(guest post by Dorine Sinigaglia)

When done correctly, a successful business blog can be extremely rewarding for businesses of any industry. Creating a blog from scratch is in no way easy; it requires hard work on the writer’s end and the ability to think creatively about the benefits its business has to offer the community. In addition, building a community in general around the brand name takes some time.

A successful blog has its investments and definitely its returns, as the content in the blog drives attention and recognition of your business or brand, attracts new customers and may ultimately “turn your current customer base into the type of fans that companies like Apple, Netflix, and Ben and Jerry’s have: people who will not only buy your product or service, but evangelize it to their peers” – says Josh Catone in his Mashable article, Top 5 Business Blogging Mistakes and How to Avoid Them.(The latter point is key here). We’ve all done it: purchased a cup of coffee from the new coffee shop in our neighborhood and ranted and raved to our friends all day because the service we received was horrible and the coffee wasn’t drinkable. Evangelists can work in your company’s best interest and also be your brand’s worst nightmare.

So, how can one really be sure their latest post is being read and readers are thinking positively about your brand or product? Since most readers do not offer their feedback or comment on your work after they read a blog post, it is imperative to make sure that your company’s blog is constructed well and is being written right. There are a few simple but critical key factors that one must take into consideration to ensure their company blog has potential for success.

Make it personal.

A friendly reminder: your company blog is not the place to copy and paste press releases about your product. Press releases are impersonal and often sound too “markety.” Bottom line, your customer base does not want to read content that sounds like a sales pitch. Your blog is a place to promote your product or related business announcements about your company, but do so with originality and a personal tone so readers feel the human touch behind the text. Additionally, make sure your business blog contains content that is not solely about your product or business. Your readers want to read quality content that is original and interesting to their industry – and not necessarily related to your brand. Since they’re already reading your blog, it is safe to assume they know your brand and even like it. Feel free to share your thoughts on the industry, provide vital tips your customers can utilize in their business and any personal stories from your experience in business that will be of added value for your readers.

Post regularly.

Recently wrote a post and think you’re set for the month? Think again. Most successful business blogs post new content at least a couple of times a week. Integrate writing time into your regular scheduled routine and keep your writing cap on at all times. Great blogging ideas are hard to come by, so jot down ideas for future posts as they come to you and to avoid writer’s block when it’s crunch time. Putting out quality content consistently will keep your readers returning for more and over time this will help your company build a community, which will turn your fans to customers. Planning ahead is key: brainstorm ideas with other members of your company and get them involved with writing for the blog so that one person isn’t carrying the entire writing load on their shoulders. Content sourcing can also come from your employees or even your customers, since they know best what they enjoy reading from a blog. Anything can provide you with food for thought for a good blog post – so pay close attention to what you read on other blogs, newspapers, magazines – and what your competitors are doing.

Spread the word.

With social media all around us, there is in no way a shortage of channels a business blog can take to spread the word about their latest post. From sharing posts on Facebook to tweeting – there are many ways to share your latest blog post within your business community. According to Ben Parr from Mashable, Twitter may be the fastest and most effective way to spread the word in social media. In his article Top 20 Ways To Share a Great Blog Post, Parr says it well: “sharing or retweeting a link in Twitter can spread like wildfire.” To post a link for your blog post without going over the 140-character limit, you may use simple URL shorteners such astinyurl or bit.ly to shorten links to fit. After Twitter, you may post it on your company’s Facebook group profile, Linkedin grouppage, Digg, Delicious, StumbleUpon - and the list goes on.

Open communication doors.

After spreading the word, your company blog must open all doors of communication to ensure feedback about the content of your post – both good and bad. In essence, blogging is like have a one-sided conversation with your reader; their feedback to your post is their response to your side of the conversation. Not allowing others to comment on your post is a mistake, for it cuts off two-way communication. As Josh Catone states in his post, “blogging is an unparalleled opportunity to connect with your customers.” Enabling your customers to respond to your writing efforts and encouraging them to comment and provide feedback with allow you and your company to get a lot more out of blogging. As readers begin to comment, engage with them and continue the two-way conversation. Responding to reader’s comments will enable your company to develop a community around your writing and ultimately your brand. As mentioned before, your goal is to turn your customers into fans, and these fans into evangelists of your brand who will promote it to all their friends. Participating in conversations and commenting on posts written in other blogs around the blogosphere is also expected from you as a business leader and will in turn help you promote your “blogging brand,” bringing new readers to your blog.

Wait patiently.

A wise man once said, patience is a virtue. One cannot expect to receive immediate results simply from posting a few interesting articles in their blog. Your company blog, as most marketing efforts within a company, won’t be an overnight success and will take some time before its well-known to your customer base and the general public, so expecting immediate returns will leave you quickly let down. As Catone mentions, “it can take time to build up your readership and have a regular community of people who participate on your blog.” Set attainable goals for your blog’s success and work on not only providing valuable content, but on building a community around your blog, as this takes some hard work within the first few months. Stay motivated to continue writing – even if some posts go without much feedback. Don’t cancel your blogging efforts too early — give your company blog at least one year to gain full momentum and post quality, original content regularly. It is crucial that your blog is easy to find and accessible on your website’s Home page and your other social networks so your readers are able to easily locate your blog, comment and share posts with others.

A successful business blog is not a difficult goal to accomplish. The recipe is simple: quality content, quality exposure and quality time. Remember, we all have to start somewhere – so start off your business blog the right way by putting in strong efforts in the beginning and watch as it gains publicity in the blogosphere for the rest of your company’s lifetime.

(Flickr image courtesy of dmangust)

Dorine Sinigaglia is the Account & Content Manager at Blonde 2.0.

BlogDay has finally arrived and here are my five recommendations:

1) Chris Brogan – I was introduced to Chris through Jeff Pulver and have been addicted to his blog ever since. Chris is a social media and networking expert. He works as community developer for Video on the Net and Network2. He is also co-founder of PodCamp, a free unconference that explores the benefits and uses of new media community tools. Chris writes amazing posts on how each of us can use social media tools to effectively market ourselves and create a community around our brand. Chris often writes on how we can improve our usage of networks such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook to socially connect with others. A great blog for anyone who wants to learn how to do social networking right online and offline.

2) Roi Carthy – Roi and I met at Blogference and have become good friends. Roi is a product launch consultant for various startups. He also recently started covering the Israeli startup scene at TechCrunch. He writes about different emerging startups and likes to interview people in the company before writing his post. He covers various topics such as: Business models, product development, and marketing to the blogosphere. Highly recommended for anyone who’s interested in staying on top of what’s going on in the hi-tech industry and finding out more about the people behind the ideas.

3) Stii Pretorius - I met Stii through StumbleUpon and we have kept in touch ever since. Stii is a programmer who lives in South Africa. He writes a lot about programming (surprise surprise ), software, and online tools. Even though a lot of Stii’s posts are quite technical, he has a very personal and simple writing style which allures you to read further. Anyone who is mostly interested in the technical aspects of the Web 2.0 world should definitely check his blog out.

4) How could I leave out Kent Newsome? I met Kent when I initially started blogging. He was one of my biggest fans from day one and I will not forget that. Kent the founder and developer of ACCBoards.Com and a few other popular interactive web sites. I love Kent’s blog because Kent writes like no other. He has a very original and unique way of covering what’s going on in the Web 2.0 world and at the same time give you his own personal opinion about it. He doesn’t just tell you about the latest software or social network, but he has something to say about it. Something meaningful and different than any other blogger. His posts will leave you thinking for days. I cannot say enough about Kent’s blog. You should try it out for yourself.

5) And finally…Stowe Boyd – Stowe and I met through the blogosphere. I have been following his blog for a very long time and I believe we can all learn so much from this wise man. In June 2007 he was ranked #2 out of technology industry analysts by Technobabble. Stowe is a strategic consultant to big hi-tech companies as well as small startups. He writes mostly about social tools, and their impact on business, media, and society. Like me, he likes to discuss not only the online tools, but Web 2.0 culture as a whole and what its implications are on our society. His posts are always thought-provoking and often even philosophical and sarcastically humorous.  If you haven’t yet been on Stowe’s blog, do yourself a favor and start today.

So these are my five blog recommendations. I hope you enjoy them. In addition, I would love to hear back from you guys which are your favorite blogs and why.

Here are some tips I wanted to share with you on how to ehance your blog and create more exposure to it.

1) Write about stuff that interests you

If you write about topics that really interest you, it will show in your writing. The more you relate to the topic, the better your post will be.

2) Be consistent and update daily

I try to write one post each day. We are all busy people and have a lot to do, but if you don’t maintain your blog on a daily basis, your readership will decline. As Om Malik says: “There are no Sundays in blogging”.

3) Say Something Meaningful

Don’t just write about the latest software and how to use it, but say what you think about it. What do you think is missing? What do you think could be improved? Give your opinion.

4) Always respond to comments

If your readers took the time to comment on your post, the least you could do is show them that you care. Always respond back. Never be rude to anyone. Even if someone disagrees with your views, they may have a point. Turn the discussion into a positive debate.

5) Talk TO your readers – not AT them

Engage your audience in conversation. Never preach to them or lecture them. Ask for your readers’ opinions, suggestions, and feedback.

6) Display your RSS Feed at the top of your blog

Make it easy for people to subscribe to your feed. This way, they won’t need to remember to go back to your site.

Not all people use RSS though. Some people will prefer to receive your posts to their email address. Offer them this option as well.

7) Get involved in various social networks and add widgets and rich media to your site

This will show people that you not only blog, but that you’re active and social on other platforms as well.  Display your activity on the different networks with widgets. This will enhance your blog immensely and show people what you’re interested in besides blogging. Adding rich media such as your Flickr pictures will also improve your blog. Visuals are always effective – as the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. This is why I always add pics to my posts.

8 ) Promote your posts

I usually update my Twitter with my latest posts. Obviously the more contacts you have, the more exposure you’ll get. If you’re really proud of a post you’ve written, then you can submit it to Digg or Delicious. However, do this sparingly. Remember! You are not a member of these communities just to promote yourself. It is always most satisfying of course when you find out that other people found your writing insightful enough to promote it themselves. 

9) Communicate with your readers 

One way to interact with your readers is by adding all those faces you see on your MyBlogLog widget as contacts. This will allow you to build long lasting relationships with them.

10) Interact with other bloggers

If you’re reading other people’s blogs, leave comments on the posts that interest you. This is another great way to build relationships.

I really believe that blogging is a skill that you learn as you go along. Like anything else in life, the longer you blog, the more you’ll know how effectively interact with your audience and increase exposure to your site. I would love to hear from you guys if you have any of your own helpful tips to add.
 

Here are some tips I wanted to share with you on how to ehance your blog and create more exposure to it.

1) Write about stuff that interests you

If you write about topics that really interest you, it will show in your writing. The more you relate to the topic, the better your post will be.

2) Be consistent and update daily

I try to write one post each day. We are all busy people and have a lot to do, but if you don’t maintain your blog on a daily basis, your readership will decline. As Om Malik says: “There are no Sundays in blogging”.

3) Say Something Meaningful

Don’t just write about the latest software and how to use it, but say what you think about it. What do you think is missing? What do you think could be improved? Give your opinion.

4) Always respond to comments

If your readers took the time to comment on your post, the least you could do is show them that you care. Always respond back. Never be rude to anyone. Even if someone disagrees with your views, they may have a point. Turn the discussion into a positive debate.

5) Talk TO your readers – not AT them

Engage your audience in conversation. Never preach to them or lecture them. Ask for your readers’ opinions, suggestions, and feedback.

6) Display your RSS Feed at the top of your blog

Make it easy for people to subscribe to your feed. This way, they won’t need to remember to go back to your site.

Not all people use RSS though. Some people will prefer to receive your posts to their email address. Offer them this option as well.

7) Get involved in various social networks and add widgets and rich media to your site

This will show people that you not only blog, but that you’re active and social on other platforms as well.  Display your activity on the different networks with widgets. This will enhance your blog immensely and show people what you’re interested in besides blogging. Adding rich media such as your Flickr pictures will also improve your blog. Visuals are always effective – as the saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. This is why I always add pics to my posts.

8 ) Promote your posts

I usually update my Twitter with my latest posts. Obviously the more contacts you have, the more exposure you’ll get. If you’re really proud of a post you’ve written, then you can submit it to Digg or Delicious. However, do this sparingly. Remember! You are not a member of these communities just to promote yourself. It is always most satisfying of course when you find out that other people found your writing insightful enough to promote it themselves. 

9) Communicate with your readers 

One way to interact with your readers is by adding all those faces you see on your MyBlogLog widget as contacts. This will allow you to build long lasting relationships with them.

10) Interact with other bloggers

If you’re reading other people’s blogs, leave comments on the posts that interest you. This is another great way to build relationships.

I really believe that blogging is a skill that you learn as you go along. Like anything else in life, the longer you blog, the more you’ll know how effectively interact with your audience and increase exposure to your site. I would love to hear from you guys if you have any of your own helpful tips to add.
 

A couple of people have already asked me regarding the import of my blog from Blogger to WordPress and how easy or difficult it was. Therefore I thought it would be helpful for you guys if I outlined the steps I took.

I recently purchased my own domain and received a WordPress blog with my hosting package. When I tried to find out how I could import my Blogger posts there, this is the information I received from WordPress:

“Users of WordPress 2.2 and above can import from Blogger. Earlier versions cannot import from Blogger because “New Blogger” was released by Google, invalidating all the old importers. Only WordPress 2.2 and later has support for “New Blogger”.

If you haven’t already, you must be using New Blogger and a Google Account on Blogger. If you are still using Old Blogger, the importer will not work.

To start the importer, go to Manage → Import → Blogger and follow the directions.”

I did have the New Blogger, yet it was an older version of WordPress that I received with my package (of course! I got the 2.1.0 version), and therefore I couldn’t just automatically import my Blogger posts there.

Therefore what I did was, I opened a “dummy” account on wordpress.com (which of course had to be the most recent version) and imported my posts from Blogger to that dummy account.  The only problem I experienced in the import was that all the videos didn’t transfer. I had to add them all back manually. Also I had to add a 5 pixels margin left and bottom to all my pics which now appeared almost on top of the text in the posts.

Then I exported all the posts from the “dummy” WordPress account to my real WordPress account by going to: Manage → Export → Download Export File. I then logged in to my real account and clicked Manage → Import → WordPress. There you’ll need to upload the export file. The only problem I experienced in this process was that the names of those who commented did not transfer for some reason. I needed to dig into the code and fix that. I also needed to categorize all my posts now because they were not categorized in Blogger.

I then redirected my old site to my new site. In order to do that, follow these directions.

All in all the process was not as easy as it could be, I think. I am not sure if the problems I experienced were only specific to my case or that they happen quite frequently, but I think that both companies could try to work harder at making the whole transition a lot smoother. There is no reason for me to go and have to manually change stuff myself.

I must add one thing before I finish. I did enjoy my time on Blogger and probably would not have left it if it wasn’t necessary. Even though I have heard some people complain about it, I found its platform very user friendly and intuitive.

I hope this post was helpful and will make your import a bit smoother than what I experienced.

Hi everyone, I finally bought my own domain and moved my blog over here.

I haven’t been writing as much as I’d like to during this past week due to all the technicalities of moving my blog, so please forgive me.

I’d like to send out a special thank you to my friend Liat Adir who created my new, fabulous logo.

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