Does your business have a website? Of course it does. These days, it’s a necessity if you want to compete and thrive.

Does your website have a blog? Chances are, it doesn’t, especially if yours is a small business. You’ve been meaning to start a blog, but haven’t had time. Or maybe you’ve got one, but you don’t post on it very often.

Big mistake! A website without a healthy, active blog is like a retail store without a sign out front. People drive right by. Or if they do notice your business, they can’t tell if anyone’s home.

Blogs play a significant role in drawing traffic to your website and raising your search engine rankings. That’s because unlike the rest of your site, your blog is updated frequently. Fresh content encourages visitors to come back multiple times, instead of just clicking once and not returning. If your customers really enjoy your posts, they’ll share the link with their friends — and now those people are regularly visiting your site, too. Search engines love this kind of thing.

Still unconvinced? Check out this short video that shows how a blog post on a country inn’s website attracted precisely the kind of visitors the innkeepers were looking for.

Blogs also offer your customers a chance to comment, offer feedback on your products and services, and participate in a conversation. Remember those old general stores where people used to gather and trade ideas and opinions? A blog can create a similar community of loyal fans who come to you when they need expert help and advice.

If you’re new to blogging, here are a few keys to success:

• Commit to posting something at least once a week, if not more often. If you don’t keep things lively, people will forget to drop by.
• This may sound counterintuitive, but your blog is not a platform to advertise your products and services. Visitors can go elsewhere on your site for that. Instead, make your blog informative and fun to read. Give away a bit of your knowledge without expecting anything immediately in return.
• Keep a running list of ideas for posts. It helps to carry a little notebook and jot down topics whenever they pop into your head. Avoid deadline pressure by writing your posts a few days in advance. Even better, stay one or two posts ahead of the game in case you get busy and don’t have time to write.
• Don’t be afraid to give your blog some personality! Use your own experiences or those of your customers (with their permission, of course) to help illustrate your point. At the same time, stay on topic. People visit your site to read about your company’s activities, not to hear about your grandchildren.
• Allow people to subscribe to your blog through email alerts or an RSS feed. That way, they’ll be notified of new posts and won’t need to remember to check your site.
• If you don’t enjoy writing or are just too busy to keep up a blog, consider hiring someone to write for you on a regular basis. A good ghostwriter will brainstorm with you, gather your ideas, and bring them to life. Make sure to ask for a few samples of their work to see if you like their writing style.

For more ideas on running a business blog, check out this article. And don’t hesitate to contact us for help in setting up and maintaining your blog!

By now everyone’s heard of Twitter, the phenomenally popular social networking tool. But many people are still hesitant to jump in. Maybe you’re one of them. “What’s the point?” you might be wondering. “I don’t see how a bunch of people talking about what they had for lunch could possibly be useful to me or my business.”

If you’re unfamiliar with it, Twitter is a site where people post brief messages (maximum 140 characters) about whatever is on their minds. Others can find and read these messages, called “tweets,” either by doing a search on the subject matter, or by choosing to follow that person. When you follow someone, all their posts pop up on your screen when you’re logged in to Twitter.

What do users tweet about? All kinds of things. Comments on the political scene. Opinions about movies, music, and TV shows. And yes, what they had for lunch.

It may sound like silly entertainment, and indeed sometimes it is. But Twitter has also emerged as a powerful tool for business owners. It’s helping companies create “buzz” about their products, find loyal customers and keep them, and collect valuable data about their markets. Search engines also read and index Twitter posts, so tweeting about your company can improve your standings on Google and increase traffic for your website.

Best of all, Twitter is free. And in a competitive market, you can’t afford not to take advantage of it.

If the prospect of using Twitter seems overwhelming, fear not: it doesn’t have to be time-consuming, and it’s easy to get started. First, read Twitter’s quick overview for business users. Next, sign up to follow a few people and companies you like, so you can get a feeling for how the whole thing works. And then start tweeting.

Here are some ways you can use Twitter to boost your business.

• Offer coupons and exclusive sales to your followers.
• Position yourself as the go-to expert in your field by regularly posting helpful hints and tips.
• “Listen in” on people talking about your company. If you hear negative word-of-mouth, you can jump in and address it with good customer relations.
• Conduct informal polls and surveys to get customer feedback and find out which products they’re looking for.
• Let your customers know when hot new items come through your door.
• Notify customers about last-minute changes in your policies, schedules, or product availability.

Check out this article for even more ideas on how to use Twitter to connect with your customers.

If you’re just starting out, don’t feel obligated to spend all your time monitoring Twitter; checking and posting once a day is fine. One other thing: this is social media, so don’t just bang the drum for your company. Post links to other topics that interest you and your customers, such as news items and events in your community. The more useful information you share, the more followers you will attract! And remember, if you don’t have a Twitter strategy, you’re missing an opportunity that your competitor will take.

Feel free to contact us for support and inspiration for your online networking adventures! And feel free to follow us on Twitter!