Everything You Need to Know to Create a Successful Marketing Blog

So I’m sure most of you know by now what a blog is. A place you can write your thoughts and share your insights, leave your mark on the World Wide Web. And even better yet, it is a great marketing tool. But what does it take to create a successful blog? Yes it does require effort, but it’s easier than you think. You just need to learn the basics, and once you put them to work, you’ll see results quickly.

A blog is a personal creative exercise and if you keep it that way you’ll develop an audience quickly. No one wants to read a sales ad when they’re surfing through blogs. No, what they want is a good read. Bring your personality to your blog, be real with your readers, and keep the mood light.

Starting a blog is as easy as finding an online place to write as well as the time to do so. Don’t just jump into it without having a plan first. Think of a theme, what it is you’re going to write about, and stick to it. If your posts are scattered and random you won’t receive the targeted audience you’re looking for. The most important thing about your blog is the content, keep it fresh and update often. It doesn’t have to be daily; a more thought out insightful post will be more attractive than a sloppy quick post about nothing. Always have direction in your posts.

When writing in your blog, write clearly and simply. Too many big words can be hard to follow and may lose your readers interest. Use a spell check to make sure it is legible. Your readers will trust what you say if you say it well.
Consider various types of content, keep it interesting. Create links, upload images, and turn on user comments.

Once you’ve got your blog started it’s time to promote. Promoting your blog will get you the traffic you need to make it successful. If you don’t advertise there’s a very good chance you will never acquire any readers. And the great thing is you won’t even have to pay a cent. Word of mouth is an inexpensive way to get your name out there and leave your mark across the internet in forums, emails, resources boxes etc. The more people that see you and your link around, the more will be inclined to check out your blog.

It’s best to post your blog on a high traffic site. One of the top blogging sites on the web is www.blogger.com they offer several packages and a whole online community.

Using a site like www.webpasties.com will help keep your content fresh. It offers exciting content like polls, quizzes, and slideshows to name a few.

Once you have gained an audience you may want to begin responding to the comments left about your company or online presence. But before you do so, take a moment and practice these few steps.

• Read and reread the comments to make sure you understand them before responding. Make sure you understand the tone as well as the words; you will feel silly if you respond angrily to a comment that was left in a teasing manner.

• Stay clear and on topic. This will help largely in preventing misunderstandings that could turn into an all out name calling exchange.

• Take a moment to calm down. If a certain negative comment gets you riled up, take a few minutes to calm down and really think about what you’re going to say if you do so choose to respond. A comment only takes a second to post, but will last a lifetime.

• Decide how to respond. You can respond to a blog directly, through their blog commentary, or through your own blog. Keep in mind that when you respond to a blogger or commentary directly, that other readers that may have seen comments about your company may not read your comments. Your email or response may end up online eventually, possibly edited or cut from context. Responding via someone else’s blog gives you more control but still has you remaining on someone else’s space.

Commenting on your own blog gives you the most control and ensures that readers will come to your blog to read your comments. Of course you can choose not to respond at all.

Just like any other marketing strategy, once you create a blog to promote your business, you will need to keep track of your results. This will allow you to see how effectively blogging is working for you and what you may need to change to create a more successful blog. The first step in evaluating your blogs effectiveness is to do some market research. Ask your customers where they heard of you and why they chose you. Ask your customers and readers to rate your blog. The results may surprise you.

Depending on your blogging software you may be able to count how many people view your blog. This can be an important way to see how many people you’re reaching.

If your blog is not getting enough hits, try advertising your blog more through online groups, emails, and links. If you’re still not getting a response, you may need to make some changes in the content and style to lure more people in. And if after doing that you’re still not receiving the response you want, before throwing the towel in be sure you absolutely sure you have given your blog a chance. Realize it takes longer to build a solid, loyal audience with a blog than other forms of marketing. If you do build a regular audience though, the promotional potential of your blog will be outstanding. So what are you waiting for? Get blogging!

About the Author: Nickolas Poce, a husband and father of two, currently drives tow truck for a living. He has recently started The Deliverance Project http://www.deliveranceproject.org to help charities across the globe.
Read more about Nick at http://www.deliveranceproject.org/founder.html