Where to Start with Your Business Blog

A business blog offers you an ideal way to communicate with your customers. It also attracts new potential customers to your company's website. So, how do you get started with your business blog? Here are a few things to plan out, before you set pen to paper or finger to keyboard.

 

Define Your Target Audience

Before you get started, it's important to define as precisely as possible your target audience. Ask yourself these questions:

• Who are you writing to?
• What do they expect from your blog?
• How do they like to digest information?
• How do they see themselves?

Create a profile for your ideal reader. Make an actual individual human being and write directly to them. Of course, don't limit yourself; you'll reach beyond your target market as well. But if you try to appeal to too broad an audience, you’ll end up capturing the attention of no one.

 

Your Blog's Goal

Define a clear goal for your blog and make it as specific as possible. It may be to simply inform your customers, or to generate traffic for your site. Although you may have a few goals, pick one that's the overriding one. Write down this goal and make sure you have a way to measure it (for example, a certain number of new prospects per week, etc.). Keep it flexible and modify it if you need to.

 

Naming Your Blog 

The name is a big consideration and it may take some time to think of a good one. Brainstorm a big list and narrow it down. Don't just use your company's name as the name of the blog. Make it something creative that's related to your company. For example, your catering business's blog might be called something like, 'Chef's Corner.' It should stand out. Include keywords in it if possible.

 

Brainstorm Categories

Brainstorm the first four or five categories that you'll blog about. Pick some specific areas within your niche that people might be interested in learning about. One category can be introducing your products or services, or showing customers how they can benefit from them. You should also load up your blog with the first few posts before you launch it. Take some of the common questions your customers ask and answer them. Turn these answers into posts.

 

Choose Keywords

It always helps to have some high-search keywords in your blog posts. Use Google Adword's free Keyword Planner tool for ideas. You don't have to spend too much time on keyword research for every post. Just make a list of keywords that get a fair number of searches per month and use them naturally in your posts.

 

Design and Hosting

Decide whether you'll hire a company to do your design and hosting, or you'd prefer to do it yourself using WordPress, Blogger or another blog platform. Using a platform yourself is the cheap and easy way to go, but using a hosting company gives you more flexibility and options. You can always start with a free platform and roll your blog over to a hosting company later.

 

Set Your Schedule

Set up an initial blogging schedule. It doesn't matter how often you blog as long as you do it consistently. For example, add a new post each week. Monitor your results and adjust your schedule accordingly.

 

It's easy to set up a business blog and get it going. When you're writing for it, always remember to try and engage your readers. Encourage them to comment and take action. Your blog is a two-way communication tool between you and your customers.