Smart and Savvy Business Blogging

Blogs – everyone’s writing one these days, it seems. And business blogs are the latest bandwagon to jump on. But wait! Before you join the hordes so you don’t get left behind in the trend stakes, think! Why do you want to blog? There’s little point in blogging just because everyone else is at it. The aim of a business blog is to enhance your business – you can provide transparency to your customers, boost sales and entertain at the same time, and let your readers (aka clients) get to know you, a valuable asset when people prefer to do business with people rather than faceless corporations.

If you’re going to write a business blog, do it for the right reasons and do it well. It’s easy to start a blog, less simple to keep iti nteresting and relevant. If you’re not used to writing, look at different blogs and analyse what you like about them. It will give you a feel for writing styles too. Consider who your readers will be, what your blog will focus on and what you want to achieve.

Here are my top 10 tips for creating an interesting blog that should keep your readers hooked.

1. Make it readable. As with all business literature, presentation matters. No one will read your blog again if it’s badly written and full of typos – your reputation as a business is on the line here. If your English isn’t that great, first write your blog ina suitable programme such as Word and use the spellchecker. Leave it a while then take another look and tidy up any errors. If you’re not confident about this, ask someone with good English skills to proofread it for you. When you’re satisfied that it’s error-free, upload it.

2. Be yourself. Even inexperienced writers have a “voice” – practice will help you find it. Blogging is not the same as writing a report or a memo, so don’t be overly formal. If you can, use humour, but don’t force it or it will appear contrived. Be creative and fresh – think how you can write about something from a different angle, because you can be sure others will be blogging on the same topics. Don’t try to be too clever or too serious and don’t pretend to be something or someone you’re not. Just be you.

3. Keep it natural. Try to write as if you are talking to someone. Don’t try to pack in strings of adjectives in an attempt to be literary – leave the novels to Jane Austen. Keep your sentences short and sweet – look at newspaper articles to see how journalists use an average of 15 words per sentence yet manage to stick to the important stuff and make every word earn its keep. Limit the slang and don’t be tempted to swear. No matter how much you want to.

4. Avoid the third person. You are writing about yourself and your business, so write in the first person. And address your readers directly to build a connection. Saying “you can download our new e-book” is better than “one can download…”

5. Limit the length. Keep your entries reasonably short – around 300-400 words is plenty, it’s a blog, not War and Peace! Your readers will appreciate brevity – they are busy too. You can always return to a subject to expand on it if you need to, either later the same day or a few days later.

6. Get the tone right. If you’re writing on a serious issue, keep the tone serious. Avoid jokes and don’t trivialise important issues – people will not take you seriously and you could damage the reputation of your business. By all means take a light-hearted tone when writing on less heavy matters.

7. Express yourself. Don’t be afraid to air your views. Opinions are what make blogs interesting and lively. If you sit on the fence for fear of giving offence, you will produce a dull blog. If you need to rant, do so but use an appropriate tone and be careful. Stirring up a bit of controversy is fine but don’t libel anyone and don’t slag off your customers or suppliers (keep that for the privacy of your home).

8. Be an expert. You run a business, so you have skills, expertise and experience. Your readers will want to know about these so write about them. If you are a leader in your industry because of your knowledge, use that to your advantage. Everyone wants to hear from someone who knows what they’re talking about and it will keep your audience coming back for more.

9. Stand by your words. If you believe in what you have written, hold to it. If your blog has created unwelcome controversy, don’t roll over and bow to pressure. However, if you can see you’ve made a mistake, acknowledge it in your blog –you will gain respect and kudos for your honesty.

10. Allow feedback. Much of it may be negative or critical but you can learn from it. Letting your readers add comments will give you valuable insight into what your business is doing right or wrong. Don’t take it personally and don’t get defensive. Answer criticism head-on, but constructively. If someone complains about your product for example, use your blog to say how you will make it right for them.

Louise Bolotin is a freelance writer and editor. See www.plaintext.co.uk for more info.

Date: Jul 19 2007 11:02AM
Category: BUSINESS EDITORIAL