Blogging for Business

Posted by admin in Web Marketing on 12 29th, 2009 | one response

Blogging for Business
by dotJenna :: The Marketing Shop.com

This article coincides with the Live Show I did on UStream “Blogging for Business.” Please watch the show, and use the notes below to get a clearer understanding of Blogging to get rankings, popularity, website traffic and leads.

Why Blog?

Blogging increases your Web Turf.
Blog posts show up in search results so people can find you more easily.
Blogging feeds through social media, so you have more for people to read and relate to.
Blogging increases your website traffic.
Blog posts can be used later to back up what you’re saying to clients and prospects.
Blogging is an inexpensive way to market your business.
Blog posts can be shared among others on the web, causing a viral effect.
A blog post is visible all over the planet, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year for
infinity.
Blogging is free marketing.
Blogging provides dynamic content on your website which search engine crawlers love.
Blogging adds value and fuels your entire web marketing campaign.

What to Blog About

Before you start blogging, you need to do your homework. You need to know your customer, your prospect and your audience. Your blog needs a purpose. My Coaching Services offer a number of in-depth ways to analyze your target audience and devise a web content strategy.

Keys to Knowing What to Blog About

Key #1 Provide value. You must produce blog content that gives value to your target audience.

Key #2 Filter Information.
People are out of time. If you can filter information that’s important to them, you become valueable to them.

Key #3 Be Original.
Do not blog about what everyone else is blogging about. Find a different slant and play it up. Write some original content too. Don’t copy everything from the news and whatnot. Use your brain on some of your blog posts.

Key #4 Just Do It.If you’re unsure of what to blog about, it’s better to blog anyway about the wrong thing than not to blog at all. If in doubt, blog it out.

Key #5 Stay on Theme.
Try to keep a theme going on your blog. If you have too many themes, this will confuse your readers. If you must have more than one theme, such as 1st time home buyers and luxury homes, then you may need two blogs.

Assuming you already know the main crux of your blog, you can blog on topics such as these:

Blogging is an important part of marketing yourself and your real estate practice online. Once you get started, it’s impossible to stop. It is very fun for most of us, and I’m betting you enjoy it too since you’re reading this now. So, here’s a list of things to blog about I’m compiling for my readers.

Current events in the city
Current real estate market
Real estate trends
Area suburbs as a group
Area suburbs one-by-one
Holiday events and attractions
Theater and cultural events
Your opinions about elections, votes, events
Major events
Weather
Recipe for regional cuisine
Reiterate an article of local interest
Local sports teams
Parks
Listings
Typical house
Cost of living tidbits (gas price, gallon of milk, auto ins.)
Local attractions
Home sales – If you can obtain a list
Police Blotter – If you can obtain a list
Area commercial developments
Local elections & votes
School district news
Individual School news
Teacher of the Year
Awards of the City in Money Mag, etc…
Park Improvements
Road Improvements
New retail outlets & shopping
New Construction
Neighborhood Crime Watch
Home Owners Associations
Streets, Traffic & Traffic Lights
Road construction
Notable residents
City History
Local weather
Golf tournaments
Upcoming Developments
Environmental Affairs – Green causes
Gyms, atheletics, marathons
List fire stations
Dog Parks, Events & Contests
Police department News
Local utilities
Local Book Clubs
Local airport(s)
Transportation
Hotels in the area
List of restaurants
Restaurant Review
Opinion article about city issue (editorial)
Why is your city great?
Neighborhood parties & concerns
Water quality
Trash pick-up data
New Home Builders
Custom Home Builders
Map of the area
Fun things to do