"Ready to blog? Here's some advice"

Blogs, blogs, blogs. They’re everywhere. Search engine Technorati recently counted almost 113 million of them filling the blogosphere. According to iBlog Paducah (iblogpaducah.com), nearly 40 are right here in McCracken County.

Last month, we showcased how seven local bloggers adopt this easy-to-use publishing platform to promote their products and services. By setting up a blog through Blogger, WordPress, TypePad or a similar free or fee-based service, you, too, can increase the visibility of your business and Web site, form closer customer and employee relationships, share information instantly and position yourself as a subject matter expert.

Ready to get your blog on? Our local authorities offer these tips:

Ensure you’re ready to commit
Blogs are a bit like gettin’ hitched. If you’re not 100 percent sure you’re ready for the altar, back away.

“Start a blog only if you’re sure you have the time and talent to devote to it - it can be quite time-consuming,” says Green Turtle Bay Resort Marketing Director Laura Thornton, who typically works on Laura K at the Bay (laurakatthebay.blogspot.com) in the evenings. “It’s important to post every day or every few days. If readers check your blog and don’t see any new posts, they’ll become bored.”

Sharpen your focus
Think carefully about the purpose of your blog and the audience you want to reach, and then post accordingly. Fans flock to Patience-please (patience-please.blogspot.com) because they like to read Patience Renzulli’s humorous and touching stories about her nine whippets. Renzulli rarely strays from her tail-wagging topic.

“Before I publish any post, I question whether it is worthy of my readers’ time,” she says. “Is it entertaining, informative and/or interesting? Does it engage and involve my readers? If not, I don’t post it.”

Brand your blog
Your blog should complement the rest of your marketing materials, including your Web site. Consultant Donna-Maria Walker’s Not-A-Cog Blog (donnamariawalker.blogspot.com) has the same look, feel and tone as her Web site, donnamariawalker.com. While Walker’s Web site describes her various services, she uses her blog to demonstrate how those services benefit her clients.

Include a link from your site to your blog and vice versa. Walker has her blog link right on her Web site home page.

Get your grammar down
If you were a little shaky in Miss Anderson’s senior English class, you may want to reconsider a blog - or at least have someone proofread your posts. A poorly written blog will reflect poorly on you and your business. “If you aren’t familiar with the basic rules of grammar and punctuation, you may come off looking less intelligent than you really are,” says Ashley Sanders of First Impressions Maternity & Baby (firstimpressionsbaby.blogspot.com).

Brainstorm your headlines
Studies show that most folks read headlines, but only exceptionally good headlines carry them through to the whole story. Bizzyville (bizzyblogging.blogspot.com) readers always find short, snappy headers above every post. Bizzy recommends the “Magnetic Headlines” series from CopyBlogger (copyblogger.com/magnetic-headlines) for pointers.

Post and promote
Ready to publish? Go for it, and publicize your blog just as you publicize your Web site. Send e-mails to your target audience, mention it every chance you get and add the blog address to all your marketing materials - including your business card.
Submit your url to blog search engines like Technorati, as well as to local sites. iBlog Paducah, mentioned earlier, lists all McCracken County-area blogs at no charge. My June column, “You’re wired, but now where’s all your traffic,” offers yet more ideas.

Bond with other bloggers
The Web is all about interconnections - so don’t isolate your blog unto itself. If you find something on someone else’s blog that your readers might enjoy, mention it in a post and link to it. And similarly, if a fellow blogger mentions your blog, leave a thank-you comment and then link to it from your blog. You won’t lose readers by introducing them to other bloggers. In fact, you’ll likely gain more.

When Bill Renzulli launched Reflections on a Life in Medicine & Art (williamfrenzullimd.blogspot.com), he searched for similar blogs and left comments on posts he found interesting. Because his comments included a link back, Renzulli saw an increase in traffic to his own blog. “You have to leave genuine, thoughtful comments, though,” he advises. “If you’re only trying to get people to click over to your blog, they’ll see right through that.”

Keep it honest
Similarly, readers can tell when you’re trying to sell something. So either be upfront about it or avoid the temptation altogether. “Don’t put a spin on everything,” says the Market House Theatre’s Michael Cochran, whose behind-the-scenes MHT Director (mhtdirector.blogspot.com) blog reveals the many challenges - and the many rewards - of community theatre.

“When I blog, I’m not thinking about trying to sell tickets to shows. I’m simply sharing what we’re doing on a day-to-day basis,” Cochran notes. “If my blog helps attract more people to the theatre, that’s a great by-product. But it’s not the main purpose of the blog.”

Blogs and the news media
Whether you decide to blog or not, remember that a favorable mention on a popular blog is great publicity. Reach out to bloggers who might be interested in news about your business. Ask if you can add them to your media list. You’ll likely be surprised by how quickly your great news will spread from blog to blog before it’s covered by the traditional media.
And if you do decide to jump into the blogosphere yourself, remember to return the favor.
 
Mary Thorsby runs ilistpaducah.com, Paducah’s community events calendar, and its accompanying blog, ilistpaducah.blogspot.com.