The Only Must Have Social Media Element, A Blog.
In my last post, I went on about how important it is, for anyone wanting to include social media marketing tools in their small business strategy, to have a blog.
Actually (and I’m going to be crucified for saying this, I’m sure) I feel that a blog is really the only true “must have” element in your social media presence.
I know, everyone says that you MUST be on:
at the very least.
I simply don’t agree.
But my views on which social media platforms to use (hint: it’s a very personal decision) is another post all together.
So, let’s get started with the hub of all of your social media activity, a blog.
There are several choices out there, some better than others (like anything else), but I want to talk about just two:
If there is any way at vall that you can swing a domain of your own (only $9.99 a year for .com domains and $1.99 a year for .info domains) and hosting ( Host Gator lets you pay by the month instead of a whole year all at once AND has no set up fee even if you pay month to month) then I would strongly suggest you host your blog on your own (ideally, keyword rich) domain.
While there is nothing wrong with a free blogger blog, there are several reasons why having a fully customizable hosted Wordpress blog is a smart business investment (and, at a very small price for such a powerful business tool).
- Having your own domain name, such as MyKeywordPhrase.com, is a branding tool that is owned by YOU. MyKeywordPhrase.blogspot.com (the format which a Blogger blog will be if that is the platform you choose), is owned by Google, technically.
- People who visit your blog will take you more seriously as a business owner if you have your own domain name than if you are using a free blogging platform for your business blog.
- As I said above, Wordpress hosted blogs are extremely customizable. The Wordpress developer community is HUGE so if there is anything that you want your blog to do, there is a very good chance that there is already a plugin in existence that will fit your needs.
- There are thousands and thousands of magnificent themes for Wordpress blogs (there are even tons that are free) and designers who will do custom themes and logos. You can make your blog reflect your personality and/ or make your blog a fierce branding tool.
- You can write whatever you want and not have to worry about getting your blog shut down. Although it’s never happened to me, personally, I’ve heard of Blogger blogs getting taken down with no warning for violation of terms of service. It is YOUR business, YOU should own your content, not Google.
With that said, there is nothing wrong with starting a Blogger blog for practice if you’re just not ready for the commitment. However, I have step by step videos that I will be posting that will walk you through the process of creating a hosted Wordpress blog. You may want to start writing at Blogger and figure out what you want to focus your business blog on.
Blogging should NOT focus on pitching products or opportunities. It should be about sharing knowledge and stories and experiences that are relevant to the audience you are trying to reach.
Pick a topic that you are knowledgeable about. Your blog should be focused on a small niche that needs what you have to offer. Don’t try to write just bits and pieces about every topic you can think of, try to write a lot about the topics that you know about so that your content is genuinely valuable to your audience.
Next Time: Setting up a Blogger Blog.
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"Blogging should NOT focus on pitching products or opportunities. It should be about sharing knowledge and stories and experiences that are relevant to the audience you are trying to reach."
Sheree – You are So right on with this statement!!!
When people are constantly nagging about their great product, They just get tuned out and people never return.
If you ever need a guest poster to talk about Education or Technology let me know.
Keep up the great work, this post has great content.
-Loren
http://www.theteachingbox.com
04.24.09 on 5:02 pmHello Sheree,
I just saw your comment over on CopyBlogger and thought I'd stop by. Your blog looks great and I'm definitely going to check it out more thoroughly.
I consider myself pretty Web 2.0 savvy but I must admit – I kinda lose patience with all of the bandwagon jumping that goes on. Yours sounds like a voice of reason in the chaos! Thank you for permission to only have a blog. I'll get to Twitter and all that stuff eventually but right now I just need to focus on building a solid foundation so that when I do Twitter and Tweet, there will be good stuff to share.
Thanks!
04.25.09 on 3:28 amI'm gonna disagree just a little – I think LinkedIn is a must too. Why? Simply because, at the moment, it's the single largest opt-in database of businesspeople. In other words, it's the best place to search for people.
I'm not saying you have to be actively engaged there in groups, Q&A, etc., but it would be utterly foolish for anyone in business not to set up their basic profile and at least connect there with the people they know who are already members. The potential payoff is extremely high and the effort required is extremely low.
04.26.09 on 11:00 pmyea nice Work
04.29.09 on 9:39 amHi,
i registered because i think this is the right place for me.
bye
]competitive intelligence
11.21.09 on 3:16 pmthanks !! very helpful post!
12.6.09 on 2:17 pmnow I stay tuned..
12.11.09 on 6:31 pmI’m frequently looking for recent informations in the WWW about this theme. Thx!
12.12.09 on 12:25 amI like the detailed content that you have. Have you ever considered submitting your blog to digg ? Keep up the good work.
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01.29.10 on 8:27 amEdwas
Yes, Linkedin is good as well. The whole configuration of which social networking sites, video sharing sites, microblogging services, etc. etc. etc. is just very personal in my opinion. What I mean here is that everything else should lead back to your blog, link from your blog, and yada yada yada.
In other words, I try to teach my students that they need to focus on THEIR main hub (their blog) of information and value. This needs to be content that THEY own, leading to contact information from people who choose to share their contact information outside of a social network setting. You can't build your email marketing list on a social network or you'll end up getting in a lot of trouble.
Anyway, you know what I mean now, I'm sure. Right, Scott? You're a smart guy, I know you get what I mean here.
If you'd like to discuss it further, give me a shout anytime! I'm always up for good conversation, you know that.
-Sheree
05.24.10 on 9:46 amSo wise, Sandra!
"Focus on building a solid foundation…"
That's exactly the point I was trying to make with this post. Thank you so much!
-Sheree
05.24.10 on 9:48 amAbsolutely, I'd love to have you as a guest here! I'm a huge fan. It's all about learning and then sharing your knowledge with others who need it. So true.
-Sheree
05.24.10 on 9:49 am