How to start and manage a blog
Managing a blog is like adding another product or service to your business, as this new endeavor will take time to set up, manage, and promote. Blogs will require time in your schedule for marketing, networking, writing and scheduling posts, and managing comments. However, blogging can be very flexible – you can schedule posts to run twice a day or you can choose to post once a month – it’s up to you.
Whatever you do, be consistent because readers will depend on new content, and if they visit your site expecting new content that isn’t there, they probably won’t come back. That means your hard work to attract them to your blog was wasted. The truth is, most of your readers will be new to your blog; about 80% of them have not visited it before. It’s important to provide a reason for people to come back, leave a comment, or share your posts with their friends on social media.
Before rushing your blog post, take a few days to familiarize yourself with the platform, templates, and tools that have been made available for you to use. Most blogging service providers will also have an admin center where you can learn a lot about managing and promoting your blog effectively.
Take the time to explore a few blogs that reach an audience similar to the audience you hope to attract. Examine the types of advertisers using your blog and try to determine who they are, what they are selling, and what may have attracted them to this blog. Take a look at the topics the blog has covered over the past year. Keep an eye out for the ways they have used the tools you hope to use on your blog. Look at the chosen theme, the colors and the images they are using. Determine what you liked and what you didn’t like about your blog, and take notes on any thoughts you may have during this process. This information will help you refine your blog into something different and effective.
Once you’ve decided who your ideal reader will be, the theme and layout, the type of content you’ll offer, and how often you want to post, now is the time to determine what you hope to get from the blog. Perhaps you hope to generate sales or gain more customers. Perhaps you are using it to create dialogue, solidify customer relationships, or share information about your business activities, behind-the-scenes issues, and to highlight your green policies or celebrate charitable donations from vendors. Perhaps you are going to use the blog to reinforce and win networking opportunities. It’s perfectly fine to have multiple blog intentions, the point is to determine what they could be. With this, the process of creating content, blog policies and assigning staff to manage the blog becomes easier.
It is very useful to create some files on the computer to keep the items easily accessible. Create an archive to store future content, ideas for content, and resources like EzineArticles.com, for example. Have a separate folder where you can store the images, ads, and logos to be used on the blog.
Like your email signature, you will want to create a small line to be placed at the end of each post. It can be a logo, a business meme, a message for your readers, or just a single URL to your business website.
Using the multi-page option on the blog can also be very helpful. Creating an About Us page is a great way to reach those new readers by explaining who you are, links, and contact information. A second page for media appearances is also a great idea, perhaps a third that offers reviews, endorsements, or customer feedback. Perhaps a page that has a contact form for reader comments. The options are only limited by the blogging platform (Blogspot, WordPress, eCommerce site, etc.) that you have decided to use.
Once you start blogging, be sure to encourage people to use the social media buttons at the bottom of each post. Every time someone clicks those media buttons, their posts are shared with their contacts on social media. Be sure to use those buttons yourself and encourage your staff to do so too. Connect with social media groups, forums, networks, article distribution sites, and any other medium related to your blog. Networking with other bloggers and like-minded companies will also help drive traffic to your new blog.