September 9th, 2008 | |
Posted in Business
Can a Business Blog make money?
The answer is … (drumroll please) … maybe. Of course that’s the answer. But why? There are so many factors to consider when determining the profit potential of a Business Blog. Let’s examine the issues and circumstances that surround a successful Business Blog.
What is a Business Blog?
We need to begin by describing a business blog. Remember that the word “blog” started out as “Web Log” and was shortened by common use. The origin of the “Web Log” or “blog” was mainly a Journal that an individual person would keep for himself or herself or for friends to be kept up to date.
Soon, astute businesses began logging the events of the company for customers to review. The added words on a web site were helpful for search engines to further refine the purpose of the site. Successful bloggers began tweaking their blogs to gain ranking in search engines.
As individual as businesses are, so are business blogs. For the small business, a blog can be narrowly focused on the products or services rendered by the business. Large corporations utilize blogs to introduce new products and services on a grand scale. Many companies regularly maintain several blogs simultaneously to cover the many facets of their organization.
So when it comes to monetizing the blog, the methods are diverse. The methods one uses for profiting from the business blog are as varied as the purpose and mission of the business itself.
Is your Business Blog about a currently operating business?
For example, do you already have a service or retail store that is up and running? Are you passionate enough about your business that you think people would read what you have to say about it? Is there really so much to say about it that you could write about fresh topics day in and day out?
Of course, if new products are introduced regularly, each introduction gives you a topic about which to write. A business blog that gives short snippets about new products can be a fresh source of information for your current customers. You will attract new customers as they discover your product descriptions, hopefully through a search.
Is yours the type of business that people are curious about the latest new thing? For example, do you always sell the latest cameras or other technical products? Your customers will be interested in having the latest information about new products. You should ask them to sign up for regular newsletters from your business.
Is your Business Blog about an interest of yours?
Do you have an interest in cars, or flowers, or sports, or computers? When you write about them, do people care about your opinion? Does your opinion add value to their experience? Could you write a regular review of your experiences? A business blog about a topic of interest to you might be able to make money through the sale of advertising. Your level of interest and desire to keep writing will help determine your level of success.
If you are passionate enough, people will catch your enthusiasm and regularly read what you have to say, sometimes more so when there is nothing (apparently) in it for you. (They may not even notice that you are selling advertising space). If you do not sell cameras, but review them and blog about them, your blog may have more authority with perspective buyers. You will have an authenticity that a camera shop owner may not.
Successful Business Blogs Are Current
Nobody wants to show up to a business blog and find out information that is stale. This is especially true in technical areas. Yesterday’s news is sometimes too old. Fortunately, you can keep the information in your blog fresh and up-to-date with a single paragraph. If your business blog is updated daily, you will have more credence than say, a blog that is updated once a month, or just a few times a year (yes, I have actually seen this happen).
If you get tired of your business blog, it could be because nobody is reading it. If it is not of interest to anybody else, maybe you should consider closing it down or adapting to the world around you. People might be more interested in aspects of your business that you have not considered writing about in your blog.
Don’t leave a Business Blog orphaned!
You know yourself that if you visit a blog and it has not been updated in a while, you might think that the blogger has gone on to pursue other interests. If that is the case with you, by all means, close down your blog! Either fold the posts into a current blog, or clearly mark each entry to indicate that the blog is left up for archival purposes, or in case somebody needed reference to it in the future. But if you have decided that enough is enough, and the blog is no longer worthy to be published, CLOSE IT DOWN!
Be sure that people know of your new site, or they might think that you have gone out of business altogether! Put clear links on each post to your new blog or web site. There is no shame in closing a Business Blog that has run its course. (That goes for personal blogs, too. I have seen many that haven’t been updated for months and a few that haven’t been updated for years).
Now. About Making Money on your Business Blog.
Business Blogging is all about driving traffic to your site, as well as retaining your own customers. It is about generating the kind of interest in your business that keeps people coming back to you for more of your products and services.
A good Business Blog will keep your business higher in the search engines that if you didn’t blog. It will also tell prospective customers that you are current, and that your products and services are fresh and new. Your Business Blog is one method of communication where the customer can browse your business without feeling watched.
As you drive traffic to your site, you either have a product to sell on the site, or a call to action to get your product or service from you in person.
Link to your own site!
Make the best of your blog by linking to the things about which you write. Your own site should be positioned to take advantage of the hard work that goes into blogging. As you business grows in products and services, each blog post should link to at least one page about that product or service.
Business Blogs Are Different From Personal Blogs.
A Business Blog is not the place to post pictures of your favorite pet. Why not? A Business Blog should not be cluttered with things that can be posted in another place. If it is really that important to you, consider linking to your personal blog. Customers and prospects that have such an interest can easily click over to your personal blog and browse to their heart’s content!
This is not to say that your Business Blog cannot or should not be personal. Not at all! A Business Blog that is all business is no fun, and doesn’t give your reader a chance to know you. What I am trying to convey here is that your Business Blog should promote your business, not your favorite hobby or pet. You can have it both ways. You can give your readers a chance to click a link to your personal side if they wish, all the while maintaining a level of professionalism that says that you are serious about your business or company.
If you are blogging for a corporation, be especially mindful of this concept. In this case, the Business Blog can be as personable as the company allows, but the customer would most certainly mistake your company for a one-person business if the blog gets too personal.
Regular Readers or Search Engine Traffic?
Personal blogs in particular tend to gather regular readers. People come by or read a syndicated version of these blogs regularly. Business blogs can have the same reader loyalty, if the topics are of sufficient interest. I know people that check technical sites daily for news. Other sites will depend on search engines for their readers. This is okay, too. Some blogs are more of a reference work.
So when it comes to monetizing the blog, the purpose of the blog and the source of readers will help you to decide which method is best.
So, Can a Business Blog Really Make Money?
It all depends upon the effort you give it. If you are willing to write fresh material on a regular basis, you will eventually get noticed. The experts encourage lots of patience (don’t give up too soon–it could take a year to get a following). Keep focused on your main topic and add new material daily, if at all possible.
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