As
many of you know, both Peter and I have been wanting to get this blog up and
running for quite some time now. We don’t want this to become a one-way
dialogue or a diary of our own company. More importantly we want to keep
everyone engaged and hold topics that are thought provoking and encourage
discussion.
In
the past few months we have had many discussions on the benefits of blogging
among all industries and more specifically print. There are not many blogs out
there for our industry, yet many players in the industry have been talking
about getting one up and running – ranging from the corporate arena, government
agencies, educational institutions, commercial and in-plant printers and their
customers, to name a few. Within those who we have talked to, we have
recognized that there are those who have a blog, those who are thinking of
starting a blog (but something is holding them back) or do not want to have one
at all. Looking from a business development standpoint, it is a great way to
communicate with your peers and those who are curious of what we are up to.
For
those who are hesitant of starting one – many of the questions that we have
been presented with range from who is going “own” the blog, what are others
going to think, is HR going to hold us back, are we going to get our hand
slapped for stating our observations and what are we going to talk about?
So
my suggestion for getting started on a blog is to start by understanding what
it is and what it takes to be successful. An article that I came across in
Entrepreneur magazine titled “How to Harness the Marketing Power of Blogs” lays
out 3 key suggestions on how to start a business blog:
- Great content: If your content isn't interesting and relevant to your target market, your blog won't work. It's as simple as that. You'll be surprised, however, how easy it is to find
things to write about if you really put your mind to it. It could be news articles about your industry, product updates, interviews, personal insights into topics of importance to your target audience, and much more.
- Regular updating: I won't lie to you: there are some days when I really find it hard to find the time to post a new article. But if I don't post, no one will come back. It's like subscribing to a daily newspaper but only getting a copy delivered now and then! So post often and your audience will keep coming back. And regularly adding fresh content to your blog also gives you a boost in the search engine rankings.
- Your own distinct voice: It's important that you write in your own voice. A blog is no place for formality and corporate speak. It's more of a forum, a place where ideas can flourish
and topics of current interest can be debated. You don't even need to be a brilliant writer; you just need to be able to relate to your audience and give them good content.
This
article can be found on the Entreprenuer.com website. http://www.entrepreneur.com/ebusiness/ebusinesscolumnist/article84232.html
Speaking
about industry blogs, we would love to thank those who have been great
advocates and resources for us!
Adam
Dewitz has been a great help in encouraging us and helping us to get our Blog
up and running. His blog can be found at: www.printmode.net
Peter
recently MC’d an event in Chicago
during Graph Expo for Xerox’s Premier Partner Congress and we were highlighted
in their live blog during the session: http://www.inthebalanceblog.com/blog/
Dr.
Joe Webb has also been a fantastic resource for us. You can find his blog at: http://www.drjoesblog.com/
And
lastly, although Seth Godin is not an industry player per-say, he has been a
great resource for Peter and I to go to for “how to market in today’s market”
kinds of ideas. Many of you also know, we are huge advocates of his books and
are always looking for the next one. His blog can be found at: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/
~
Maria
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