Here is a bold statement: Offline Businesses have the most to gain by using Blogs!
It appears (at least from the emails I get) that most people think that blogging is a way to make money online exclusively and nothing else.
But an offline business can use Blogs to increase their brand awareness (both personal and business) while at the same time communicating with their customers and increasing sales.
Indeed I’d go further – every offline business needs a blog. I speak to a lot of offline business owners and the most common ‘objection’ to them getting personally involved in updating a website is that they are not Techies or don’t understand HTML.
But with modern blogging software rather such as WORDPRESS and my Blogging eCourse there really is no reason why any business owner cannot get online and manage their own website.
And if you are someone who only has an online business then there is a great opportunity for you to assist offline businesses with their blogging needs – as you will see below.
First – Let me give you an example
I have a friend of mine – Matthew Glover who runs a website called RenegadeConservatoryGuy.co.uk (A conservatory is another word for Sunroom in the UK) OK, RenegadeConservatoryGuy is hardly the most interesting website in the world – unless of course your business is conservatories / sunrooms, but the important thing here is that Matthew has established himself as one of the leading authorities and industry experts since setting up his blog 2 and half years ago. Matthew is an ambitious guy and a lifelong entrepreneur who has used a BLOG to add real value to his “Brand” (himself) and to his offline business ConservatoryOutlet.co.uk Matthew is not using his blog to make money (although I do know he has picked up some new customers via it) – rather he is using his blog to add value to his offline businesses.
This is a model I am noticing more and more – using a Blog to establish authority and to engage in conversation with other people within your industry. (Interviewing Top Players in your industry is my top tip for getting the ‘conversation’ going)
Building Contractors, Chiropractors, Life Coaches, Accountants and Business Consultants are just a few of the businesses that are adding value to their offline businesses in this way.
Some considerations for Business Bloggers (But frankly they are equally applicable to all bloggers)
Essential Considerations For Business Bloggers
1) Voice. What voice do you wish to use when speaking to your audience? That of the company? Or that of the individual? Many businesses tend to opt for a boring “COMPANY VOICE” that has no personality. It is up to you of course but I prefer to hear the voice of the Boss, The CEO, The Founder — not some boring corporate voice.
Not the best example of an individual voice (and I imagine that is because he doesn’t write it all himself) but Virgin Founder – Richard Branson at least has a go at not sounding too corporate on his “personal blog’ – http://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/blog
2) Be consistent. If you are going to blog – do it on a regular basis. I recommend at least once per week – but of course you can do it more than that. (But remember my Quality is better than Quantity rule) Please do not do a post that starts…. Sorry I have not posted for a while..blah..blah…
3) Lead Capture. Yes, get the contact details of your readers. The best way to do this is to exchange their contact details for an Ebook, eCourse or Special Report. (e.g. 10 Things To Know Before You Buy Your New Kitchen) But be careful – don’t spam your subscribers. Deliver them value and not only will they be glad they subscribed, they will also tell their friends. (More about this in the Tools and Resources section below)
4) Newsletter. I am not a huge fan of newsletters, but correctly presented it is another excellent form of lead generation. But make it sound interesting – don’t just call it “My Newsletter”. Call in something interesting like: “The [Your Niche] Insiders Newsletter”
5) Use Video. Make a video of your office, your customer support section, interview your staff on camera and ask them about their role in the business. Then when people are buying from you they can put a face and a personality to the name. People buy from PEOPLE! (Host video on YouTube)
6) Use Audio. Much the same as video – a personal message from you the founder is a nice touch.
7) Don’t Sell. Well less on the selling and more on the entertaining, educating, informing and inspiring. I cringe when I see business owners using their blog to sell, saying we are the greatest etc. I am all for lead generation and establishing a relationship with your potential customer but only on very rare situations does it make sense to use your blog to actively sell. If you do the entertaining, educating, informing and inspiring bit right, the selling (or rather buying) will take care of itself.
8 ) Interview Your Competitors. OK, this is a bit scary for some business bloggers but it really is worth considering. Perhaps interview a competitor that operates in another geographical location rather than a direct competitor. This is also a great way to MASTERMIND and learn new things yourself plus it is excellent content for your website. Conducting interviews is also a great way to establish your Authority Status.
A bit related to above – Interview your suppliers, take your readers up the supply chain and get them ‘involved’ with your business. The more familiar they are with your products, the more likely they are to buy.
Source: http://www.incomediary.com/
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