Nancy M. Sutherland has been running a successful home based direct sales business for some time. She spends some of her time training and supporting her own group of sales associates as well as taking care of her own customers. Nancy also publishes a great blog called Direct Sales Marketing & Mentoring. This is a guest post Nancy provided to Blog For Profit.
Home businesses of all sizes have recently discovered the value in blogging. Even large corporations are discovering ways to use a blog in addition to their static web page. I have enjoyed starting my direct sales blog and would like to share what I have learned with you. Before I get in to the details of how to create a business blog, I think it is more important to first understand “why”.
What is a blog? According to Wilkipedia, “A blog (a contraction of the term “Web log”) is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.”.
What possible value can it have to my home business? Before you begin to create a blog, I recommend that you start reading other business blogs. A good blog creates interaction between the readers (your potential customers) and the writer.(the business) Start listening to what your potential customers are looking for, what needs they may have, or problems that you may be able to solve. Understanding the needs of your customers is the biggest benefit to having a blog for your business.
What obstacles do some business owners have in blogging? How can they be overcome? First of all, if you are an independent contractor for a large company, check their legal guidelines before you begin. The use of trademarks and/or copyright material can potentially be dangerous mistakes for a business blog. Some business owners are not comfortable with their writing skills. Starting a business blog requires a commitment to regular posts updating at least once a week, Do you have employees or others in your field who may be able to help you with some of the material? The use of audio and/ or video is becoming very popular and can fill in between posts. Consider having guest posts from other bloggers on a frequent basis.
Some quick tips once your blog is up and running-
- Regularly schedule some time to comment on other business blogs. This will help build traffic to your site in return and build relationships with other businesses.
- Whenever someone comments on your blog, make sure that you send them a reply either via email or on your blog thanking them or continuing the conversation. This will also bring more return readers to your site.
- Offer an email subscription to a weekly recap of your blogs. Not everyone will go back and see all of your updates without this. I think that the email subscription has even more value in the fact that these are your potential customers.
Are you ready to take your business to the next level with blogging? What do you think?
