If you are a small business owner, you should be blogging.
There are several reasons to blog, all good for your business in the long run.
1) Free PR. Get your company’s name and business concept out on the web.
2) Become the expert. You know you’re the expert, now prove it. Let everyone else know just how good you are. Simply create blog posts around the most frequently asked questions in your industry. And, quote other blogs and reference them in your posts to add validity.
3) Build your followers. It’s a slow process, but the longer you are out there, the more people will find your blog. They are future sales and referrals just waiting to happen.
4) Nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd. People who like your blog will forward it and post links to it. The more your website is referred to others, and the more links coming into your website, the higher you appear in search engine rankings. And, search engines are key to your website success.
So what’s keeping you from starting?
There are several good free blogging sites, so you don’t need to incur a monthly charge if you don’t want a fancy site. Although, I would recommend investing in your own blog name (URL), if you don’t already have your own website.
I use WordPress, but I have several peers who also like BlogSpot. Find the one that works for you. If you feel overwhelmed by the task, hire a professional to help. Or, ask a friend who’s blogging for their advice.
NOTE: Here is a great article on finding free photos for your blog posts.