Blog For Business

Was invited to Cleveland recently to do a presentation about blogging for businesses. It seems there’s still a lot of confusion about what a blog is supposed to be, although more small business owners and corporations are realizing a blog is great for SEO (search engine optimization) and that this form of communication can’t be considered a passing fad–it’s a solid trend. Once you decide you want to set one up, the challenges include picking what to write and figuring out how to write it. So I addressed some of those questions in my presentation.

Business blogs are all about using the power of the Internet to communicate with your customers and prospects in a non-commercial, personal way. Why would you want to do that? Because we are all inundated with information and commercial messages today. We have to find new ways to cut through the noise–a blog is a powerful one.

You can review the presentation slides by going to “5 Reasons Why Blogging Is Good for Your Business.” Check out the links to some interesting CEO blogs. Email me if you have questions or want to discuss how a blog might work for your business.

You knew that newspapers were losing a lot of traction because of the Internet, right? Well, the “news” is worse than expected, according to an article in AdWeek. And these changes to advertising revenue are expected to be permanent, not passing. A sample of recent dives:

• Gannett Co. where USA Today ad pages fell 17 percent compared to last year, and real estate classifieds at its community papers plunged 20 percent.
• Tribune Co., where help-wanted classified tumbled 19 percent, and real estate shrank by 24 percent. (Fitch has Tribune on a “Ratings Watch Negative,” anticipating a further downgrading of its credit.)
• The McClatchy Co., where real estate collapsed by 26 percent, and automotive plunged 20 percent.
• Dow Jones & Co., where ad volume fell 20 percent on a 75 percent tumble in technology-related ads.

This is one business trend you don’t want to ignore. Another is the business blog–it’s not a passing fancy, folks. Give me a call at 773.292.3294 if you have questions about how to get started.

The Internet has facilitated the growth of small businesses, and the owners of those businesses have the Internet to thank for the incredible amount of information and the seemingly limitless amount of help they can find about running those businesses.

 But it can feel pretty overwhelming at times. Too much. Where do you turn? How do you sort through it all? Fortunately, just as the newspapers became the editors of our information a couple of centuries ago–and some would argue began to abuse the privilege–now the Internet is home to some very bright people whose whole business is sifting through the wheat and chaff and providing you with solid, up-to-the-minute information on everything about your business.

One such source, always reliable and timely, is Small Business Trends Radio. It’s run by a woman who’s a lawyer and a former CEO of a small Internet division of Bell & Howell. Her radio show and her website are loaded with the best available help for your small business. And now they’ve introduced a compilation area.

Anita Campbell knows how to interview so you get each person’s best knowledge on a topic.  Take a walk through this wonderland of expert advice - the Small Biz Podcast 100.  Oh, yeah, and check out our podcast with Anita on the site, too - Blogs - Cutting through the Hype with Barbara Payne.