Finish It Friday ~ Today is reward day..how did you do this week?  Did you complete your list or have it down that you can complete it early today and have the rest of the day OFF?  Some people asked why I take part of Friday off instead of working through it and just having the weekend off… well Friday my husband is at work and when it is not summer, the kids are at school for the day – this gives me the ability to have true ME time – selfish NO way.  It is very important that you do not loose YOU in life and it is very easy to do with a career, a relationship, a family and even groups of friends – this is my way to take care of ME during a time that will not effect those around me and their schedules.

Are you Blogging your message?  Do you blog with a set plan and purpose? 

Blog with a Plan

 

 

Just to recap from Work It Wednesday and Thriving Thursday, I am a believer that business owners should have a blog. Everyone doing business needs have a visible presence in order to conduct business these days.  A blog is a way to share not only a passion but your “expertise” with others.  The beauty of a blog is they are inexpensive (in fact you can start one here for a low cost and set up is done for you), they are super easy to maintain, and they rank high in search engines (if content is added regularly)  – just to name a few!  The days of being held “hostage” by a webmaster are over!

When you blog it is very important that you have two things set –

• Your purpose ~Why do you have a blog and what do you want people to get from your blog?
• What is your plan ~ How often will you blog?

Your purpose is the foundation to your blog – I hear all of the time – “what would I blog about?”  “who would ready my blog?”  This is easy, when you take on a company/business you did so because it drew you in.  This is true for any type of business – Small Businesses, Brick and Mortar Shops, and Network Marketing too.  You got into business because you were excited and believed in the company/service/product right?  You feel you have connected with those elements of the business and you either already know a lot about “it” or you are in the process of learning.

Here are some ideas of what you can blog about:

• Products: if your business is product based like an electronics shop – blog about the difference in makers, blog about the “new and hip” tech toys of the month, blog about hard to find items you can get a hold of and of course blog about the must haves – be careful  not to make these sales pitch blogs but informative educational blogs.
• Service: if your business is a service providing business like a automotive repair shop – blog about the different car makers and what is going on in their world, blog about new car technology (current or in testing stages), blog about car events, blog about small maintenance tips the average car owner can do to keep their vehicle in better shape.
• Restaurants: if you are an “eatery” – you can blog about new special dishes, you can blog about spices and the differences and uses for them, you can blog about different “adult beverages” and the history of them, you can blog a “secret recipe” once a week
• Network Marketers/Direct Sellers: representing a company that has a service or product you stand behind – you can blog about the “industry” like if your company is in health – become the health expert, if your company is in training and exercise be the expert and blog on body changes and eating right, if your company is legal based blog about the issues in the country finding the right attorney or sky rocketing costs to it along with needs everyone has for legal assistance we don’t think about, if your company is a home party show type blog about that product theme ie: Pampered Chef – blog about cooking tool tips and easy recipes and eating healthy.  The key is to NOT blog about your company and to make sure you know the policies for posting a link back to your company sign up page on your blog.

Every business and business owner has a message and things to share otherwise you would not have gotten into business that requires you to “sale” yourself and your services, right? It is easy to find a message to share when you sit back and thin k about it – we are happy to help you brain storm this if you would like some help with this, comment here below OR contact us privately through the contact page.

Being consistent is a huge priority – you want to add content on a regular basis to capture the attention of the search engines.  By being consistent with your blog postings you can also build a following.  People who hear your message and connect with it get into a routine and you do not want to disappoint them by not giving them new information – you will open the door for someone else to come in and “tickle their fancy” and draw their attention away from YOU and your message.

By setting these two guidelines up in the beginning, you will be able to schedule your “task” of blogging and not get overwhelmed.  It also makes it easier to schedule guest bloggers, blog interviews, and/or hire a blog writer to get ahead.

Take some time over the weekend to be sure you are clear on these two elements in regards to your blog.  If you currently have a blog already, do you work within these guidelines or do you have any clear guidelines?  If you are just getting ready to start your own blog map out your guidelines.  Trust me when these two elements are clear to you the task is a whole lot easier and even fun to do!

Don’t let blogging get you overwhelmed – yes it is something you have added to your list of “to-do’s” but think of it as “Virtual Networking” – you have to network to build your business right? Blogging takes it out of your back yard and puts YOUR message in everyone’s backyard!

Next week we will discuss key things to have in and on your blog from plug-ins to web forms!