What Works And Does Not Work In Small Business Blogging

 

In the current business climate of high technology and Internet communications, very few small enterprises succeed without effective on-line networking.  Most grasp that reality and make it a part of the business routine.

Content can be developed to suit the target client profile. One of the shortest paths to demonstrating value to a target audience is to do so with good blogging content, networked to the max.  Much of the network blogging tools these days are free and only require some astute time to magnify a business to clients (regardless of who the clients are).

Blogging approaches can be developed as marketing brochures for multiple roles, communicated in a vast array of venues and promoted in the media ladder to the point where local and national readership and service subscription multiples very quickly. But one must open people’s eyes and make them understand what is offered and how it can benefit them.

I have seen hundreds of small enterprises gain a foothold by using the right combination of tools. 

In assisting small business concerns in government contracting and commercial enterprises via SCORE and Micro Mentor for the last 17 years. I began exploring blogging to determine what to recommend to clients. I found very quickly that it provided vast returns as a time saver once I established the platform and set up the network.

I found that one article,written informatively can be linked to many clients and networked to help others while building credibility in the small business community. I run the blog Smalltofeds in support of my volunteer efforts.   

In order to manage high volume of inquiries in federal government contracting, I set up a Google blog as an extension of my volunteer work that blossomed into a web site. It has cost $10 a year to buy and convert it from a blog to a domain in my name and the rate has not changed in 17 years. The blog contains the basics of entering and succeeding in the venue as well my books and articles on the subject for download via "Box".

The idea is to refer clients to informative article links at the site to avoid repeating myself over and over to new business clients and still keep myself available for specific inquiries and problems.

I networked everything together and began answering questions at Q&A sites as well as registering at many of the free applications for networking on the Internet to see how that could benefit my work. Linkedin, Twitter, Pinterest,Tumblr, Wordpress, Mastadon and similar free platforms have served my site well. Roughly 30% of my clients began coming via blog networking.

The result has been heavy traffic, good efficiency in supporting in excess of 7,000 counseling cases over the last 17 years and virtually no expense to me as a volunteer working for non-profit organizations.

I also maintain a personal blog, Rose Covered Glasses  It does not receive any where near the traffic that Small to Feds receives because there is a vast difference between the two. I discovered very early that I had to separate my personal opinions from business subjects to be effective in the professional social networking venue.

Individuals who contact me or network at Small to Feds are after business advice and assistance; my books, my experience, a helpful form, insights into a fairly complex field and other problem solving information.  They are not particularly interested in my personal opinions; those who are can go to my personal blog. Not many do. Small to Feds has received sightly under 2 million views, statistically. Rose Covered Glasses just broke 300,000 -- point made.

I found networking constantly on professional sites such as LinkedIn and hitting the Q&A features assists in accumulating an "Expert" rating from peers and increases referrals.

A blog is quite different than a web site. Provide good, solid information free of charge and use blog searches for synergistic businesses to team with. Teaming is an absolute necessity these days. Use blog search capability and locate similar sites, then remark and back link to them. Develop reciprocity relationships, guest blogging opportunities and similar social networking techniques.

Be prepared to provide information, samples and valuable service gratis as a marketing tool. Introduce yourself and then immediately engage the client with your presentation tools available to bring your expertise to whatever topic they are interested in. Let them take you where they want to go with their concerns and their needs. Apply your presentation tools and expertise dynamically on the fly in a sincere manner to those concerns and needs and you will be in demand for follow up business.