Sick of being told that your business should be on Twitter or Facebook? Or that it should have a blog? It's time to think of blogging in a new light.
Like many you probably think technology toys are all very well, but most of us just want to get on with business. Blogs and the like are so far down the to-do list that they're invisible, and they'll probably stay that way.
Perhaps you've already tried one, made a few entries, then forgotten to update it for months. What's the point? Who really wants to read about the minutia of my business? I'm kidding myself that 'Behind the scenes at PointlessPencils Ltd' is going to hold anyone's attention.
A Business Blog is Not a Diary
Take a different perspective on blogging. Don't see it as a virtual diary of minor triumphs and challenges. You're right - no one but you really cares about that £200 order yesterday.
Think of a blog as a stream of short, sharp articles about your business experience. Each article is independent and has a single theme. They're short, no more than 500 words. Ideally they give the reader an insight through something you've learned - perhaps about customer service, or marketing, or credit control.
The value of these articles is that people will find them through search engines, and as a result, they'll find your business. Ideally they need to be optimised for discovery by search engines (the dreaded SEO).
Over time they will form a new marketing channel. I've discovered businesses via their blogs, and perhaps you have to. The sooner you start, the sooner you'll build content that search engines, and potential customers, can discover.
If you don't have the time or inclination to update a blog at least once a week, why not employ a copywriter to do it for you? A weekly blog entry of 400 words might only cost a few pounds, especially if you put a writer on retainer. How does that fit into your marketing budget?
You're right about one thing - people won't come back to your blog on a regular basis to see how you're doing.
But people will come and some will go on to spend money with you. That's why your business needs to blog.
Andrew Knowles is a freelance copywriter.
