This document discusses how blogging can help small businesses. It notes that blogging allows businesses to have conversations with customers, listen and learn from them. Some key benefits mentioned are improved traffic and search engine optimization for a business' website. The document provides statistics on wordpress blogs and encourages businesses to start blogging regularly while being authentic. It also gives examples of different types of blogs and features they may include.

1. Blogging for Beginners
- SBDC, Aug 2010
Charlie Gunningham
Manager, reiwa.com

3. 1994 Age of Surf
1998 Age of Search
NOW Age of Social Media
Blogging for Small Business 3

4. BLOGS
- a “web log”
- leave comments, post
- Start your own
* go search/read/comment*
www.blogger.com or Wordpress
Blogging for Small Business 4

6. WORDPRESS BLOG STATS
June 2010
- 11.4 mn blogs hosted
- 260 mn visitors / month
- view 2 billion pages / mth
- 66% are in English (9% Spanish)
-350,000 new posts / day
-400,000 comments / day

7. – What do people want?
Communication!
– What do businesses do?
Talk AT,
not WITH customers
www.visitsteve.com
Blogging for Small Business 7

8. “Markets are conversations”
conversations among humans sound human
natural, uncontrived, humble, honest
public can switch, so can staff – quickly
if you want us to talk to you, tell us something
business is only part of our lives, it’s all of yours
talk is cheap, silence is fatal
The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual
by Christopher Locke, Rick Levine, Doc Searls, David Weinberger
Pub 1999 : read it for free at www.cluetrain.com

9. “Markets are conversations”
human
natural, honest
quick
tell us something
business is only part of our lives
talk is cheap, silence is fatal

10. “Markets are conversations”
human
natural, honest
quick
tell us something
business is only part of our lives
talk is cheap, silence is fatal

11. “Ask not what the internet can do for you… ”
Peer to Peer Sites
Communitainment Sites
BLOGS (“Web Logs”)
RSS Feeds
Podcasting
Web 2.0 – or „Social Media‟

12. THE RULES…
not expensive in $’s
Blog often, blog interesting
Show your passion
Encourage staff to blog
Be authentic
Ideas spread
Allow public to comment

13. BUT…
expensive in time
DON’T blog if you’re..
trying to sell
boring
a command + control freak

14. BENEFITS?
You’re asking the wrong question, but since you asked…
Better Traffic & SEO to your site
Fun, empowering for you/staff
Listen + Learn from your public
Gather interesting content
What goes around comes around
“Markets are conversations”
= the future of marketing?

15. Blogs are fantastic for SEO!
Blogging for Small Business 15

16. Mark
Anderson’s
BLOG
Blogging for Small Business 16

17. Blogging for Small Business 17

18. Look at blogs, read loads of them
If you had a soap box,
what you speak about?
Start one today
(it’s free – www.blogger.com)
How could your media
(your website) have a blog?

19. BLOGGING 101 - eXAMPLES
1. Blogger e.g. 538.com
2. Wordpress e.g. Business2.com.au
3. DotnetBlogEngine e.g aussiehome.com
4. Micro Blogging e.g twitter, facebook, 4square
Blogging for Small Business 19

20. BLOGGING 101 – fEATURES
- The Post (newest to top)
- Comments (live or moderated?) & commenting
- RSS / subscribe
- Tag Cloud / Categories
- linking to FB, twitter
Blogging for Small Business 20

21. BLOGGING 101 - iSSUES
- Dealing with spam
- SEO benefits
- Long form (3-4 paras)
- Short form (twitter, updates on FB)
- Security/Risk Management
- Investing the time, who? What? When?
Blogging for Small Business 21

22. (long form)
1. Blogger let’s start one now!
2. Wordpress e.g. look inside Business2.com.au
3. DotnetBlogEngine - inside aussiehome.com
Blogging for Small Business 22

23. BLOGGING 101 – so what?
Start one?
Start commenting (gain confidence/SEO)
Read lots of them
Decide what you’ll blog about
You do need to be able to write well!
Blogging for Small Business 23

24. How can
BLOGS
help your business?
Blogging for Small Business 24

25. FORUMS
- interactive, Q&A
- opinions, learn from customers?
- you/they post question points
- comments „thread‟ / link thru‟
>> seabreeze.com.au Platforms:
BeeHiveForum.net …
Blogging for Small Business 25

26. PODCASTING
- audio file (usually)
- record interview, testimonial…
- have them downloadable
www.byoaudio.com
Blogging for Small Business 26

27. THANK YOU!
- and all the best with blogging!
- for these slides, contact me…
charlie@reiwa.com.au 0411 092 669
Blogging for Small Business 27