Archive for the 'Blog Stuff' Category

Businesses are Asking: To Blog or Not to Blog?

Saturday, August 9th, 2008

That’s the question lots of people are asking – and the answers are as varied as all the blogs out there in cyberspace.
Oh, and in case you don’t know what blogs are, they’re web logs that are updated regularly, sometimes daily, kind of like an online diary. Even if you’re aware of blogs, you may have thought they were reserved for your teenage daughter…but think again!

Millions and millions

Blogs are growing like … well … blogs. Literally hundreds of corporations now have their own blogs. If you’re thinking names like Microsoft, Cisco, Sun Microsystems and IBM, you’re right. But add to that some surprising bloggers, including Boeing, P.R. firms Hill & Knowlton and Burson-Marsteller, Stone Creek Coffee Roasters and even a Savile Row Tailor, Thomas Mahon, and you’ll get an idea of just how big the idea of creating on-line logs has become.

In fact, there are more than 9 million blogs out there, with 40,000 new ones popping up each day. Admittedly, some are just plain silly (and not just those teenage girls). But even assuming that 99.9% aren’t worth reading, that leaves at least 40 new ones – every single day – that could be talking to your customers or engaging your employees.

So, what does it all mean for business?

Blogs have evolved into the latest approach to web content. Whether blogging is a here-today, gone-tomorrow fad or proves to be a new way to communicate with customers – either existing or potential – remains to be seen, but it deserves at least a closer examination.

Many companies under pressure to keep website content fresh and attractive think blogs are the answer. Innovative content is becoming a must for online businesses, both to be found by search engines and to give visitors a reason to return (and to buy).

Business blogs let companies give customers industry news and tell them how their products can be beneficial. And the fact that copy is updated daily increases the chances that search engines will find your site.

Ready to jump on the bandwagon?

If you decide to use a blog for your business, you must set a schedule and stick to it. Tell your readers what to expect and when to expect it. Blogs can direct attention to areas of your business that you want to showcase. You manage the content, but let your readers and customers guide you.

Blogs may or may not be for you, but you can’t afford to ignore them, because they’re changing how businesses communicate. Deciding to blog or not to blog is undoubtedly your decision, but keep in mind that ideas circulate at warp speed and customers are always out there, sniffing around for deals. And thousands of companies are looking at ways to collect ideas from blogs, dust ads into them, and even determine what their competitors are up to.

Whatever you do, have fun and good luck!

Allison Nazarian is president and chief copywriter of Get It In Writing, a Florida-based company that helps businesses nationwide harness the power of words to sell, inform and publicize. Allison can be reached at 561.487.3917 or anazarian@getitinwriting.biz.

Copyright© Get It In Writing, Inc. May be reprinted without permission of Get It In Writing, Inc and Allison Nazarian if in full, unchanged format and with complete attribution to author.

Blogs Explained

Monday, August 4th, 2008

It seems like Blogs are everywhere these days. You can’t seem to surf the Internet without seeing the word Blog somewhere. The intent of this article is to explain the basics what a Blog is and how you can use them to help promote your business and gain valuable information quicker that surfing the Internet.


The word Blog is short for web log. Basically a Blog is just an area set aside you to write articles that can easily be accessed with a special program called a RSS reader. In case you’re wondering RSS stands for real simple syndication.


When you set up a Blog you select a template that will house your information. Once you have the Blog set up you can post whatever information you like. It’s really a fast way to get your articles and information up on the web and the templates look great! You don’t have to mess with all the technical end of getting something up on a web page (HMTL layout, FTP, ect…). The real cool thing about Blogs is that you can get the software to read them for free. Also, you can set up an account and create your own Blog for free!

One thing I should note is, you can read Blogs with your standard browser and post comments on the content of the Blog. An optional way to read Blogs is by using a RSS reader program. You simply subscribe to whichever Blogs that you want to and they are available immediately in the reader. Personally I like to use the reader because you have all of the Blogs that your interested in one place and you don’t have surf all over the Internet to read them.

The free reader that I use can be downloaded here: http://www.rsspublisher.com/.
To get your very own free Blog, which you can post to go to: http://www.blogger.com/start.
I think you will find that they are very easy to set up and post to.


The are many advantages that Blogs offer over a web site or ezine.


1. You don’t have to mess with an HTML layout. You just post your info and the info looks wonderful because the Blog uses the template that you set up.


2. You can post as often as you like. I can’t imagine that I would send an email to my ezine every day but with a Blog you can post as much as you would like.


3. Email spam filters do not block Blogs because they are not an email communication.


4. You can make as many Blogs as you like on any subject.


I hope this will help you start your own Blog and officially start you down the road to being a Blogger!

***************************************
Steve Veloudos owns and operates Zebra Music LLC. It’s a one stop shop for jingles, radio production, custom music, library music, and sound design. Visit Steve’s web site and get free monthly music that you can use for your productions.
http://www.zebramusic.com
zebra24@msn.com
480-540-7768
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Blogs As A Marketing Tool

Friday, August 1st, 2008

Blogs are the biggest things to happen to the Internet since personal home pages. Blogging software has made it easy for the average Joe to create his own blog,and the thriving community of bloggers have spurred designers to release completely free, and professionally looking templates.

However, other than being personal journals, blogs are a fantastic way to market your product or service. For example, you can create a blog about your company and the latest happenings, or what the management is doing. Or you could create a blog that showcases the development of your product, and the ways that it can improve someone’s daily life.

Using such inexpensive, low-maintenance technology to market your e-commerce site – without having to learn HTML or any of that gibberish – can create an awareness for your brand that conventional advertising can’t, and you can typically do it for less than $10 a month.

Either way, it is a site that your readers will appreciate for your honesty and the way that you put across your business/product/service. Typically blogs are a very casual medium, and are completely different from your usual corporate websites. Think of it as if you are conducting a conversation, and you will have a good idea of how a blog should be. Do not make the mistake of making your blog one big sales letter though! That will just create the opposite effect of what you want – turning off your readers and dismissing your blog instantly.

If you do it correctly, your blog will soon be improving your business’s reputation, and you will be getting more traffic over time. You will also have a great community of readers to bounce new product ideas or changes off. The more traffic you get to your blog, the more business you should be expecting. The thing about blogs is that they generate a lot of word-of-mouth recommendations, which are a great form of getting new customers, since they hear about you from a trusted source.

Before you begin blogging, you will have to make a choice of blogging software to use. There are paid service providers such as Blogware’s Blogtex, Expression Engine, or TypePad, which gives you everything from the software to the hosting service. Alternatively, you can also use free blog software such as or WordPress, which is just as powerful, and install them on your own web servers.

EzineArticles Expert Author Alvin Poh

Alvin Poh has been specialising in web development, content distribution, advertising and marketing strategies since 1995. His goal is to provide practical information based upon his years of experience to help webmasters, website designers, and self-employed people achieve their goals in today’s competitive Internet. At his site, you can learn how to make money online.

How to Write Effective Copy for Your Company’s Blog

Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008

Weblogs, more commonly known as blogs, are spreading feverishly across the Internet. According to Robyn Aber of Cisco Systems Inc., about four million blogs populate the Web. Though most private individuals maintain blogs, many companies are beginning to launch company blogs to communicate and interact with their clients, customers, and the public.

How can you create a company blog that outshines and outlasts every other blog? And how do you hypnotize readers to keep coming back? This article provides tips to write effective, attention-arresting blog copy and shows how you can develop reader and customer loyalty.

1. WRITE CONVERSATIONALLY.

The most engaging blogs speak to their audience in a casual and conversational tone. A big benefit of a blog is its ability to speak to readers in a way that is personal, candid and straightforward. Write your blog the same way you’d speak to your audience, face to face. The personal element is almost always what attracts people and keeps them coming back to your blog.

Amy Joyce of the Washington Post says, “Web logsor blogsstarted as a way to talk about new technologies, vent about life and interact in a no-holds-barred forum. Since blogs became the next big thing, an increasing number of companies have come to see them as the next great public relations vehiclea way for executives to show their casual, interactive side. But, of course, the executives do nothing of the sort. Their attempts at hip, guerrilla-style blogging are often painedand painful.”

To avoid this pitfall, simply be yourself. The best blogs reveal the interests, opinions, and personality of the writer. Your perspective, personal and professional, is unique in all the world. Let it shine through, and your blog will automatically be one-of-a-kind. An interesting blog will bring back customers again and again and will generate priceless interest in your company.

2. TELL STORIES.

Readers want to know things they already don’t know about your company. They want to know what the products, services, people, challenges, and innovations in your organization are really like. If you give them a glimpse of the inner workings, express your opinions boldly, and tell engaging stories, you will foster reader interest and loyalty. In a biography, both interviews and quotations usually are the most intriguing parts. Think of your company blog as a business biography. Personalize it with your unique thoughts and perspective.

3. MAKE IT PERSONAL.

Write about what you know. Draw from your expertise to inform the public about the finer points of your business. Detailing development ideas, setbacks, successes, and reactions reveals the human element and engages the reader. It’s fine to talk about new products and innovations, but blogs devoted mostly to marketing and promotion are the most boring and least popular of company blogs. Make these topics more appealing to readers by framing such announcements with personal impressions and insights. Customers want to feel a kinship with the brand. Letting them in on the details of your business will make them feel part of your company culture and increase the chances of their lifetime loyalty.

4. UPDATE FREQUENTLY.

Once you have established a good reader base, offer new insights regularly to reward surfers for coming back. Not only does this provide more information and exposure, but it also reflects that your company is active and on top of things. Link to current articles from other sources to keep readers abreast of developments in your sector. A rarely-updated blog feels stale and tired. This is not the reputation you want your company to have!

5. ADHERE TO COMPANY RULES.

You are personally responsible for whatever material you publish on your company blog. Respect the confidentiality of your organization and employees. Though you may express disagreements or concerns, do not make personal attacks or use the blog to air petty complaints. Do not reveal proprietary information; and avoid discussing revenue, share price, or other financial statistics. Observe copyright law, and quote sources as you would in any other document. Make sure what you write in the company blog reflects the company’s goals. Keep in mind the ultimate goal of most company blogs is to increase visibility and promote the exchange of information. While most companies allow and encourage blogging on company time, you should avoid letting your writing time interfere with your regular workload.

6. WRITE GRAMMATICALLY.

Finally, make sure that what you write is grammatical. Your blog entries reflect your company, and you want to give the best possible impression of the organization and its personnel. The Internet is rife with bad English. Though blogs tend to be relaxed in tone, it is no more appropriate to ignore standard English than it is to wear flip-flops and swimming trunks on casual Friday. Use a program like StyleWriter ( http://www.StyleWriter-USA.com ) or White Smoke ( http://www.WhiteSmokeSoftware.com ) to find and fix embarrassing grammar mistakes and help you write like a pro.

A company blog is an excellent tool for promotion, communication, and information. The tips outlined here will help elevate your blog and generate traffic and interest. Good luck, and welcome to the wonderful world of blogging!

For more articles on business writing and writing for blogs, visit http://www.ElectronicWritingCourse.com or http://www.ReadabilityFormulas.com and click on “Free Articles.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR –
BRIAN KONRADT is a freelance writer and founder of FreelanceWriting.com (www.freelancewriting.com), a free web site to help writers master the business and creative sides of freelance writing; he also is founder of BookCatcher.com (www.bookcatcher.com), a free website to help authors promote their books.