Web Strategies

So, we broke one of our own blog’s rules and took a break from the regularity of blogging.  This goes to show that it takes a ton of work and discipline for any small organization to maintain their blog effectively.  Work piled up, clients called, work was done, and we’re back - balanced between working on and working for our business.

In the coming posts, I’ll be back on the horse with more information on effective web design for Realtors and real estate professionals.  Intero Design Group serves literally hundreds in the real estate profession, and I have a thing or two to add to the conversation.  From mash-ups to Trulia, Google maps to mobile home search, we’re there and we’re going to be talking about it.

After that, I want to introduce you to our latest focus area - video production for the web.  Yeah, yeah, you’re thinking that we’re about 2 years behind YouTube, but the time has come for the small to medium sized organization to truly harness video on the web to tell their story, reach out to new prospects and convert.

 Stay tuned!

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In my last posts, I covered a few basic reasons why small businesses should blog as well as some mistakes that small businesses can make when starting to blog.  (If you’re not convinced, get in touch and we can chat more about it.)  Today, I want to riff a little on how small businesses can blog.  To start, I think it’s important that I share this little snippet that I ran across:

Successful blogging takes discipline.
Successful blogging takes practice.
Successful blogging takes planning.
Successful blogging takes skill.
Successful blogging takes style.
Successful blogging takes knowledge.
Successful blogging takes passion.
Successful blogging takes commitment.
Successful blogging takes vision.

While I think that a lot of this is redundant, I certainly feel that most of it holds true.  For your small business to have an effective blog (one that delivers a solid return on investment and generates readership from the types of people that you’re trying to reach), it’s important that you plan and develop a vision for what you hope your blog will accomplish.

When I work with clients on implementing their small business or corporate blog, we focus first on the type of customer they wish to reach then on the types of content they hope to share.  Next, we see how both correlate with key words that users may be searching.  By developing a key word strategy, you can help your small business with SEO (search engine optimization) and better keep your blog on message.

When it comes to style, it’s important that your blog mesh with your message and the overall image of your business.  If you sell sporting goods and have photos of flowers on your blog titled “Big Dog Advice”, then you have an image problem.  Take a look at the latest from author Seth Godin, “Meatball Sundae: Is Your Marketing Out of Sync?”

Discipline is key in your small business blog.  When you develop a reader base, it’s important that you meet their expectations by delivering timely information on a regular basis.  Intero Design Group helps companies set up blogs with scheduled posts and establish norms and systems within your organization (whether a one man show or 100 employees from coast to coast).  When you get in to a good groove, keeping your blog fresh shouldn’t take long and can result in a really positive set of information that you can share with your readers.

The last things you need to consider in your foray in to small business blogging is readership, measurability and analytics.  How many people are finding your blog?  What terms are they using to find you?  Once there, how long do they stay and how many pages do they read?  All of this can be used to measure overall effectiveness and return on investment.  I know I often harp on this subject, but without these types of indicators, you could be writing for yourself.  We call that a journal, not a blog.  At Intero Design Group, we use a multitude of statistical suites including Google Analytics, Webalizer, server logs and more.

In closing, there are tons of resources online - just Google “small business blogging”.  Some good places to start are this article from Business Week and this brief overview from About.com.  If you need a little guidance on the technicalities, considering consulting an expert.

That aside, you now have everything you need to know about getting your business started with its own blog presence!  Just remember, before you throw out a blog, make sure you’ve got the right kind of message, image and team in place to best represent your organization.

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In my last post, I shared with you some great tips on why and how your small business can benefit from having a blog.  Today, I hate to scare anyone off, but I want to detail some reasons why it’s not entirely a cake walk and point out some mistakes that you can make when starting your small business, corporate or organizational blog.  So, in no particullar order, here are the top 7 mistakes you could make when starting your small business blog:

1. Not having your own domain name.
Your domain name is the first stop in your digital identity.  Having a blog (or any website for that matter) without a domain name is like trying to run a business without a phone number OR address.  With domain names costing a mere $10 / year, go ahead and stake out your digital real estate.  You’ll be glad you did.

2. No author biographies or photos.
Number 2 on the list here is a simple matter of establishing rapport and trust with your readers.  Who are you, what’s your background and what level of expertise do you bring to the table?  I’m Aaron Radez.  I’m the President of Indianapolis-based web design company, Intero Design Group.  I’ve been a web marketing consultant for 7 years.  See - don’t we have a better relationship already?  A photo of you will simply allow the user to feel more connected with whom they read the writings of.  Get your bio together and get writing.

3. Posting titles that lack decription and flare.
This is a matter of initial reaction.  With all of the content that’s produced on the web each and every day, we (as readers) have to carefully pick and choose what’s relevant and what isn’t.  Your posting titles can be your blog’s best friend - they can help with search engine optimization and then draw a user in to find out more.  Think carefully about what kind of message your posting titles send and whether or not they’re doing you any favors in terms of your site’s search engine placement.

4. Irregular publishing frequency.
Establishing and meeting your user’s expectations is a key element of any web presence, and this is especially true with the reliability and frequency of your blog schedule.  Even with emailed updates and RSS feeds, users still like to feel like they have some control over how often they should check back for updated information.  If you can’t stick to a daily schedule, then go for weekly or even monthly.  Just keep the information, fresh, timely and on schedule.

5. No clear focus or topic.
If you sell cars, then your blog needs to be about cars, not sports.  Within your organization, establish some norms and topics that your blog will be about, and stay on message.  The more focused your content, the more focuses your readers will be.  The web is all about finding a niche and dominating it, and if you publish on too wide a net of topics then you’re less likely to attract a loyal audience of high-value readers.

6. Forgetting who you’re writing for.
Think twice before posting!  Afterall, this message is going out to a potential global audience of billions of people.  Along the same vein, think about who your primary target audience is and what their needs are.  If all I did was write about website code and technical jargon then I wouldn’t be meeting my obligations to you, the small business owners.  Pick and audience and picture then whem you write.

7. Poor navigation and image.
Image, image, image.  The way you make a first impression on a sales call is to comb your hair and brush your teeth that morning.  The way you make a first impression on the web is to have a nice, graphically stimulating, clean and easy to navigate site.  Your blog (or website) should offer the user a clean, clear and obvious way to navigate the content and find what they’re looking for.  If you don’t have an eye for design, don’t hesitate to hire a professional to craft an image unique to your business that really portrays what you’re trying to convey.

In closing, don’t be affraid to try things out.  Afterall, one of the the beauties of blogging is is pliability.  Get in touch if you have any questions!

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I’ve done a lot of research lately on corporate and small business blogging and what businesses can do to have a blog that really focuses on ROI (return on investment).  In summary, blogs have really evolved over the past 5 years from being only something that some nut with an agenda rants in to being a valuable tool to candidly learn more about a particular subject or what a particular company brings to the table in terms of expertise.

Small business blogging can be a good idea for a number of reasons.  First off, SEO (search engine optimization).  By developing and to build a blog with your team, you’re rallying the organization around a cause that will enhance your site’s performance in search engines.  Building a library of valuable and timely content driven information will raise your site’s rankings on Google, Yahoo! and other major search engines.  Simply by building the blog and sharing information relevant to your business, you can bring your organization (be it large or small) from page 10 to top 3 in no time.

Secondly, we’ve gotta face it - we’re not all in a position to make all the right decisions for our business or personal life right now, today.  Typically, the average consumer will visit seven websites before deciding on one to actually engage and do business with.  Whether you sell a product online or in stores, generate leads or you’re just looking to spread your message, a blog can help turn strangers in to friends, then friends in to customers.  It allows you to build rapport and share information in a lively, candid and no obligation manner.

That said, keep reading our blog and take all the free information you care to have - we’ll keep dishing it up for you!  Ours is a business model built on service and education of why and how our web design services can work for you.  Contact the staff at Intero Design Group if you’re ready to get started on your own small business blog.

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