By Shawn Hessinger
Shawn is a journalist and social media networker with more than a decade of experience in the traditional newspaper business before moving to the digital world. He was the former community manager of BizSugar and the former community editor at AllAnalytics, a site dedicated to professionals in the business intelligence and analytics community.
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Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook enjoy huge popularity, but blogs are still an important tool for small business marketing.
Jennifer Bourn, Owner and Creative Director for Sacramento WordPress Web design and branding firm, Bourn Creative, claimed they are “no longer optional for small businesses” in a recent guest post at The Sacremento Business Journal.
So if you don’t yet have a blog – start one. And if you do have one, apply the blog improvement steps below to kick it up a notch.
10 Simple Blog Improvement Steps
Make Things More Personal ~ Huffington Post
Publishing a blog for your business is great, says tech writer Drew Hendricks. But sometimes business blogs can get a bit too…well, business-y. Instead, Hendricks suggests adopting a more personal approach by letting readers know more about the people behind the blog. Here are some of Hendrick’s specific suggestions.
Choose a Monetization Strategy ~ Remarkablogger
Say you start a blog to promote your freelance services. Wouldn’t it be great to diversify a bit and find other ways your blog could generate revenue for your business? One option suggested by blogging consultant Michael Martine is the use of affiliate marketing, which can deliver more steady income even when other aspects of your business are in a dry spell.
Build a Powerful Network ~ MyWifeQuitHerJob
Blogger Tom Ewer insists the two secrets to creating a successful blog are to create great content and to create a network or community of like-minded people who will happily share that content for you. Ewer shows you what building relationships can do for your blog and a simple strategy for creating those relationships.
Grab the Reader’s Attention ~ ProBlogger
SEO and marketing copywriter Belinda Weaver insists a great opening for your blog post is the key to getting readers to give your post their attention and return to your blog week after week for more. Weaver says great blog openings begin with a great title and go on to intrigue, startle and touch readers on a personal level. Here is her recipe for success.
Recruit Some Guest Bloggers ~ Ms. Ileane Speaks
Ileane Smith, owner of Basic Blog Tips, shares her personal experience opening her site to guest bloggers. She says the process gave new and seasoned bloggers a chance to promote themselves and share their writing while also promoting her blog’s community. But Smith says blog owners need to take steps to vet guest bloggers to make sure they and their content are right for the blog.
Don’t Overdo the Keywords ~ Search Engine Roundtable
Industry observer Barry Schwartz shares the advice of Google Webmaster Trends Analyst John Mueller to a site owner on a forum. The site owner was confused about why his seven year old site was failing to rank for its keyword. Mueller explained the site currently contains over 1000 mentions of a single keyword. That’s too much of a good thing for Google. Don’t overdo it on keywords, Mueller says.
Use Vine and Instagram ~ Chris Brogan
As a way of enhancing your message on your blog and other social media, Chris Brogan suggests participating with what he calls “outlier social media tools” like Vine and Instagram. Check out these tools as a way of being a bit more human and creating what Brogan calls “bitesize” content. All the while you’re boosting your blog’s brand and building more community.
Set Up Google Authorship ~ Trafficado
Rob Parsons suggests some tips for improving the SEO and effectiveness of your blog. Among those suggestions is taking advantage of Google Authorship. The process involves verifying your identity with Google as the author of specific posts. The idea is that Google will favor authors who regularly create quality content, allow your image to appear next to content in search and thus improve click through.
Make Your Blog More Mobile Friendly ~ Lo Cost Marketing
Blogger Scott Dudley writes about the increasing popularity of mobile devices and the need to be sure you make your blog mobile friendly. With a growing number of potential readers using mobile devices, Dudley says making your blog mobile friendly is a simple way to grow your audience. Dudley also offers some simple options for making your blog accessible to readers interested in accessing your site through a mobile device
Start Allowing Online Payments ~ Famous Bloggers
If your blog promotes products or services offered by your business, it’s time to make sure customers visiting your business blog 24/7 will be able to pay online for those products or services. Blogger Laura Burkley offers benefits for accepting online payments on your blog. She also suggests some simple ways set up online payments for your business.
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