Win a free copy of Kelly's “Blogging For Business Blueprint” e-book and tutorial videos (a $29 value). Details are at the bottom of this post.
UPDATE: Congrats to our lucky winner, Vera Marie!
By Kelly Watson
When it comes to online marketing methods that are both affordable and effective, blogging ranks number one. Benefits include:
· Access to an educated, influential group of potential customers
· More opportunities to make sales
· Improved customer relationships
· Enhanced credibility and trust
Benefits aside, blogging can be challenging. For some people, the challenges start at blog creation. Others have an easy time building their blog, but can’t seem to generate enough web traffic or sales.
That’s why I wrote the “Small Business Blogging Blueprint,” a 68-page e-book with six tutorial videos to help small business owners create and manage a successful blog. (The PDF above is from page 10, “How Blogging Can Benefit Your Business.”)
The book started out as a free PDF for my customers, but I kept thinking of new topics to cover and challenges I wanted to address. I also created a seven-page blogging workbook to help people set blogging goals and track their progress, because I wish I had one when I started blogging.
Not just for people who are considering starting a blog, the book also offers a bullet list of solutions to common blogging problems, like not having enough time to write new posts. If you find yourself in this situation, it may be helpful to ask the following questions:
Is this a phase? All business owners have busy times. That’s why it’s so important to have several blog posts written in advance. If you don’t see yourself having more time in the future, however, you need to either outsource the blog content or end the blog completely.
Am I budgeting my time wisely? The next time you create a blog post, pay attention to the time it takes to brainstorm the idea, write the content and load the post onto your site. Then see if you can delegate any of the tasks, or shave some time off the process.
Where does this blog fit into my priorities? As a business owner, you have a lot of responsibilities. If your blog isn’t one of your priorities, you’re not going to find time to do it. If blogging is a priority for you, you can always outsource the content. Remember that outsourcing doesn’t mean handing the entire blog over to someone else — you may just need someone to write one or two posts a month. (Check out Chapter Two, Do It Yourself Or Outsource?, for more details.)
Is it time to quit? Only you can answer this question. I do encourage you not to quit too soon — blogging is one marketing tool that pays off over time. If you’re still thinking about quitting, however, this case study from ProBlogger may shed some light on the situation.
Here's how to enter to the e-book giveaway!
What’s your biggest blogging challenge? (If you haven’t started a blog yet, perhaps it’s just finding the right point to dive in!) Leave a comment below with your answer, and you’ll be entered to win a free copy of the “Small Business Blogging Blueprint.” I’ll pick a winner at random on Wednesday, October 21, 2009. [Ed. note: please make this easy on Kelly and me by including your email address or a link to somewhere we can easily find it!]
If your name is chosen and you’ve already purchased “Blogging Blueprint,” you’ll receive a full refund of the purchase price. So if you’re eager to check out the e-book but you still want to enter the giveaway, go ahead! Even if you don’t win, you’ll still get a 30-
day money-back guarantee.
Kelly Watson is a marketing consultant who specializes in marketing to women. She recently launched the e-book “Small Business Blogging Blueprint,” available for sale on her website along with a blog, podcast and other resources for women in business.