Why a blog is good for business

You've no doubt heard about Blogging. Some reading this article will already be converts to the blogoshere but most - if intrigued by this article's title - will be teetering on the edge of maybe playing with the idea of perhaps starting a blog. My advice to you is stop teetering and get on with it. Blogging is one of the easiest, fastest, and cheapest ways for businesses, large and small, to engage their customers

Why do businesses blog?
• Blogging is easy
• Blogging builds your online reputation
• Blogs can increase traffic to your business site.
• Blogs can increase your search engine ranking

Lets examine those claims one by one:

Blogging is easy
You can sign up for a free blog right now, here at blogspot.com. Of course, in the very best traditions of the BBC I must inform you that other platforms are available. Typepad, and Wordpress are two of the major blog providers.

But we don't want you to that. Current thinking suggests that hosting at a dedicated domain is the better way to go about blogging. A related address such as yourcompanyname-online.com looks more professional and will be more effective in helping with SEO.

This isn't as complicated as you might think. Many domain packages come with blog software that can be installed in minutes. martyndaviescreative recommends Compila as a cost-effective solution.

Blogging builds your online reputation
Having a blog tells your customers and members of your business community that you are serious about your industry. That you have expert knowledge. That you a ready to help and inform.

Blogs can increase traffic to your business site.
Posting in your blog should be aimed at providing readers with reasons to visit your main site. It stands to reason that if you can establish trust, your visitors will be much more likely to click your links. Make sure that the links are relevant or your traffic will decay. And if your blog is enlightening and engaging other bloggers will link to you driving more traffic to your blog and giving you more opportunities to engage with potential customers.

Blogs can increase your search engine ranking
Search engines love blogs. Blogs are naturally configured for search engines with optimized site architecture and clear hierarchical navigation structures. They like regular updates too. More posts mean more visits from the spiders and bots. More visits mean faster indexing for your new content.

Remember that it's important to place links back to relevant content on your business site in your posts and in your blogroll (a list of links). Google figures that when one page links to another page, it is effectively casting a vote for that page. The more votes that are cast for a page, the more important the page must be. The more important the page, the higher it will be listed.

I'm convinced, any more tips?
Yes, loads. I will write more about blogging over the next few days. My next article will be about what makes a good blog. Please check back soon.

Why social media is good for business

Finally found the time to link all my various social media places together. Now you can find me on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Freeindex and deviantART.

I've found that Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn even have convenient apps that link each to the other so when you tweet or post, your message will be visible from your other pages. Neat huh?

Current thinking sees linking social media as a GOOD thing as it all helps to get your message to wider audiences and drive traffic back to your website. It seems that Google's Social Search is no longer an experiment.

Web Pro news says: "If people were already seeing different search results from one another before, that is really going to be true now, now that Google is plugging results based on the individual's social circle into any given SERP. This is one of the many waysSEO is changing, and it would appear that any business looking to get some play in Google search, would do well to have as many connections established as possible, via various social networking sites and tools. "

So what is social Media?

Once the domain of people interested in networking and make friends online, social media has become an essential part of business marketing strategies. Almost everyone who's anyone - politicians and political groups, entertainers, shops, charities, and businesses - use social media these days. And the likelihood that your competitors are using it too are very high.

Here are 5 good reasons why you should consider social media for your marketing campaigns:

Social media marketing is relatively cheap

Compared with other - shall we call them, traditional - routes to market, social media marketing costs are relatively low. You can do most, if not all, of the work yourself. Media like Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, LinkedIn and Twitter are free so your only investment is your time.

Social media can find new customers

When you post or tweet it's not only your social circle that gets to read your message. If your post is interesting enough you could get re-tweeted, book-marked or commented on. Then your circle's social circle will get your message. And so on. Your message gets amplified driving more traffic to your website and finding you more followers.

Social media drives traffic to your website

Inbound likes are such an important part of search engine ranking. Sites with many incoming links are perceived by search engines to contain relevant and important information. Sites like Digg, Reddit and Stumbleupon if used correctly can dramatically affect page rankings increasing the chances that your website will appear high in search results.

Social media lets you talk to your customers

You're out there. Your customers and clients can contact you directly at any time. You can address requests and comments quickly and build loyalty and trust with your customer base. You can get feedback on your products and services, helping you to understand what your market needs, and you can use it to tailor future marketing activities.

Social media increases sales

Social media site audiences are vast. They can potentially supply thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands - even millions of prospects. If you work hard on your messages and your targeting, and your product and services are desirable Social Media Marketing will provide the opportunities to increase footfall and sales.