You hear it all the time. “You should have a blog”….

You think you need a blog but you have no idea why. What are blogs anyway? What is the purpose? How is a blog different than a website? Do I need a blog philosophy?

What is a Blog?

Blogs are a type of website with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, text, graphics, video or links to other blogs, web pages and other related media. Unlike a website, a blog enables the reader to leave interactive comments after each entry.

Why do I want a Blog?

The most important reason to blog is to create a relationship with your customer.

What is a Blog versus Website?

How should your blog differ from your website? Your blog is about creating a relationship with your customer. It is “pull” marketing or publicity. Your blog reflects opinion, personality, individual viewpoints etc. Your website is an example of “push” marketing, meaning direct response, offers and promotions.  It is corporate information. Your website is factual. For example, while your website will contain press releases, your blog will contain commentary on announcements. If you host an event, your website will include facts about the event and registration information. The blog will include photos and stories from the event.

A blog can be used to get interactive with your customer, to raise awareness of topics related to corporate goals and to assist in closing sales. From a public relations perspective your blog can be used to deal with disasters and build the reputation of the company. Regardless of your blog philosophy, the blog should always be focused on your customer and talking to their needs, wants and desires. It is a dialog.

A website (or web site) is a collection of web pages. A web page is a document (that may contain images, videos and audio) based on the HTML formatting standard.

As a business, a website is a necessary marketing tool for creating a face to your customer. When you meet people at networking events, they will go to your website to learn more about you before conducting business with you. It is important that your website be your best marketing face for your customer. Your website is a prime example of Push Marketing.

Get a Free Web Site!

Nowadays it is quite easy to get a free website for your business. There is really no good excuse for not having one. Here are some suggestions as where to go to get a professional-looking website for free.

• Apple® iWeb for Mac – Build a website with Apple iWeb & customize with photos & widgets.
• Homestead – Build a website in minutes and get your business on the web. Try free.
• Webs - Space for individuals, groups, or small businesses to share photos and videos, open a store, and build a member community.
• Weebly - Enables you to create a free website or blog by using a simple drag-and-drop interface.
• Bravenet Web Services - Free websites, hosting and domain names, free guestbooks, free forums, free hit counters, free web polls, free classifieds, and many other free webmaster tools.
• Yola.com – Yola brings website building to the rest of us. Small businesses. Our website builder lets you easily take what’s in your head and turn it into WebPages in front of your eyes. We do it without imposing banner ads or throwing up pop-up ad windows everywhere.

Tips for getting the most from your website: Optimize your website for keywords Make sure you have an XML sitemap Submit your site to search engines Have it reflect your branding

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