
Don’t be put off by writing a blog, the mistake would be to believe its just another chore, enjoy writing about what you know best – most business owners or directors will have an insight into their business that others will not know – sharing this info will not only set you up in becoming a leader in your industry, it will also provide that warm fuzzy feeling that you have done something good for your industry.
