I want to begin a blog for my event planning business; but every time I mention it, friends scoff at the idea. Am I too late to the game?
–J. Hall
Via E-mail
Absolutely not. Blogging certainly has come into its own in terms of mainstream recognition, with folks writing about anything and everything under the sun. The key is to think carefully about your target audience, what you want to say, and how that benefits them. This will ultimately benefit your business.
To start, take a look at the blogging tools available to you. WordPress and Blogger are the two better-known tools, with WordPress, in my opinion, having a
decided edge. Then, spend a week or so following a few blogs directly and tangentially related to your business. What are they blogging about, and what kinds of responses do they get? What is the size of the pool? How can you differentiate your business in this pool–or create your own pool?It’s a good idea to choose a name that is interesting, easy to remember, and relates to your company. Check to make sure the domain name is available. Use a professional, appealing theme, one that will attract, not repel visitors. And make it easy for them to engage with your blog. You’ll find that having an effective blog means
considering things such as search engine optimization, traffic generation, taglines, and design, just to name a few. But you have lots of help. Mahalo has a really good tutorial for beginners; also check out the tutorials in the blog tool you decide to use.Sonya Donaldson is the Technology Editor of Black Enterprise.