Nowadays, digital marketing has become a lifeline for every business. Irrespective of the size of the business, having an internet presence has become very important.
However, for small businesses going for large-scale digital marketing might not be economical.
If you have a small business and looking for an economic way of online marketing, then business blogging is the best option.
Blogging helps in drawing traffic to your website, attract new and potential customers, and boosting inbound marketing efforts. If you are new to the world of blogging and have no clue about how and where to start, then read on.
In this article, we have covered steps for starting a new business blog. Also, we have discussed a few tips that would help you in creating a business blog for your small business.
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How Should You start a Small Business blog?
Select a blogging platform
Numerous blogging websites are available on the internet. You should select a platform that is user-friendly and versatile.
Several websites would allow you to create a blogging site for free. But in the long run, the user has to face issues in terms of website design restrictions, SEO, and functionality.
Conduct thorough research and select a platform that suits your business requirements.
Choose a theme
The theme of your blog plays a very important role in attracting and engaging viewers. Your blog’s look is the first thing that the viewer sees when he/she visit your blog page.
Be creative, as well as selective, while finalizing a theme. Approach to Exabytes All-In-One Website Builder to create the right ideal website for your small business.
Register a domain name
Once the platform is selected, you need to select a domain name for your website. A domain name is a URL by using which the viewer can access your website.
Again, numerous domain registrars like Exabytes (SG), etc. are available on the internet.
While selecting a domain name, if possible, go for a .com domain. Also, select a domain name that is easy to remember and have your business name in it.
Domain Check for more examples of website names and domain extensions. Your domain is the face of your business. Invest in a domain when you believe it is worth more than you paid.
Purchase web hosting
Though the platform selected by you might be free, but for blog hosting, you need to pay. Some of the most famous web hosting companies are Exabytes (SG), etc.
Plan a strategy and start writing
Creating a blog is just the beginning of the journey. Once created, you need to post a blog regularly. Hence, before you start writing your first blog, create a plan.
Firstly state the object behind blogging. Next, decide the duration (Two blogs/week, etc.) of posting the blog. Decide the tone (friendly/ academic/ casual) of your blog.
Last but not the least the medium by which you want your audience to take action (sale page link, email opt-in box, etc.)
Must-Read Tips to Start a Small Business Blog
a. Identify the purpose of the blog
The moment you think about starting a business blog, the first thing that you need to decide is ‘the purpose of your blog’.
Would it be to build trust, or to mark your presence as an expert of your domain, or used as a search marketing tool, would work as the main business website, etc.? You can even select more than one purpose.
For example, if your blog is all about credit repair, then create contents that can serve this purpose.
b. Pick Up The Blog Software
As discussed earlier, you need to be very careful while selecting a blog software for your site. WordPress is one of the most famous blog software. It is free software.
Once you have selected your blog software, the next step is its installation on the server and the setting up of the database. If you have the required skills and knowledge, then you can do it yourself.
But if you are new to the world of programming then hiring a professional can be a good option.
c. Customizing Tasks
Once, your blog software is installed, you need to customize it so that it’s the theme and feel match your branding. If you are hiring a professional, you can leave it the customization task to him/her.
If you are planning to do it yourself, several free themes are available on the blog software website. You can select one and make changes as per your needs.
- Design customization involves
- Graphics
- CSS
- JavaScript
- A few database elements
Once you are done with blog design, next comes plug-ins. Customization of plug-ins is very crucial as it helps in improving the front end functionality, administration, and SEO friendliness.
d. Planning for the content
Before creating content, take your time, and set up a guideline for your content creation. You can start by keyword research.
By doing this you would get a list of content categories that are related to your content. Make a list of these categories. You can create content based on these categories.
Besides this, creating an editorial calendar would be very helpful. With the help of this calendar, you can create blogs based that go with your blogging purpose.
e. Make it Easy To Share
Just blogging won’t take you anywhere. Until and unless your blogs get likes and share, you won’t be able to achieve your purpose.
Hence your blog should be open to comments and reviews. Also, you need to be quick in responding to these comments.
Have a sharing button so that your readers can easily share it with other viewers. Also, don’t just stick to your own site, visit other’s sites, and leave a useful comment.
You never know this might open a gate of new opportunities. They might ask you for a collaboration or a guest post.
f. Measure Progress
Measuring your progress is very important. This way, you can check the response of the audience to your blogs and whether the strategy used by you is working or not. You can use web analytics software and social monitoring tools to measure your progress.
5.The Bottom Line
Creative, unique, relevant, and information-based blogging act as a powerful marketing tool to mark your small business presence on the internet.
If you can manage the blog yourself, nothing like it. However, if you don’t have the resources, expertise, and time, then you can always hire a professional to create and maintain and update your blog site.
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