Tag: business

Business Blogging is on the Increase

eMarketer reports that the number of companies blogging is on the rise. One-third of U.S. companies currently have blogs and that’s set to increase to 43% by 2012. I’m a huge fan of the business blog. It is a powerful way to communicate with your customers and helps your SEO efforts in the process. Based on my experiences I expect to see similar increases in Australia.

Trusting Your Instincts

I’ve written a lot about how important it is for businesses to choose the right web designer for their online project. Not just the cheapest but the one they feel will best help them realise their goals.

On the flip side it’s just as important for web designers to vet their prospective clients too. A business relationship needs to be mutually beneficial and if your instincts are telling you you’re not sure about a project or client listen to them. I know that can be hard when you have bills piling up, or want the latest iMac, but believe me these are the projects that usually go pear shaped.

The irony is, for me at least, every time I have listened to my instincts and not done a project, another better one comes along. As they say when one door closes another opens.

It may take a while to listen to and trust your instincts but believe me it’s probably one of the best pieces of business advice I can give you.

FreelanceSwitch’s 12 Breeds of Client and How to Work with Them

I’ve just discovered FreelanceSwitch and boy am I glad I did.

Their post: 12 Breeds of Client and How to Work with Them provides great insight. Rather than just bagging out clients they describe 12 common types of client and give advice on how to work with them. Types include:

  • The Low-Tech Client
  • The Hands-On Client
  • The Appreciative Client
  • The I-Know-It -When-I-See-It Client
  • The Always-Urgent Client
  • The Budget Client

I’ve worked with a lot of clients in my time and can tell you the list is pretty spot on. For some rare insight into client types and how to make sure you work well with them the post is a must read.

The Essential Guide to Business Blogging

Unless you’ve been on Planet Mars for the last 18 or so months you’ve no doubt heard of blogging. Whilst they’ve been around for a number of years their popularity has grown enormously in recent times and have become popular with individuals and businesses alike.

For businesses blogging can offer many benefits:

  • It’s a great way to communicate with your clients, customers and prospects. Whether it be talking about new products or services, company news or resolving an issue, you can communicate on a level not seen before.
  • It allows your customers and prospects to have a conversation with you.
  • A blog give you a voice, which in turn gives readers an idea of who you and your business are. Your goal is to then engage them enough to want to do business with you.
  • Blogging can help position you as an expert in your industry.
  • Blogs attracts links and can help you in your search engine rankings.

Done right a blog can bring your business enormous success. Done wrong and you risk your credibility. The following guide will help you set up and manage a successful online blog.

What is a Blog?

A blog, short for “web log”, is a website arranged in chronological order with the most recent information posted at the top of the main page. A blog is made up of “posts” which can include text and images. Blogs can be written by one person or a group. They tend to be focused on a particular topic be that politics, fashion or something business related.

Blogs are built using blog software – which users can download and install on their own systems. Some blog applications are open-source software which means it can be used, modified and distributed freely. There are also proprietary software applications which are available to licence. Blogs can be stand alone websites or they can be integrated into your existing business website. There are many blog templates you can choose, both free and paid, or you can customise the look and feel of your blog to suit your requirements.

Bogs can be set-up to allow readers to make comments or provide feedback. By doing this you are allowing the readers of your blog have a conversation with you, as opposed to you providing a monologue.

You can learn more about blogs by checking out the resources at the end of this article.

Integrate Your Blog into your Website Design

When considering adding a blog to your business website you need to decide whether you will integrate it into your existing website or offer it as a separate site with it’s own unique web address. In 99% of occasions I would suggest making it a part of your website. Integrating your blog into your existing website design ensures that it provides a consistency of your brand and identity. It also enables readers who enjoy your blog to wander into other parts of your website such as your services and how to contact you. 😉
Place Your Blog on Your Business Domain

Once you’ve decided to integrate your blog into your website you need to consider how it will be placed under your domain name. You have two options:

  • blog.yourwebsite.com.au
  • yourwebsite.com.au/blog

I recommend the second option: yourwebsite.com.au/blog. As well as providing a consistency in website structure it will help your website rank well in the search engines. Search engines love links and the more links to your website the more likely you are to rank well in those search engines. Blogs are a great way to attract links to your site. Done well your blog should attract attention and you’ll find other blogs and websites link to you. So when writing posts think of creating content that attracts attention and is “link worthy” and you’ll get those links.

Allow Comments

Blogs can be set-up to allow people to comment on what you write. It is optional and not all blogs choose to do this. Comments allow your readers to interact with your blog which in my opinion is a good thing. It shows that your business is open and honest in it’s communication. If you are concerned about what this means or what sort of comments you’ll receive you can set comments to be moderated. This means you approve the comments before they are posted publicly to your blog.

Comments are a way of showing readers, or potential readers, how popular your blog is. The more comments you receive the more popular you can be deemed to be. Here are some tips to help you encourage readers to make comments on your blog:

  • Ask for comments. Sometimes people don’t realise you welcome comments on your blog.
  • Ask questions. Specific questions encourages your readers to respond.
  • Respond to comments. If people realise you’re reading and responding to their comments they’ll be more likely to make a comment.
  • Make it easy for people to leave comments. It’ best to get people to register before commenting but make the registration process simple.

Comments are a great way to communicate with your clients, prospective clients, suppliers and the public. Open them up and start a conversation.

Speak With An Authentic Voice

On the whole business communications seem to be written in some kind of “corporate speak” blandly tossing out big words without ever really saying anything. And certainly not giving you much of an idea about the person and company behind the words. One revolution that has happened online is the rise of the authentic voice. An authentic voice is a human voice, it’s a voice that speaks to you in language you can understand and relate to. An authentic voice cannot be faked and if you try it online don’t be surprised to find you are called out on it.

So how do you write in au authentic voice? An authentic voice is one that sounds like it’s coming from you. It incorporates your personality, insights and opinions. Consider writing in a more conversational and personal manner. Of course being a business you still need to be professional, just work on making it more natural and engaging. You may also want to try reading what you write out loud to check that it sounds conversational. For more information on authentic voice and how to achieve it please check out the resources section at the end of this article.

Promote Your Blog

Ok so you’ve created a blog but no one knows about it. It’s now time to start promoting it. Here’s a list of ideas to help get you started:

  • Make your blog visible to the search engines. You can submit your blog address to the main search engines, or simply get some links to it and let the search engines find it naturally.
  • Link to other blogs you like in the hope they will return the favour.
  • Swap links with other bloggers.
  • Create an RSS feed. (More info on this in the resources section.)
  • Let your clients and customers know about your blog.
  • Submit your blog to blog directories. Try Googling “blog directory” to find relevant sites.

Again for more promotion ideas see the Resources section at the end of the article.

Like most things in life there’s no magic bullet but if you take the time to set your blog up properly, create interesting and engaging posts and actively promote it you’ll find a steady increase in people reading and engaging with your blog, people linking to your blog and an increase in enquiries and sales.

Pretending To Be What You Aren’t

I’ve been in business for a while now and one of the things that frustrates me the most is companies businesses trying to pretend they’re bigger than they really are. I’m sure you know the ones – a one person operation with a “Head Office” and “CEO”. Now I’m all for professionalism, and creating a good impression, but in my experience businesses that pretend to be larger than they are often come across as contradictory, if not fake. “Hmm, you have a head office, CEO and CTO but the same person seems to do all your communication. Weird…. Think I’ll move on.”

Back in the nineties (ooh I love that) people didn’t seem so tolerant of small businesses and particularly businesses that were run out of a home. I know I lost some work back then just from being perceived as too small, or god forbid a “home business”. Not that I minded, if someone made a judgment based purely on where I worked we probably wouldn’t have been a good fit anyway.

These days I don’t see a business’s size or where you work being such a problem. In fact in many situations being small can be an advantage. The client gets personalised service from a company that can think quickly on it’s feet.

This brings me back to my point – stop trying to be something you aren’t and embrace what you are. The more authentic you are the more appealing you’ll be.

Besides, didn’t you know, Small is the new Big. 😉

Chosing Clients Carefully

Miriam from SEOIgloo has written a great post – Being straight with potential web design clients. It’s definitely worth a read.

It also got me thinking about service provider/client relationships. I’m a big believer in only working with clients who I think are a good fit. And no, a decent budget doesn’t necessarily mean they’re a good fit. 😉 I see business relationships in a similar way as other relationships – of mutual benefit. It’s a two way street and if the connection isn’t there I’d prefer to pass on the job.

A lot of this comes down to instinct and over the years I’ve learnt to trust mine. In 99% of the jobs I’ve been unsure of, but taken anyway, I’ve regretted it. And for all those I turn down a better opportunity knocks.

My goal is to present my clients with the best possible web solution and implement it. This is not possible if the relationship is shaky to start with. So a few tips:

If you’re a web designer – pick your clients carefully. If your instinct says a client isn’t for you then listen to it. Don’t be afraid to turn down work. In my experience something better aways comes along. And more often than not the ones your instinct says to walk away from will be the most difficult, time consuming jobs you’ll ever have.

If you’re looking for a web designer – don’t just go with the cheapest designer. Go with the one you can relate to. The one who makes sense and seems to be on your wavelength. And understand that developing a website requires work – some of which you’ll need to do.

At the end of the day you’re a team working on the mutual goal of a successful website. The better you work together the more successful the outcome will be.

Build Me a Free Website, It Will Make You Rich!

Any web designer will know the story – build me a free website and I will recommend you to so many people you will become rich. Not.

This approach is not only time wasting it’s insulting. So to all you web designers out there, take some time out for a giggle. Perhaps the next time you’re approached for a freebie you can send them the link.

Thanks Kal.

Who Owns Your Website?

One of the most important, and often overlooked, aspects of getting a website designed is the issue of copyright. Who owns the finished website, you or your web designer?

Over the years I’ve seen quite a lot of people burnt by copyright issues. They hire someone to design their website and assume that on completion they own it. This is not always the case. In fact I know of at least a dozen examples where people have come to me after loosing their website to their last web design company when they decided to change designers.

Of course not all web design firms have the same copyright policies but generally speaking you should expect that you own the end product – your website. Bear in mind that there may be some applications that you license rather than own.

The bottom line is talk to any potential web designer and make sure you know up front what you will own when the website is finished. You should also check any contracts you have with them to make sure it’s covered there too. A professional web designer should be open and up front on the issues of copyright and ownership and be happy to explain anything you don’t understand.