Learning to Blog in 5 Easy Steps

There are an estimated total of well over 100 million blogs on the Web and roughly 20,000 blogs are started every day.   How can there be that many people with worthy information to add to our collective knowledge?  And with that many people already contributing, you may ask yourself how you could possibly add any more value by starting yet another blog.  And how on earth, you might ask, can you come up with new content (and spare time to write the content) on a regular basis to keep your blog fresh and interesting? 

Those are good questions – and, frankly, the most common questions people ask when they think about starting their own blog.  We work mostly with small-to-midsize business owners, and many of our clients are on the fence about whether they can create a blog following and whether creating a blog is really worth their time.

As a relatively recent blogger myself, and also an avid follower of blogs, allow me to  make the case for starting a company blog and address the learning process of becoming a blogger.  

First, the explosive growth of social media and blogging has turned modern marketing into a 2-way conversation rather than a 1-way promotion, and 2-way engagement is what consumers and many B2B customers have come to expect.  Blogs are the most effective way to engage your customers in a substantive dialog and establish your online reputation.  Blogs enhance your website with fresh thinking and current news and they carry weight and credibility with your communities of interest.  Blogs can shorten your sales cycle because they are often the first place people go to get a “feel” for your company.

Second, blogs are very effective SEO tools and can bring important links to your website that will help your search rankings.   Search engines love fresh content, as it tells them that your website is current, active and viable.  They also like incoming links to your site, and an active blog is a great way to attract links from other blogs and social media profiles in your industry.  

Third, and perhaps most importantly, once you become active in the blogosphere, you’ll find yourself participating and engaging with other bloggers, and you’ll start to spread your brand in the online community.   You’ll find outspoken customers who are happy to tell you what they think of your product or service.  You’ll find competitors and other industry players doing and saying interesting things you can learn from.  And you’ll find plenty of topics that you can respond to, comment upon, and blog about in your business niche.  Once you become comfortable and find your “voice,” you’ll find that the blogosphere offers a new form of business engagement that combines networking, idea sharing, informed discussion, marketing, prospecting, customer support, and more. 

Getting started is not as scary as it may seem.   Here are some tips for how to comfortably start your own company blog:

Step 1: Listen.  Start out by reading and following key blogs in your industry. Find the right bloggers, websites, and social media communities that address topics of interest to you and your business.  Read anything that mentions your company name, your market niche, your competitors, even your customers.  Learn from the wisdom of the crowd about customer perceptions and experiences with your products/services and competitors.  And learn who is most vocal and most authoritative about the topics that impact your business.  What is being talked about?  What are people concerned, excited or interested about?  What is causing positive or negative reactions?

Step 2:  Engage.  Once you have a feel for who is saying what, how people are talking, what you want to react to, you can dip your toe in by selectively commenting on other people’s blogs.   React to things you have an informed opinion about.  Ask educated questions.  Share your expertise.  Enter a conversation as you would at a business gathering — look to add value and contribute original insights rather than to just promote yourself.  Once you start commenting on blogs, you’ll start to build some credibility, and you’ll also establish your own blog voice.

Step 3:  Start Blogging.   This is a big step and you should assess the feasibility of doing it before you begin.  Brainstorm some initial topics with colleagues and schedule a calendar of 5-6 topics to get you started.  You’ll need to commit to a regular posting frequency, so make time in your schedule for that.  Will you engage a ghost writer?  Invite others to guest blog?  You might want to write a few initial posts and let colleagues review & comment to help you find the right tone and voice.

Here are a few resource links that can help you with the logistics and technical instructions for setting up your own blog:  Google’s Create a Blog site,  WordPress Publishing  website, YouTube video of WordPress Step-by-Step Tutorial.

Step 4: Develop Your Voice.  Once you’ve started, make a habit of reading other blogs frequently and stay active in the blogging community to ensure your posts are relevant and timely. When other people comment on your blog, be sure to respond in an honest, timely manner. Over time, if you publish regularly, link generously to related blogs and comment on other people’s blog posts; you’ll become part of your industry’s online conversation and begin to develop an online reputation and authority.   Consider setting up your own Twitter account, as that’s another way to follow other bloggers and establish your own following, pointing them to your blog posts as appropriate.  Make sure you engage with consumers and key influencers who have things to say about your company; it will help to change negative perceptions and build brand loyalty.

Step 5:  Measure.  Once you’ve established your blog, it’s important to measure the impact on your brand and the increase in traffic and conversions on your website.  We can help you set up Web analytics to evaluate the success of your blog.

Finally, here are some links to other interesting posts that will help your early blogging efforts:

• Chris Brogan on How to Blog Almost Every Day
• Denise Wakeman’s Build a Better Blog blog
• Starting a WordPress Blog from idiotproofblogging.com
• Blog Metrics from Blog Marketing Journal
• Favorite 10 Free Stock Photo Download Sites - find images for your blog posts!