Small Biz Blog Wiz - Easy, Affordable and Productive Blogging for Small Businesses

Should You Start a Business Blog? Hell Yeah!

Sone great points, courtesy of Entrepreneur.com, that make the case for starting a business blog.

Link: Should You Start a Business Blog? - Entrepreneur.com - MSNBC.com

A blog allows your business to engage with current and potential customers in a direct, informal, no-pressure way. You can communicate the strengths of your product or service, the expertise of your top executives and the breadth of your company's experience in ways that traditional marketing and advertising don't allow. This can help engender a better understanding of your company as well as inspire customer loyalty.

Because of its collaborative nature, a blog can help you gain insight into customers' needs and interests. You can then use this information to develop new products or services or fine-tune existing ones.

A blog can make your company appear more "alive'' and approachable. A website promoting your products or services is an essential marketing tool. But a blog, in effect, gives your company a personal voice, which also can help boost customer loyalty.

Blogs cost little, if any, money. Some public blogging sites are free; others charge only nominal fees. Also, blogs are often extremely easy to set up and update, with virtually no training required.

Web Tool: Pageflakes Start Page Demo

Customizable, all-encompassing start pages are all the rage. Whether it's Netvibes, Google, Pageflakes or the numerous others on the scence, the start page is the focus of attention for a growing number of business, and rightfully so. The start page is, obviously, where nearly every single web session begins. It makes sense that this page has developed into a business model. But, how you can you benefit from these flexible fountains of information. Well, let's take a look at PageFlakes, courtesy fo the ScobleShow, to find out.

Daily Dose: Architect Builds Successful Blog

If the first thing that comes to your mind when I say, "architecture,"  is Art Vandelay, then you can jump ahead to the final paragraph of this post. For those who make their living as architects, and would like to make a better living, read on.

Architecture is something that people interact with all the time. I'm interacting with architecture as I write this post. Because we are all so close to architecture, a blog on the topic by an expert in the field should be easy to craft, right? Well, not so fast.  Architecture is not something people go out and buy. I certainly don't visit Google looking to drop a few bucks on a little architecture. Architects have a bit more challenging scenario for their business blogs.

The most obvious post topic for an architect is building reviews. Tell us why that new downtown building is so stunning, or how that giant new mega-mall is an architectural bust. People love buildings and love learning about them. An architectural blog should take this and run with it.

But, what else should our local Art Vandelay write about? I'd like to hear about the psychological and social impacts of architecture. How about tips for small, simple architectural projects at home. An architect could also dispense daily advice on how to better appreciate and enjoy architecture. Of course, architecture is in the news everyday, and that should be considered as a regular source of topics to fuel your blog and your business.

Non-architects that need to be considered a local expert on an issue can learn a few valuable blogging lessons from this post. Look for topics on your niche right in front of you. Whether it's buildings, airplanes, roads or anything else used daily by the masses, if your business is catered around something that people are intimately familiar with, then you should use that positive association to build trust and credibility. Blog generously with reviews, educational back-grounders and information regarding how people can better adopt your business niche into their lives. Show people the interesting aspects of things they see and use every day and they will come back to you every day for more.

Daily Dose: Running Blog Goes All the Way

I love running (as in jogging) stores. I love to run so I could spend all day in a good running store, gazing all the new accessories, trying on new shoes, chatting with other runners, etc. I'm sure the owner of my local running store would love to be able to market to me even when I'm not in the store. They could do just that with a blog for their running store. But when they get back from their run, what should they blog about? Well that's easier than a 30-minute 5K, which is to say it's doable but it takes consistent effort, quality planning and a whole lot of stick-to-it-ness.

The most obvious thing to blog about is, well, running. No, not "Running good; Sitting bad." I'm talking about something like "Four mile group run next Thursday, everyone's invited!" Make your store the gathering place for your particular niche. A half-dozen or more runners showing up at your store every Thursday at 5:30pm is a thing of beauty. Get connected with those folks and keep them connected via your blog.

Training, races and other events should also be seriously considered using the ideas mentioned above. Take your products out of the picture and make your place THE place for local runners to be involved and you'll on your way to a business PR (Personal Record, for you walkers out there).

How about offering your blog readers exclusive in-store sales and promo items? You could post a 3-day promo for all men's size 9.5 New Balance shoes, for example. Get the stuff in your store directly into the hands of the right customers by giving your blog readers fast, easy, organized access to what you've got. Of course, keep the meat of the content about local running issues, races, news and tips to ensure your blog has continued value to its repeat visitors (your most important blog visitor).

Couch potatoes, there is hope for you! Strap on a pair of sneakers and...oh no, I mean, start making your blog the gathering place for local customers. Fill your niche entirely. Draw people in through your blog, give them reasons to show up at your door and offer them as-customized-as-possible information quickly and easily. It'll make you a star on or off the track.

Daily Dose: Baking Profits Into Your Blog

The warm, comforting confines of your neighborhood bakery is a great polace to cook up some top quality blog posts.

Open source your bakery by giving away recipes of your most popular items. Solicit recipes from visitors. Old, family recipes for baked goods are among the most delicious treats on earth. Get your customers involved and they will loyally re-pay you, and re-pay you and re-pay you.

Top-quality bakeries that do their baking in-house can offer visitors to their blog a true behind-the-scenes look incorporating video, audio and and traditional text-based posts. These bakers are artisans whose fans love to see the masters at work. Offer a people a perspective they don't often see and make it tough to forget your little bakery or any other small business.

For the legions of non-bakers, how could giving your audience a behind-the-scenes peak help build interest and loyalty? A picture tells a thousand words but video tells the true story. And while you're at, don't be shy with what makes you great. Share your brilliance liberally. Engage others so you can share in their brilliance. Get people interested and the money flows with ease.

Daily Dose: Blogging Barista Brews Big Bucks

Coffee shops are not known the most inviting places in the world for outsiders. In some coffee houses elitism a whiff of elitism mixes with the wonderful coffee aroma in the air. That's not so wonderful. Many independent coffee shops teeter on the brink of survival every month. Surely, they'd like to be more inviting to prospective customers. Maybe they should brew up some fresh blog posts along with the flavor of the day to entice some new customers through the door and develop more meaningful relationships with current clientele.

A coffee shop not only serves the community - it is a microcosm of the community. It is a gathering place where people can chat with other community members, exchange ideas, relax and feel connected to others. Wait. Is this a coffee shop or a blog? Well, a blog is community-oriented, it connects people together AND it promotes the business. A blog fits a coffee shop very well since they have key similarities at the core of the value they provide. So for the first rule, all coffee shop owners must blog!

Great, then what?

Independent coffee shops are gourmet establishments. Convey this luxury gourmet paradigm through in-depth posts tracking the origin of certain beans, the story of the coffee, the essence of what you're serving up with every cup sold. The high-end lifestyle is on the rise and the blogging barista can easily adopt to this strong desire.

Luxurious and refined yet warm and inviting. Ah, the challenge of the coffee blogger. How about coffee trivia to make the aficionados feel smart and the newbies more knowledgeable? Seasonal variations and myriad of flavors are also great ways to introduce people to the wonderful world of true coffee house coffee. And be sure to remind people that the coffee house is a great meeting place for business, friends, clubs, etc. - bascially, all the peopple that make up the community.

For you non-coffee drinkers, does your business have a luxurious reputation? If so, show it off tactfully. Need to invite more people into your high-end lifestyle service or product? Make them feel welcome while also being careful not to alienate more experienced users.

The Daily Dose will be back on Monday. Have a wonderful weekend!

Daily Dose: Blogging Public Relations Firm Raises Its Profile & Profits

Public relations firms are always looking for a special hook to drive more attention to their clients. But would could a public relations firm blog about in order to draw a little attention to themselves without distracting from their clients' messages?

PR firms have a strategic advantage because they have an endless supply of blogging material. A PR blogger needs to establish him or herself as an expert thinker, someone who concocts attention-grabbing tactics, offers expert analysis and does it all right now, on-the-spot.

Daily analysis and insight of the ups-and-downs of various public relations campaigns should be fairly easy for a PR pro as the campaigns play out in the public eye for all to see. Whether it's sports, politics, entertainment or business, the blogging public relations guru can ascend to the top of the pile by simply doing what they do best on a daily basis - offering their sage PR advice and analysis to the world.

Another idea for the PR crowd is to blog about case studies. What has worked for your clients? Has there been a particularly successful campaign that grabbed headlines, hearts and tons of attention? Blog about your big wins. Blog about other people's big wins. Tipping your hat to a competitor for a job well done is an act of pure class and will set you apart from 90% of other practitioners of the dark art of PR, while establising you as someone who knows a quality campaign when you see it.

But, what about all you folks engaged in businesses other than public relations? Could you offer a daily analysis that would demonstrate to prospects that you're a thought leader within your industry? Your insight could open doors with clients, colleagues and competitors. Thing back to your last major achievement or breakthrough client victory. Take what you've learned from your successes, blog about it and let the world benefit from your genius. There may be no easier way to grow your business.

Daily Dose: Diamond Bloggers Are a Girl's Best Friend

I admit it. On Christmas Eve, there I was...bending over to gaze into the warm glass cases at the jewelry store quickly (oops, I mean carefully) picking out a gift for my wife. After finding something nice and making my way through the check-out maze, I had the diamond earings beautifully gift-wrapped for free at the store while enjoying a complimentary cappuccino. As I stood there I thought, "Good thing this guy didn't blog about free gift-wrapping and coffee - this place would be packed!" Blogging promotions and seasonal sales are crucial blog topics for all small businesses but what else could a jewelery store owner blog about?

A diamond blogger (how's that for A-list?) could be explaining the in's-and-out's of precious stones one day then blogging about how to properly insure those treasures the next day. Of course, once they're paid for and insured, your jewelery needs to be cleaned and properly maintained to ensure a lifetime of exquisiteness. An ambitious jewelery store owner could enlighten others on how to correctly clean their jewels or invite blog readers down for a free cleaning, thereby getting people into the store, or even hold a cleaning and maintenance demo.

People truly treasure the jewelry in their lives, especially family heirlooms. I'm a sucker for a good story and family heirlooms tell GREAT stories. Tell their stories and show pictures of the stunning pieces that have made their way through the generations. Give people a chance to talk about themselves, their families and the things they treasure and you will have lifelong customers and profits. How could you, the non-jeweler, get customers talking about themselves and the things they love all within the context of your product or service? Click here to find out.

Daily Dose: Big Hair, Big Blog, Big Business

Gotten your hair done recently? I have and I was happy just to walk out of there just looking presentable for work the next day. Most of you have probably felt the same way at one time or another. Surely, a forward-thinking salon owner who decided to setup a blog could help ease customers' anxiety and educate them about what styles may look best.

Helping people discreetly understand what would make them look better, essentially taking away the fear of looking bad, could make for some high-traffic blogging. Maybe our blogging barber or barberette could consider offering prom-time and wedding-season hair advice. Know that it's going to be super humid tomorrow? Blog a few tips tonight on how folks can weather the stickiness and have a good hair day.

Celebrity culture is at a dizzying high in mainstream America. Salon bloggers should be taking advantage of this. How about celebrity hair style reviews live from, say the Golden Globes. Our blogger could be simply watching the red carpet show on E! giving real-time rundowns of celebrity hair styles, and throw in some tips for non-celebs based on those trendy Hollywood looks!

The topics for salon bloggers just keep growing since people will always need to cut their hair and want to look good. For all you non-hair stylists, are your customers or prospects a little anxious about doing business with you? Do you have the power, yes power, to make somebody look really good or really bad. Harness that power by using a blog to calm your customers, helping them understand what they need and watching your profits soar.

Daily Dose: Bookstore Bloggers Sell More Books

The bookstore is the perfect place to find passionate, informed customers, ready to spend good money on the latest offerings. It stands to reason that with a customer-base like the one described, all bookstores should be blogging. Many are not (yet), but for those that choose to take the plunge, what should they blog about?

Book reviews are an industry unto themselves. In some cases, a quality review can equal or even outshine the book. Book readers (ahem, book buyers) crave book reviews - reviews help fuel the madness for their tomes! No independent bookstore worth its rent will pass up blogging book reviews. They should even go a step further invite a few rabidly loyal customers to guest blog a book review once-a-month. And what about offering online forums dedicated to a certain book, local authors, etc.?

Speaking of local authors, many bookstores have weekly reading and signings. Can you say "exclusive invitation to blog readers?" I think so, especially if that means more people showing up at readings and standing in the cash register line.

Bookstores have a universe of topics at their fingertips, literally? But, do you have knowledgeable, passionate customers who would like to be a little more involved? Could you make the top 20% of your clients feel a bit more exclusive and in-the-know?

Of course you could - with a blog.