Small Business News: Are You Blogging For Your Business?


Should you be? Of course, plenty of data exists out there on the Web and in books and from other sources about the marketing, PR and branding quality of brands. But are they right for your business and what is their future as a tool for small businesses and entrepreneurs? We’ve rounded up a couple of links to bring you up to speed. Your thoughts?

Trends

Are Facebook and Twitter killing blogs? The new platforms, sometimes collectively referred to as microblogging, offer a new opportunity that is arguably more social then blogs ever were? Of course, there is now a distinct generational difference between users of blogs and users of other social media and presumably between readers of both formats. PC World

Blogging Benefits

Why blogging is still on top. But while some may argue business marketing is invariably drifting toward the shorter forms of social media like Facebook or other “microblogging” platforms, some entrepreneurs and small business people insist that in the hierarchy of social media, blogging remains the most important format for sharing your idea. BlogHer

Marketing

The rise of the collective niche blog. Want to make a bigger impact in a day and age of mediocre personal journaling and noisy social media sites. Find other bloggers who share your passion. Why a collective niche blog can be the perfect vehicle for your marketing message. ZDNet

Strategy

Why blogs are still in business. Recently, numerous posts all based around research by the Pew Internet and American Life Project seem to cast doubt on the future of blogging in the shadow of increased use of other social media like Facebook and Twitter. The reality may be a bit more complex. Here are some things to consider before abandoning your small business blog. Social Media Insider

Stratup

How to turn your blog into a business. Blogs can also be a starting point for some small business owners or entrepreneurs as a way to explore a niche and eventually create a business model around it. Take the example of Shealynn Benner who turned her passion of photography into a line of products that filled a need by other who shared her passion. abc15.com

Resources

Local chambers turn to business blogging. In an effort to help their members compete and perhaps even find unparalleled success in the era of the Internet, local chambers of commerce like this one are offering members help developing blogging, social media marketing and other online techniques to stand up. Has your chamber gotten into the act? SCNow.com

Success Stories

How are local businesses using blogs for marketing? We go to Columbus, OH, for this interview that looks at how one businesses of all sizes are using blogging as a marketing tool. No matter what kind of business you operate, blogs can be a highly effective means of getting the information out about who you are and what you do. Here’s more! Examiner.com

Turning blogging into business. Beyond simply using blogs to market your business or to find your market, research it and produce and market a product or service as a result, there are those who have turned blogs themselves into a lucrative business. These pioneering entrepreneurs have taken a variety of routes to success, but the key to that success might surprise you. Business News Daily

News

Business journalists also flock to blogging. Not only are blogs being used by business owners and entrepreneurs to market and network, they are increasingly being used by the journalists who cover business, as this post promoting the growth in blogging at one regional business Website. This is yet another reason for entrepreneurs who haven’t yet done so to begin a blog today making it easier to connect with key writers in the field. Buffalo Business First

Advertising

Possibly the best post on blogging and marketing ever written. So contrary are the conventions of modern advertising to the standard approach of blogging that it hardly seems the two subjects should ever belong in the same post. And yet, Darren Rowse has invoked the words of one of the most innovative ad men in recent memory to tell us all that blogging should be…and without cynicism or pandering. ProBlogger

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  1. The story about local Chambers turn to business blogging has a high impact on the current projects that I’m working on. Blogging is a way of publishing a virtual magazine about your company, products, services, and customer interactions. It can attract hundreds or thousands of visitors or potential customers to your website each month.

  2. Nice round-up on blogs.

    I love the fact that I’ve been very active in the blogging space. It’s opened some cool doors for me.

    But…and it’s a big but…it takes a while to get yourself and your brand known.

    It’s not a quick-fix.

    If you’re patient,and you put out great content, good stuff will happen for you.

    The Franchise King®

  3. I wouldn’t say blogging is dead, and yes, I’m still using it for business. Social Media points back to it, it’s still a way to share things with clients and prospects. It still has a use, but I’m using it in a different way, as I suspect other business owners are as well.

  4. I agree, blogging is not dead. You still want to create a storefront for your business. A safe place for people to come and get to know, like and trust you.

    Social media is ok, but remember, after time, the posts gets buried. With a blog, all of your valuable content is in one central location.

    I liked reading this article and bookmarked it to share with others and wrote a post on my blog.

    Happy Blogging,

    Tamra

  5. I have been asked to start a blog for a small retail store where I would be promoting the items in store and blogging about events and fashion shows. I am having trouble finding out how much I should be paid. Does anyone know? I would have to manage the blog, take pictures and style the photos, as well as write short articles to entice customers to come in and buy what has been showcased.