99 Ways To Blog for Businesses

Powerpoint: Introduction To RSS

My friend Anita Campbell has a great site at www.rssnofear.com, and she's recently released an even greater Powerpoint presentation about RSS, for those of you who need to know more about it. Get the presentation here.

Blog Ad Spending Continues To Grow

You know, 5-years ago I was running affiliate ads on blogs. Then Adsense came, and here we are, with millions of blogs, and a rampant blogger attitude of "how can I make a few bucks?" Wow, times have changed since 2003-04 when bloggers didn't want to make money.

Adweek released a story today talking about ad spending blog.

Blog, podcast and RSS feed advertising are the fastest-growing segments in alternative media, according to a study released today by research firm PQ Media.

Combined spending on the three surpassed $20 million last year, the study found. Spending rose by almost 200 percent in 2005, and was expected to grow by another 144 percent in 2006, the report claimed. While these numbers show a fast climb upward, spending on blogs, podcasts and RSS remains well under 1 percent of the market as a whole.

Hey, it's still low in my opinion, but that's just because nobody's working hard enough to make blog advertising easier for bloggers. Let me work on that, ok? :) Stay tuned.

Blogging Definitions Revealed!

Micropersuasion points to a link today that showcases blogging terms on the wikipedia. Good stuff.

This is a list of blogging terms. Blogging, like any hobby, has developed something of a specialised . The following is an attempt to explain a few of the more common phrases and words, including etymologies when not obvious.

So if you've ever wanted to know what some type of blogging term is, this is your chance!

Web Development Tips & Tricks Blog

This following example was a request sent in from 'Don't Think Your Small Business Can Blog? Ask Me & I'll Show You How!". Go ahead, ask me how your specific small business can blog.

Business Type: Web Development

Example of business-blog: Web Development Tips & Tricks Blog.

Readers will learn things like:

• They'll learn about new tips and tricks your development team comes across that they could use themselves, or on their projects already in production
• They'll begin to understand your web development firm as the expert in your industry

Takeaway for the blog reader:  You're the experts in web development right? Right. So show your potential and current customers how much you know by writing a blog that proves you and your team's expertise.

Talk about new techiques and tools that you can utilize to make a customer's job better. Talk about trends in the industry, and establish yourself as the expert.  Showcase the work of your developers "fun" projects and have them talk about them on your blog. Maybe a customer will say, "hey, I could use that".

Did you know that Google's Adsense program was developed by people at Google just messing around with some ideas they had that didn't involve their main job? A good idea can go a long way as long as you put in front of the right person.

Ready to build a business blog that increases your search engine rankings, builds your brand, and helps skyrocket your bottom line?

Now you can, for only $999 at http://www.blog4999.com.

Buddhist Study Group Blog

This following example was a request sent in from 'Don't Think Your Small Business Can Blog? Ask Me & I'll Show You How!". Go ahead, ask me how your specific small business can blog.

Business Type: Buddhist Study Group

Example of business-blog: My Life As A Buddhist Blog.

Readers will learn things like:

• They'll learn about what a day-t0-day life of a buddhist is through your updates
• They'll learn about buddhism, the history, everything
• They'll learn about your study group

Takeaway for the blog reader:  This is quite an unusual "business" type, buy hey, even a study group needs people to join the group right? So if you're the organizer of this group, your main goal is to get new group members most likely. So you use your buddhist blog to help people share more about your beliefs and what it's really like to be a buddhist.

People want to read experiences and "live" out the lives of others that they emulate. A person who is interested in Buddhism could learn a lot from a buddhist sharing her experiences through a blog.

Ready to build a business blog that increases your search engine rankings, builds your brand, and helps skyrocket your bottom line?

Now you can, for only $999 at http://www.blog4999.com.

Successful Business Blogs Are All About Adding Value

I just had an interesting conversation with a bloke from the UK who sells health products online. He wanted to know how to use a business-blog to sell his products. The only question was... how to do it? He didn't get it. Here's the advice I offered him in summary.

You don't write a blog about your products. That doesn't work. Nobody wants to read you pitching your products, but, they will listen to you talking about the benefits of your products. So for example, if you sell vitamins, you don't talk about the vitamins themselves, you talk about the health benefits from the vitamins.

A blog of that nature will build your brand as the expert and most importantly, it will provide real value to a reader interested in the subject. That's what this is all about. You sell with a business-blog by providing the right value. The only question you need to figure out is what is the value you need to be selling, that's where I can help.

Ready to build a business blog that increases your search engine rankings, builds your brand, and helps skyrocket your bottom line?

Now you can, for only $999 at http://www.blog4999.com.

Wildlife Removal Story Blog

This following example was a request sent in from 'Don't Think Your Small Business Can Blog? Ask Me & I'll Show You How!". Go ahead, ask me how your specific small business can blog.

Business Type: Wildlife removal & repairs service

Example of business-blog: Wildlife Removal  "Story" Blog.

Readers will learn things like:

• They'll see and read actual stories of jobs you perform
• They'll in turn learn about your business and the techniques you employ
• They'll learn about the types of animals you remove, and the situations/regions you cover

Takeaway for the blog reader:  Everyone loves a good story, and everyone loves animal stories. Take it from me, I just recently had a racoon move into my furnace chimney and have babies. I had to have the chimney company come out and humanly remove the mommy racoon and her babies, and I can tell you, it was an experience I shared with all of my friends. It was a good story.

You could be writing a blog about your job, and how easy is that? So imagine one day you're trapping an animal in a certain part of town. All you need to do is blog about that situation! Just tell your stories and you'll be amazed at how many people will listen. There's nothing more powerful in selling than storytelling.

Ready to build a business blog that increases your search engine rankings, builds your brand, and helps skyrocket your bottom line?

Now you can, for only $999 at http://www.blog4999.com.

Baby Products Reviews Blog

This following example was a request sent in from 'Don't Think Your Small Business Can Blog? Ask Me & I'll Show You How!". Go ahead, ask me how your specific small business can blog.

Business Type: Baby Carrier Products Retail Store

Example of business-blog: Baby Product Review Blog.

Readers will learn things like:

• They'll learn your expert opinion about baby products
• They'll be able to share reviews with you and your other readers thus making the site sticky (means people will keep coming back)

Takeaway for the blog reader:  This one is too easy! If you sell baby carrier products, or any type of products really, you could easily create a business-blog that gives readers what they want... reviews! Yes, consumers LOVE REVIEWS, especially in the baby market.

I have kids, and I can tell you I never, ever buy any type of stroller or carrier without first checking online to read reviews. Why? Because my children are the most important thing to me, and I only want the best for them, just like everyone else.

So, now, if I go online and find a blog that features all kinds of reviews about the products I'm interested in then I'm hooked. And after I'm hooked, who do you think I'm going to buy the product from? Most likely the company that provided the expertise and review for me.

Ready to build a business blog that increases your search engine rankings, builds your brand, and helps skyrocket your bottom line?

Now you can, for only $999 at http://www.blog4999.com.

Online Poker or Casino Blog

This following example was a request sent in from 'Don't Think Your Small Business Can Blog? Ask Me & I'll Show You How!". Go ahead, ask me how your specific small business can blog.

Business Type: Online Poker or Casino

Example of business-blog: Poker Blog.

Readers will learn things like:

• They'll learn about poker... the rules... the game history
• They'll learn about the tournaments and where they are and how they can join
• They'll learn about poker tips and resources from you, the poker expert
• They'll learn about your online casino and the special offerings you have

Takeaway for the blog reader:  We all know poker is hot, hot, hot. Of course then, having a business blog focusing on driving new customers to your online casino or poker room is a great marketin scheme. But how do you write a blog to keep readers interested?

What you DON'T do is write a blog about your casino. Instead, you write a blog about poker. You could write a blog about the major tournaments. You could write about poker rules, poker celebrities or poker whatever. The point is, you need to be providing valuable information about poker that your reader wants.

So what does a poker reader want? Good question, do you know how to find that out? If you did, you could build the right type of blog.

Ready to build a business blog that increases your search engine rankings, builds your brand, and helps skyrocket your bottom line?

Now you can, for only $999 at http://www.blog4999.com.

Online Perfume & Cologne Store Blog

This following example was a request sent in from 'Don't Think Your Small Business Can Blog? Ask Me & I'll Show You How!". Go ahead, ask me how your specific small business can blog.

Business Type: Online Perfume & Cologne Store

Example of business-blog: Product Review Blog.

Readers will learn things like:

• Will learn about new perfume and cologne products in the form of reviews by you and  your team
• Readers will learn how you rate and grade your products
• Readers will learn that you are the expert and will begin to establish you and your store as thier brand of choice
• They'll learn more about your products by your descriptions and stories

Takeaway for the blog reader: Ok, so nobody can smell your samples through a blog. But, what you can do is use the power of words to decribe your products. Create a blog where you can talk with your customers about your products. Describe your feelings and how your products make you feel when you smell them. Engage your readers to share thier feelings in comments.

Then review your own products. Why not? Become the expert that you already are. Talk about the strengths and weaknesses of each product. Is it musky? What's the bottle like? How much is it? What types of personality does it match up with? Etc... By providing reviews of your own products, you're telling your customer that YOU are the expert, and providing them with information that helps them want the product more.

Ready to build a business blog that increases your search engine rankings, builds your brand, and helps skyrocket your bottom line?

Now you can, for only $999 at http://www.blog4999.com.