This is the final post in a four part expert series about marketing your small business online in 2012. In this post Cheryl Lawson answers the following question:

What Online Marketing Activities Should Small Business Owners Focus on in 2012? 

#1 Google Plus - Most of us are using Google products like Gmail, Picasa, Calendar, Youtube, Google+ and the +1 project will have the power of Google behind it.

Personal Google+ pages will be like places for people.  The one stop shop for everything you.  Set up your profile if you do nothing else.

Business pages have come to Google+. For more details, see this video:

If you believe search will be important in 2012, your business should begin creating a strategy for Google+.

#2  Is there an App for that?  Is there some part of your business that would work as a mobile app?  WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) mobile app creators are more available and more affordable than ever.  Get in the mobile business.

#3 Get social - You have a Facebook page and that’s great. Facebook has changed the way people see content so you might see your engagement going down.  Find ways to engage your fans, friends, and followers in other ways. Find your most active community members and give them other ways to connect with you. Take the relationship to another level. Facebook groups, Twitter chats, Meetup.com, Google+ Hangouts are just a few ways to do that online.

About Cheryl Lawson

Cheryl Lawson is the owner and founder of event planning and marketing firm, Party Aficionado. Cheryl is also the mastermind behind Social Media Tulsa.  

Resources:

Official video explains Google+ Hangouts here:

Want to learn more? Register for the Social Media Tulsa Conference 2012

On March 15, 2012 at 9:00 AM  local and global social media, tech, mobile, PR, and internet marketing thought leaders will share their knowledge. Get inspired by our speakers. Meet the people behind the tweets, blogs, posts, and comments. Whether you are a small business looking to get started with a social media marketing plan, or a corporate marketing manager needing tips for taking your online marketing strategies to a new level, the Social Media Tulsa Conference is for you.  Find out more, here ›

Read the Rest of the Series on What Small Business Should Focus on in 2012

• Attitude, Video and Going where your customers are by Becky McCray 
• Taking Action and What’s Next by Allen Gibson
• Facebook Changes in 2012 by Melanie Nelson

This is the 3rd post in a four part expert series about marketing your small business online in 2012. In today’s post Melanie Nelson, author of Facebook All-In-One for Dummies and of the popular blog Blogging Basics 101, talks about the Facebook activities you should focus on for maximum growth in 2012.

What Activities Should Small Business Owners Focus On?

It really depends on what the business is because individual goals play a huge part in how you approach social media platforms. Since I’m writing Facebook All-In-One for Dummies right now, I’m hyperfocused on Facebook. The new Facebook changes outlined at the developer conference in September are going to have a big impact on how online and social media marketing evolve over the next 10 years. Back in 1995-96 web browsers brought the internet mainstream and changed how companies reached new audiences and advertised products. The Facebook changes coming over the next year will likely have the same impact.

Three Things Business Owners Should Look for this Year:

1. Facebook commerce will be an important part of how people use social media in 2012.

EDITOR NOTE: A good place to find out more about using Facebook Commerce is here, The Beginner’s Guide to Facebook Commerce

2. Overall, local businesses have been slow to adopt things like Facebook Deals or Foursquare check-in deals. Those that have adopted them don’t publicize them or work to promote them. If that changes, local businesses will find they have a goldmine.

3. Add the “Like/Share/Own/whatever” verb button to your product pages. When people click these buttons, it will show up in their friends’ Ticker. Since Facebook is “verbing” things over the next few months, this can be a great way to market your products. Users aren’t limited to Liking, Sending, or Sharing a product. They’ll be able to be more descriptive.

The New Timeline

Oh, and with Timeline finally being rolled out worldwide, you know it will be available for fan pages soon. That means you’ll be able to create customized campaigns on your fan pages that integrate images, text, video, and music in one place (not like the Wall is now, it’s much more usable). It will truly change the way companies market and create social media campaigns.

Additional Resources

Read more about Melanie’s thoughts on Facebook’s new Timeline here, Facebook’s Timeline Changes Everything

NEXT: 3 Most Important Online Marketing Activities for Growth in 2012

Next up in this series, find out what Cheryl Lawson recommends small business owners focus on for maximum growth in 2012. Read more ›

This is the second post in a four part series about marketing your small business online. We asked several marketing experts about what activities business owners should focus on in 2012 for maximum growth in their business. Today we’re spotlighting Allen Gibson‘s answers.

What Marketing Activities Should Small Business Owners Focus On?

Good question! And, of course, there’s no simple answer that will apply to everyone. Where to focus has to be a product of what am I trying to achieve, which needs to be broken down in to specific “what do I want them to do next” activities.

What Action Do You Want People to Take Next?

I tell my clients that generally, the most you can hope for from an ad is that the viewer takes ONE action; be that a click on a link, a like, a phone call, etc. And if that one action leads to a roadblock­ a dead link, a failed connection, a busy signal, then Sphhffft, your marketing just died.

Of course, that’s an extreme position to take. But I believe in today’s overcrowded, oversold, over-marketed world it’s a necessary position. So, if you are a reasonably successful company, with an established website and Facebook presence, the thing I would recommend you focus on in 2012 is this:

HOW DO WE MAKE THE CUSTOMER’S PATH TO PURCHASE EASIER, FASTER, MORE FUN, MORE EFFICIENT. BETTER?

Can we complete the sale with fewer clicks? Automate our quote process? Make saying “Yes” easier? How about offering an electronic signature process? Live customer service? Free gift with purchase?

Make Sure it’s Straight-Forward and Easy to Understand

I don’t know about you, but I find that if online shopping isn’t very straight-forward, simple to understand, and easy to complete the transaction, I go away! If I have to work to understand your path to purchase…I get annoyed.

And your marketing just died.

About Allen Gibson

Allen Gibson owns StarMedia Services, a marketing communications agency in Southern Alberta, Canada. You can also find Allen on Twitter @starmediaguy

NEXT: Facebook Expert Explains What’s New in 2012 and What Business Owners Should Focus On

Facebook will reach 143.4 million US users in 2012, up 8.2% from 132.5 million in 2011 according to HubSpot. Melanie Nelson, author of Facebook All-In-One for Dummies, answers what small business owners should focus on. Read more ›

This is the first in a four part series about marketing your small business online. We asked several experts about what activities business owners should focus on in 2012 for maximum growth in their business. Today we’re spotlighting Becky McCray’s answers.

1. Change your attitude. Talk less about you and more about them.

No matter what tools you’re using, no matter what you are doing with them, the best way to achieve growth is through better serving more people. And to serve people you need to talk about them: their needs, their accomplishments, their success stories. Found out what your customers find interesting, and talk more about it. Sounds easy enough, but if we looked at the last 20 things you put out online, how many would be about your business, and how many would be about your customers?

2. Do video. From the field. With your product in use, or with your people doing something.

You can put the video on any platform: your own website, your blog, your Facebook page, or YouTube. What matters is that you don’t do video of just you talking. Get your video camera out and shoot the action. Show your customers using your product. Teach them something. Heather Thomas shares 21 more ideas here: 21 Ways To Use Video For Your Small Business  Hint: none of them include you sitting in front of your computer talking to your webcam.

3. Go where the customers are.

Don’t trust me to tell you which networks to add, and don’t trust any other expert or guru. Before you add any new tool or platform, make sure it’s the one where your customers are. How do you find out? Ask them. No, really. Ask them what networks they use, where they spend their time online. For a bit more perspective, you can take your customer list (and their emails) to Gist.com. It will let you browse and see their other public profiles. That will help you get a better perspective.

About Becky McCray

Becky McCray has been featured in The New York Times, BusinessWeek, and Entrepreneur Magazine. She publishes the popular website, Small Biz Survival. She and Chicago entrepreneur, Barry Moltz, are writing the upcoming book, Small Town Rules. 

NEXT: Getting Potential Customers to Take Action

Next up in this series, find out about online marketing activities that get action from Allen Gibson. When prospective clients take action, you’re on your way to success. Read more ›

Are you a small business owner looking for a plan to dominate your niche online next year? Here are twelve actions you can take for online success:

1. Define your prospects or online audience well. Create a persona. Then make sure all your online communications are created with your ideal clients in mind.
2. Create your online elevator speech. Tighten your online message so people can quickly catch your business promise. Put it on your website, blog and social media accounts
3. Start a company blog
4. Set-up social media accounts
5. Brainstorm at least 48 articles or blog post topics. Publish at least 4 per month to your blog in 2012
6. Add an email newsletter if you don’t already have one. Build your email subscriber list
7. Connect with local reporters on Twitter. Build a relationship with them
8. Plan at least one live local event with a portion of sales going to charity. Send online press releases. Promote through social media accounts and blog posts
9. Connect your website and blog to automatically post updates to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media platforms
10. Create regularly scheduled social media activities
11. Plan and implement a social media contest to grow Facebook friends and Twitter followers
12. Promote local charities, local bloggers and causes in your community through social media

With all of the options available to market your business online today, small business owners can become overwhelmed. That’s why this list is important. Print it out. Use it as the groundwork for your online marketing plan.

Back when I sold IBM equipment, I used to pick the top sales guy’s brain all the time. The best advice he ever gave me was, “Plan your work. Work your plan.” The above list is a great place to start. But you have to work it.

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart
“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys”

If You Like this Article, You Might Also Like:

• Converting Your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn Connections to Customers with Face-to-Face Events
• Blogging for Your Business: An Interview with Ann Handley 
• Website Redesign Checklist for Attracting New Business

Yesterday, while I was researching keywords for a client, I found “Top 12 (client’s keywords)” in a web page title on Google. I stopped. I had to click on the link. I was hooked.

How many times have you searched for the best something-or-other on a search engine?

What Happens When Your Prospect is Ready to Make a Decision?

Imagine someone who has already decided they’re going to buy a product or service you sell. Now think about what your prospect would do just before deciding on a specific brand or a specific service. How would they narrow their choices to the BEST possible solution for them?

After 12 years of doing keyword research for different websites, I’ve always been amazed that more people don’t have “best” lists on their websites.

If you’re a travel agent who specializes in romantic getaways, why not write a best blog post about your Top 5 Recommended Romantic Getaways for 2012? If you own a paint store, why not write a blog post on the 5 Best Selling Paints of 2011?

Now, I’m not the only one who recommends using this tactic. You’ll find top ten lists and lists of the best everywhere. Why? Because it works.

Case Study: Search Engine Results after Adding Best Blog Posts or Pages to a Website

Earlier this year we set-up a website for a client using WordPress. We created a few pages and posts on the site to rank well for keywords with the word “best” in it.

Today Google Analytics reported that 19.24% of Google traffic to the website in the last 30 days was from searches that included the word “best” in it.

We also had a few surprises. Since the website is a review website, the website ranks well for “best” review site for certain keywords. We never intentionally tried to get high search rankings for phrases with “best review” in them. But we’re happy with the results.

6 Reasons Why BEST Blog Posts and TOP Recommendations Work:

1. Establishes yourself as the expert and not just another website trying to sell something
2. Your website is the one people see when they are at the critical moment of deciding which option is best
3. People like to share “best” or “top” lists.
4. Other websites are more likely to link to your BEST or TOP web page
5. When tweeting or talking about the page on Facebook, there is a better possibility that people will click to your web page and actually read your content
6. When someone is ready to make a purchase decision, they will ask themselves: ”Where did I see that Best article?”

Common Mistakes When Writing a Best or Top List

Once you’ve decided you’re going to write you own BEST blog post or article, here are the things you should avoid:

1. Don’t push the most expensive, highest profit option as the best unless it truly is the best. One of your goals is to be seen as a trusted advisor. Be honest. Share any cons or negatives.
2. Don’t try to trick your website visitors. Tell people upfront when you benefit from them buying through your website or through the links you provide.
3. Don’t skip products or services you don’t sell. Add at least one choice you WON’T benefit from if they buy. This adds credibility and builds trust. Tell people that you don’t benefit from this recommendation. Spell it out for them.
4. Don’t assume your “best” blog post or web page will get high search engine rankings. Privately ask people to promote your blog post. Ask people to read and tweet or share on Facebook if they like it.
5. Don’t post photos without permission. Don’t tag people without asking first. Don’t get photos from a Google search without permission. Pay for your photos. Or use photos of current customers. But ask permission first.
6. Don’t forget feedback. Ask for feedback from people/customers who used your best recommendations.

Since you’ve read this far, you know posting a BEST list on your blog or website is something you should do. Why don’t you stop right now. Decide on a list you think will help potential clients. Then write a rough draft, or assign someone in your organization to write it. Get started. Decide on a deadline for posting it. Then get it done.

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

If You Liked this Article, You Might Also Like:

• Blogging for Your Business: An Interview with Ann Handley
• Retail Jeweler Grows Business With Blog and Social Media: Interview with Daniel Gordon
• Printer Uses Blog to Generate More Leads for His Business: Interview with Blase Ciabaton

Presentation at the 2011 Small Town 140 Character Conference

If you like this, you might like:

• Seth Godin’s Blog – When You Stand for Something
• Bob Burg’s Blog - Stand For Something: A Brief Chat With John David Mann

What do you want to learn about marketing your business using the search engines? We’re developing a course for the Tulsa Technology Center. Tell us what you would like to learn.

This class is scheduled in 2012 for March 7th – 8th and May 8th – 9th. More information will be available through TulsaTech.

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

A friend of mine put together this great list of Twitter tips. I recommend you bookmark this page. Add it to your favorites. Then put Cheryl’s advice to work for you. 

Here’s a tip Cheryl missed. Follow Cheryl, http://twitter.com/#!/partyaficionado. Watch what she does. You’ll be glad you did.

Links to Resources:

• TweetDeck - Client or Application
• Hootsuite - Client or Application
• Support 
• Bit.ly - URL shortener
• Disqus - Share blog comments accross the web
• Foursquare - Application for sharing your location

If you have a resource you want to share, please tell us in the comments below. 

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

PS – If you have a question about tweeting, ask. Do you have a tip or a story to share? Share in the comments below. We want to hear from you.

If you liked this article, you might also like:

• Can Social Media like Twitter and Facebook Help You Get Better Search Engine Rankings?
• Converting Your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn Connections to Customers with Face-to-Face Events
• How to Capitalize on Your Company’s Facebook and Twitter Connections
  

Check out this recent video from Google’s Matt Cutts. In the video below Matt talks about how Google uses Twitter and Facebook links as ranking signals.

Testing and Signals of Influence

When Matt talks; search engine experts listen. Everyone wants to know what Google is “really up to.” Here are my 3 major takeaways from this talk:

1. Google is still testing how they will measure and rank social media activities for the long haul.

2. Google is looking for true clues to a content creator’s authority. Google wants clues to authority that are difficult to fake.

3. Google seems to discount the current players of Twitter and Facebook as long lasting.

In the past black hat search engine experts would “game” the system and get high search engine rankings by creating false cues of authority. Google wants to do their best to avoid this issue when it comes to social media. I believe that is why Matt is cautious in the way he talks about the signals of authority.

What does this mean to small business owners?

If you want your business to be found on the internet in the future, you will need to be viewed as a major player within your niche on social media sites. You will need to create quality content consistently that helps prospects become more informed. It’s important for others to recognize that the content you’re creating for social media has value for the niche you serve. 

If you want the search engines to recognize you as a trusted resource within your niche, you have to create content that others in your space on the web value enough to share.

In the short term search engine experts or social media experts may get your company attention without providing quality content. But if you want to be the “big dog” in your niche online in the next few years, you need to provide great content.  

Want to learn more about creating great content?

I recommend you read this book:

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

The New Social Learning: A Guide to Transforming Organizations Through Social Media
By Marcia Conner  & Tony Bingham

It’s five a.m. this morning. My eyes are glued to the page. I’m excited. I’m writing down ideas on my legal pad about how I can collaborate with clients and friends using social networking tools. I’m already using Twitter to learn from my social network. But as I dig deeper into this book, I realize I can learn more from my social network. And so can you. If you’re like me, this book will give you flashes of inspiration you can use in your small business.

The New Social Learning: Transforming Organizations Through Social Media includes pages and pages of examples about how the CIA, IBM, Intel and others are incorporating social learning into their organizations. Here’s one example.

“Josh Bancroft, technology evangelist and blogger at Intel, tells of an experience when one of the people he worked with needed to accomplish a task. To do so, she needed to use a piece of software no one in her group had ever heard of, let alone knew enough about to use. It would have taken months to learn the software and complete the task. Instead, she searched the organization’s internal wiki system and found someone who had done a project using the software. She contacted that person and asked for help. Within a matter of weeks the project was done. How many wiki pages was the efficiency gain worth? Add up not only the time saved by one person, but also the advantages of a quicker time to market for this project.”

In a smaller organization, you could do the same thing on Twitter. If someone in your business needs to learn how to solve an issue and no one else in your business knows how, then ask your network on Twitter. You’ll get answers with links in minutes.

The downside is that most examples featured in the book are from large organizations. But it doesn’t matter. The book mentions using blogging software and Wiki software. Both are free. Bulletin board software is free. Any web design firm can set-up this software quickly and easily for you. You’re also able to use Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to accomplish the same goals. But if you want something password protected, you’ll need to talk to a web design firm.

Here is another example from the book:

“Bob Picciano, general manager of IBM Software Sales, uses microsharing tools to narrate part of his work and share his whereabouts with various teams. When he posted on IBM’s internal microsharing tool that he was heading to a town where he hadn’t been before for an important customer meeting, within a few minutes an IBM sales rep asked if Picciano might have time to meet with another customer in the same city. Picciano met with both customers that day, helped close a sale he didn’t even know about when he woke up that morning, and established a new and now long-standing relationship with another part of his organization.”

If you’ve only thought about using social networking for marketing, you’re missing out. I recommend this book if you want to expand your thinking and grow your business through learning and collaboration.

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

If you liked this article, you may also like:

• Book Review: The Retail Doctor’s Guide to Growing Your Business by Bob Phibbs
• Using Social Media Correctly Gives Your Customers and Community More Power
• Small Business Owners: Two Real Life Examples of Using Twitter Contests to Grow Your List

Yesterday Google Instant was launched. Want to know what it’s all about? The following was taken from the Google Instant web page:

“By predicting your search and showing results before you finish typing, Google Instant can save 2-5 seconds per search.”

When someone types in a general search term like “furniture”, they will see a list of keyword phrases, like “office furniture cheap.”  This happens while you’re typing. It’s like predictive texting but for search engines. You type less and get better, faster in-depth searches. Google will deliver more search results closer to the intent of your search with less work on your part.

How Will Google Instant Affect Your Small Business Website? My Predictions:

• Less traffic for websites only focused on top level or general keywords like “furniture” or “computers”
• Less traffic to your home page
• More traffic to interior web pages
• The traffic to your website or blog will be more targeted. Fewer people will find your website if it doesn’t offer an exact match for what they’re looking for. 
• Blogs will become even more important
• Brochure-type websites will become even less effective

What actions should you take?

• Create unique web content for each stage of the buying process
• Create blog posts or web pages that address common questions prospects have
• Create blog posts, forums or web pages documenting and addressing customer service issues. 
• Make sure your web pages tell who the page was written for. (Example: Have a sentence like the following at the top of web pages, “If you’re a government purchasing agent, you’ll find info about __________ here”)

If your website isn’t getting the traffic it used to, it’s even more important for you to start making these changes now.

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

If you like this post, let us know. If you want to know more about Google and your small business website, ask. If you have additional info you want to share, then comment below.

If you liked this article, you might like: 

• Does your internet marketing strategy cover these 5 steps of the sales process?
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• Wisconsin T-Shirt Retailer Tackles Twitter and Google Live Search

Yesterday I spent the day at my mom’s house. I had 4 chores: mow mom’s backyard, move some furniture to my sister’s new place (I have a truck), install a new printer/fax machine and grill the burgers and hot dogs for the family cookout.

As I’m installing the printer in mom’s home office, I can’t help but eavesdrop on the conversation in the other room. My mom and sister are talking about a friend who is always texting or Facebooking (did I just use Facebook as a verb?). They’re talking about how this friend won’t put down their iPhone or BlackBerry for a regular, relaxed conversation. They’re talking about how social media and smart phones are addictive and can interfere with a person’s life. I’m sure you know someone like the person being talked about. Is it you?

It wasn’t me. I’m an advocate of these new gadgets and tools. But I don’t want my e-mails, Twitter and Facebook or any other “social media” with me 24/7. I want to give focused attention to people or a project without being interrupted by a tweet, an e-mail and a Facebook friend request. I want face-to-face people time and no-gadget time.

I was unplugged yesterday. I didn’t check Twitter. I didn’t check Facebook. I didn’t check LinkedIn. I didn’t check my e-mail. Did I miss anything? Yep. I did.

I missed a mention on Twitter. I missed a really good blog post by a friend. I also missed an interview that was scheduled with a LinkedIn contact (I screwed-up and scheduled something on Labor Day – oops). But it was worth it.

We had a hoard of kids, all under five, running, laughing, squealing and tugging on me. They wore me out. And I loved it.

I enjoyed the noisy meal. I enjoyed sitting and talking with family. It also felt good helping my mom and sister. My work “to-do” list was un-touched. And it was good.

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

Listen to this interview with Cheryl Lawson, an event planner and social media consultant, and you’ll find out how small business owners can create events to meet Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter contacts face-to-face.

Key points you’ll learn:

• How to use events and social media for better lead generation
• How to use events to reach large corporate prospects
• How to get your company seen as a larger player in your community
• Converting Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn connections to customers
• Inexpensive ways to create powerful events for your business

Click on the arrow below to listen:

Or to download the interview to your computer, click here >

ABOUT CHERYL LAWSON:

Cheryl Lawson is the owner and founder of an event planning and marketing firm, Party Aficionado. Party Aficionado helps companies develop social marketing strategies both online and Face to Face, using full event coordinating capabilities, and coaching to help companies cultivate their audience before, during, and after events.

I met Cheryl through the Tulsa, Oklahoma Social Media meetups. I encourage anyone in the Tulsa area interested in social media to attend one of our events. You’re able to find out more here, http://www.meetup.com/Social-Media-Tulsa

RESOURCES

Website and Blog:

• http://www.partyaficionado.com/
• http://partyaficionado.blogspot.com/

Facebook and Twitter:

• http://www.facebook.com/PartyAficionado
• http://twitter.com/partyaficionado

Did you like this interview? Tell us. Have questions about creating events for your small business? Ask. We want to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

More Interviews on How to Dominate Your Space on the Web:

• Blogging for Your Business: An Interview with Ann Handley
• Printer Uses Blog to Generate More Leads for His Business: Interview with Blase Ciabaton
• Professional Photographer Grows Business with Blog and No Budget. Find Out How
• Interview with Troy Vossoller: Example of a Small Business Using Twitter Right
• How a NY Trailer Dealer’s Website Grew from 300 Visitors per Day to 1,096 Daily Visitors Last Month

Today we’re talking about blogging for your small business with Ann Handley. Ann is the Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs, a rich and trusted resource that helps businesses market their products and services smarter and better. Entrepreneurs, small-business owners and marketers in the world’s largest corporations make up its 361,000 subscribers, making it the largest in its category.

She is an 12-year veteran of creating and managing digital content to build relationships for organizations and individuals. Also, she’s a writer who blogs at her personal blog,  A n n a r c h y, as well as American Express OPEN Forum, Mashable, and The Huffington Post.

Previously, Ann was the co-founder of ClickZ, one of the first sources of interactive marketing news and commentary.

QUESTION: If you were a small business owner committed to being the dominant business in your niche or category online, would you have a blog? 

ANSWER: Since you asked whether *I* would have a blog… then the answer is unequivocally yes. Among other things, I think it’s a great way to connect more deeply with your existing or would-be customers, build a community around your business, give a human personality and “voice” to an organization, evolve your business and relationships in sometimes unexpected or surprising ways, and yes, drive sales. 

The bottom line is that a blog is among the most straightforward and simplest ways to create a steady flow of interesting, valuable and personable content to connect with customers, boost your search ranking, and help build your business. (Or my hypothetical business, since we are talking about me. Hypothetically, of course.)

QUESTION: Is there any reason why you think a small business shouldn’t have a blog?

ANSWER: There are lots of compelling reasons to blog — see my answer above — but if you need something succinctly quantifiable: My favorite stat for demonstrating the value of a small businesses blog is the one from Hubspot that shows that small businesses with corporate blogs receive 55 percent more traffic than small businesses that don’t blog.

That said, it’s a bit risky to start suggesting that EVERY company out there needs a blog, because that’s just silly, right?  

You shouldn’t have a company blog if you really aren’t on board with investing the time, energy, and resources it will take to have a successful blog.  

You also shouldn’t blog if you are a bore — and by that I mean, if you really only want to talk about yourself. The most successful small business blogs are focused on creating value for the reader, not on crowing about your own company’s achievements, or an endless drumbeat 

You shouldn’t blog If you aren’t willing or able to create a unique point of view and perspective, an interesting voice, you lack a consistent schedule to post (or can’t stick to it), and you’re impatient. Like a lot of things, a blog requires patience, attention, consistency, and a long-term commitment to succeed. Does that sound like too much work? It is. 

And finally, you shouldn’t blog if the very idea of it doesn’t excite you. Starting a blog is like getting married — and you’ll never be as emotionally intoxicated as you are at the start of your life together. You might grow to appreciate the blog (or your relationship!) in other, more ripe and lasting ways — for example, you might grow to appreciate the depth of the relationship, you might grow to depend on it, it will feed you on some fundamental level, and so on. And all that is wonderful, of course. But it’s hard to create a lasting bond with something that doesn’t fundamentally interest and excite you.

QUESTION: If you were a small business owner and you were planning to create a blog, what are the first steps you would take?

ANSWER: I would do two things: First, I would define my goals. Why am I blogging? What do I want to get out of it? Do I want to drive sales? Connect with customers? Increase my search rankings? Up my site traffic? Find out how my customers react to things, or how I do? You don’t have to define it too specifically, but you have to have something of a goal or two behind it. (Even if that might change, over time.)  

Second, I’d think long and hard about my brand’s unique perspective: Who am I? What do we stand for? What makes my business unique? What’s my take, point of view, or perspective? Once you start defining what’s most unique and interesting about you, you can begin to create a general approach, personality and theme of the blog. Literary types and writers would call this your blog’s “voice,” and I think it applies equally well to businesses who are publishing blogs as much as a novelist.

QUESTION: In your opinion, what is the most important thing a small business blog should do? 

ANSWER: As I said above, I think having a unique perspective and point of view is critical. It’s what’ll give you personality, and it’ll make what you produce interesting. Don’t be afraid to take a stand and have a point of view. Tell people who you are.  

The biggest snore is a blog that has no discernible point of view or no clear voice. That’s practically tragic to me, because blogs (and social media generally) offer businesses an unprecedented opportunity to create deeper and more interesting relationships with a wide number of customers: Don’t squander it! (Or to quote the Spider-Man franchise: “With great power comes great responsibility.”)

QUESTION: Do you think employees or customers should create blog posts? 

ANSWER: I’m a fan of blogs that include multiple perspectives and voices, if the people you do business with or work with have a passion for creating content. But that’s purely at a company’s discretion, and you need to make these decisions in the context your goals and approach. In other words, there’s no clear answer; so much depends on your approach: Is yours a group blog, incorporating many voices within the organization, like the blogs at Kodak or Indium Corporation? Then it might be great to include employees. Is your blog a “thought leadership” blog highlighting industry trends and perspectives? Then it might be appropriate to include customers, too.  

Of course, another way to incorporate customers without asking them to actually blog for you is to regularly answer customer questions as part of your editorial calendar. You can respond to their direct questions (asked through customer services, or a feedback form, or some other customer-facing mechanism), or you can actively monitor what customers search your site for, to get an indication of the kind of questions they have and you can answer.

Of course, you can also include other special guest posts, whatever the approach you ultimately take.

QUESTION: What do you think about hiring a ghost writer to blog for a small business?

ANSWER: I don’t really like the word “ghost” in that sentence. Hiring a writer to help with blogging, or to blog exclusively for your brand, is definitely a wise move, especially if you are not a writer — or you don’t have a passion for creating other kinds of content for the blog, but you still see the wisdom in what it can do for your company. Gary Vaynerchuk (winelibrarytv.com) isn’t much of a writer, either, but he built an incredibly successful video blog. So I’m a fan of hiring content creators, but I’m less of a fan of cloaking their identify, or passing off social media content as the work of the CEO or another executive or whoever. In some situations, ghost-writing makes total sense, but social media content requires a certain straightforward honesty.  

I know plenty of people using ghosts successfully, but I’m just not a fan.

QUESTION: If a friend of yours owned a small business, what are some examples of good business blogs you would recommend they model or learn from?

 ANSWER: The two I mentioned above are good — Kodak and Indium Corp. Kodak is not a small business, but you can learn a lot from its approach to capturing the spirit and stories of the people who work at Kodak in its Thousand Words blog: http://1000words.kodak.com/ I also like The Future of Real Estate Marketing (http://www.futureofrealestatemarketing.com/) for its focus on the reader, and the Indianapolis Museum of Art (http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/) for the way it incorporates video, photos, and has a fun, funky personality with a clear voice in its community. 

QUESTION: Could you give some examples of the kind of goals you recommend a small business owner set for their blog?

ANSWER: I think keeping it simple is a great way to start: Perhaps set goals for yourself around posting frequency (say, 2xs per week), traffic percent increase (perhaps 10 percent increase in traffic to your blog/site per month), revenue (perhaps a 10 percent growth in income), and perhaps a search ranking bump. You can set whatever exact goals you want to set, but I’d start with some basic things that are relatively easy to assess. Again, these are goals, or targets, to shoot for. 

QUESTION: You’re working on a new book, Content Rules. What is the most important thing a small business owner will learn from your new book?

ANSWER: Yes! I am! I am the co-author, with C.C. Chapman, of an awsome book, Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business, to be published by Wiley in late November of this year. The book is written for any size business, but I have a special place in my heart for small business, so the truth is that it’s more aligned with the likes of you more than anyone else. To say I’m excited about it wouldn’t begin to express the depth of my giddiness, because it’s a perfect mashup of what I’ve been doing for the past 15 years (creating online content) and the place in which we currently do business, on the social web. 

As for what small businesses will learn, I think the subtitle pretty much spells it out! And did I mention it’s going to be an awesome book?

QUESTION: Where can people get more information about your new book?

You can order it directly from Amazon. You can also read all about how it’s coming together (and the lessons it will hold) at our own blog, ContentRulesBook.com.

Commenting and asking questions are an important part of successful blogs

I hope you enjoyed today’s interview. Have a question about blogging for your business? Ask away. Have a comment or something to add to what Ann said? Let us know by commenting below. 

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

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