Business Blog Advice

by Brandon Cornett

What do you need when launching a business blog? Well, lots of things really. The necessary “ingredients” will vary from one business blogger to the next. In fact, entire books have been written on the subject of launching a blog.

So instead of rehashing what’s been written before, I’ll offer what I feel are the five most important considerations when starting a business blog.

The 5 P’s of Starting a Business Blog

• Program
• Purpose
• Person
• Passion
• Persistence

Program
Before you can start growing your blog, you obviously need to choose a blogging program. These are the all-inclusive systems that will power your business blog. The three most popular programs are Blogger, WordPress and TypePad.

Some companies with big IT departments actually create their own blogging programs, but in my opinion this is often a waste of time and money. WordPress, for one, can be customized and configured to support any business blogging objective. So why reinvent the wheel?

All three of the programs mentioned above can support a business blog, but they do have their advantages and disadvantages. My advice is to experiment with each one before making a decision. It’s also wise to talk to an experienced blogger who has used more than one program. He or she can help you understand the pros and cons of popular blogging programs.

Purpose
What are your blogging goals? What do you hope to get out of your business blogging efforts? How will your blog support your company’s marketing and communications goals?

You should answer these questions before you start blogging. It’s much easier to give a blog shape when you know the blog’s mission. Clearly define the purpose of your business blog, and then put that purpose in writing. You might even have a multi-purpose blog that supports several objectives. That’s fine too, as long as you define that purpose.

You can see that my blog’s purpose is clearly defined and specific. This makes my blogging duties much easier, and it will do the same for you.

Person
Who will publish your blog? Will you have one author or several authors? Will you write the blog’s content yourself or delegate it to someone else in your organization? These questions all fall under the “Person” factor — the third of our five P’s.

The author(s) of a business blog will solely determine the blog’s success or failure. The author is the blog, so it’s critical to choose the right person for the job. If you run a one-man or one-woman operation, you will obviously be the blog’s author. If you run a larger organization, you may have the opportunity to delegate blogging duties to the best candidate.

Whoever does the actual blog writing, it’s crucial that they possess the final two P’s of our list — passion and persistence.

Passion
If you are going to maintain a business blog, you will get much further and enjoy greater benefits if you blog with passion and enthusiasm. There are two primary reasons for this:

1. If you blog about something you are enthusiastic about (a particular niche, industry, product, etc.), you will be more likely to blog often. As a result, your business blog will grow rapidly and thus provide more search engine visibility.

2. If you blog with enthusiasm and energy, people will find your blog more interesting (than if you were half-hearted about your blogging). This will in turn help you grow your readership and foster interaction with your audience through the form of reader comments. So instead of having passive readers, you could enjoy the lead-producing benefits of active participation.

Half-hearted commentary stands out like a purple elephant in the corporate blogosphere. This kind of commentary does more harm than good, whether it comes from the CEO, the communications chief, or Joe Employee. Enthusiasm comes across in blog posts — and it’s contagious.

Persistence
With any business blog, success comes over time. This is true regardless of how you define success. Whether you’re blogging to increase sales, establish authority, generate leads or reinforce your brand, you will need to be persistent in your efforts.

This is especially true for smaller businesses, since a small business blog will not have the “built-in” audience of a larger corporation. In the early days, you will likely be blogging to an audience of one — yourself. But in time, persistence can change all of that!