| When you start to put a Business Blog together, there | | | | You need to decide who is the target audience for |
| is one aspect which is often overlooked in the | | | | your Business Blog, just as you do with your products |
| excitement (yes, excitement!) of creating your new | | | | or services, and consequently who you are writing for. |
| blog. This is the planning phase - a critical element | | | | This will dictate the content of your posts and also the |
| which you need to spend time on before diving in and | | | | way in which you write them - two elements which will |
| writing your first post. | | | | influence how you are perceived by your readers. You |
| In this planning phase, you should identify what you are | | | | might be looking to demonstrate your in depth |
| looking to achieve with your blog and who you are | | | | knowledge of your niche to prospective partners, |
| writing for. The result of this will allow you to be much | | | | create an interactive relationship with clients or |
| more focused in the content of your posts and help | | | | motivate internal staff. Each will require a different |
| you to align them much more closely with the | | | | approach to both what you write and how you |
| requirements of those who will be reading them. | | | | present it. |
| You should therefore make sure that you have the | | | | 3. What results are you looking for? |
| answer to three key questions: | | | | You should also be clear as to what results you want |
| 1. What is the Blog looking to achieve? | | | | to achieve with the Business Blog. While a blog is |
| You need to able to clearly identify why you want to | | | | certainly not a direct sales tool, there are nevertheless |
| start the Business Blog. Are you looking to use it as | | | | many ways in which you can measure its direct |
| the focal point for a network of contacts for your | | | | effectiveness. These might include number of visitors, |
| company, or perhaps to position yourself as an expert | | | | subscribers to your RSS feed, sign ups to a |
| in your field or promote a particular service / product | | | | newsletter, contacts initiated or clients achieved |
| using 'educational marketing' as part of a soft sell | | | | through a contact form on your Blog etc. By identifying |
| approach. You might be looking to use it as the | | | | the results you want, you will be able to measure how |
| development area for a new product and in the | | | | successful you have been and make changes |
| process create a group of evangelists for it, or | | | | accordingly. |
| perhaps it will have an internal communications focus, | | | | By spending time on this part of the set up of your |
| either for the company as a whole or specific teams | | | | Business Blog, you will reap the rewards later. You will |
| within it. All of these are perfect goals for your blog (or | | | | ensure that the blog maintains its focus in terms of its |
| blogs), but you will need to identify and focus on the | | | | content and, as a consequence, provide your readers |
| one that you want to achieve in order to make it really | | | | with what they are looking for and you with a |
| successful. | | | | successful blog for your business. |
| 2. Who is the Blog aimed at? | | | | |