POWER OF BLOGGING
There’s been a lot of talk lately about the power of blogging, and there are people who will tell you we all should become bloggers to enhance our careers and entrepreneurial endeavors.True: Everyone with internet access and a keyboard can blog. True: Most everyone has something unique to say. True: Blogging can be an intellectual temptress—or at least a quick way to show off your expertise.
the reasons blogging is important.Build Your Brand→Every company has a brand — and if it hasn’t been strategically created, it’s been created for you. That brand leads to how consumers — or purchasing companies — perceive your organization. It’s what makes you interesting or funny or quirky or likeable. It is your company’s personality.That said, a blog is a powerful tool towardestablishing that brand and identity. Through words, you have a direct line of access to your purchasers. Sure, you canuse it to inform them of your products or services — but if you do just that, odds are you won’t have a high returning readership. Instead, use it as an opportunity to discuss industry-relevant items with them. That could mean a hot news story, a new software or technology, new study — as long as it’s relevant and/or newsworthy, it’s fair game. Take that story and run with it, staying “in character” to build your brand and corporate personality while also connecting with your target audience.Increase VisibilityBeyond building your brand, your company needs to find — or continue to gain — its foothold in the industry. That’s the thing about business, after all — your work is never done. Blogging is a great way to gain visibility for your organizationand to position it — and its leaders — as true leaders and thought leaders in the space.From Fortune 500 blogs that gain nearly automatic followings to the new-to-town blogger posting fun finds and tips through fresh eyes, every blogger has a shot to gain visibility and earn a following. It’s what you do with that opportunity — and how you use the floor — that makes a difference.Be original. Take an opinion — it may not be popular, but that will likely only contribute to the discussion. Look at blogging as a way to take a stance, announce — and discuss — the latest andgreatest, and to position your leadership and talent as leaders.
Focus on Quality and ConsistencyThey say that content is king, but the truth is, onlyqualitycontent is worthy of a crown. It’s not about getting as many posts out there as you can—it’s about posting great stuff. So, until you can consistently produce two to three high-quality, impactful blogs per week, you don’t need to push yourself to try to do more.4. Go Past Creation to CurationOnce you have some traction and followers, consider ramping up your content by posting blogs from others who share your messaging. Content curation is not only a great way to impress your audience and engage them with other points of view and voices, it’s an amazing way to build a stronger, more collaborative relationship with people who could become strategic partners. Similarly, extend your own influence by serving as a guest blogger and posting your material on sites with similar interests.
Our voices matter and our opinions matter. Age is just a number and everyone has to start somewhere.
With the an estimated 150K new websites and 7M new pages added to the Internet every day, the biggest challenge for every entrepreneur is to get found, and get some credibility for a new startup. I can attest from experience that publishing a regular blog to properly showcase your offering, even before you have it, is a most cost effective approach in time and money.The biggest roadblock is that startupfounders already have too much to do building a product, mapping strategy, courting investors, etc. So finding time is hard, and good writing is simply not what most people do. But here are some key reasons why you need to give it some priority:1.You can validate the need and yoursolution before spending money.Too many entrepreneurs spend bigmoney on development, only to find out that the solution isn’t quiteright. Feedback from your blog will tell you quickly whether anyone agrees with your assessment, and whether you have a customer basewaiting.2.Find potential partners.Most of thepeople you would want as co-founders are now cruising the relevant blogs for ideas and partners. It’s a great way to find like-minded people, and get a dialog going. From a networking standpoint, it’s a lot more efficient than going to seminars and other industry events.3.Populate your team.Smart potential employees are also reading blogs to stay up-to-date in their field, and find the new leaders. More and more, employees work for people they respect, rather than companies. Take the initiative to put yourself out there. Of course, ultimately youwant employees who can blog for you and your company as well.4.Cultivate early customers.It’s never too early to start a dialog with customers, as long as you don’t mislead them about where you are in the cycle. Build your brand and get leads today. There’s also the opportunity to do some consulting with interested customers to provide needed revenue while the product is still under development.5.Build your credibility with investors.A blog is an excellent vehicle to meet investors, before you are ready to ask them for money. You will also learn about competitors, who can’t resist responding to a well-written blog. Once you gain real traction as an expert in your space through the blog, investors will put you at the top of their funding list.6.Hone your communication skills.Writing a blog is all about communication, and that’s your number one job as founder of a new startup. Trying to write something down for someone elseto understand quickly, will tell you if you really understand it yourself. Even if you use a ghost writer for your blog, the briefing process will enhance your skills.7.Your Google ranking will go up dramatically.Whereas Google and other search engines may take twoor three weeks to list your new website in search results, new blogsites and new blog entries are indexed every day. From comments, you will accumulate external links both into and out of your site, and get additional ranking from Google.
the reasons blogging is important.Build Your Brand→Every company has a brand — and if it hasn’t been strategically created, it’s been created for you. That brand leads to how consumers — or purchasing companies — perceive your organization. It’s what makes you interesting or funny or quirky or likeable. It is your company’s personality.That said, a blog is a powerful tool towardestablishing that brand and identity. Through words, you have a direct line of access to your purchasers. Sure, you canuse it to inform them of your products or services — but if you do just that, odds are you won’t have a high returning readership. Instead, use it as an opportunity to discuss industry-relevant items with them. That could mean a hot news story, a new software or technology, new study — as long as it’s relevant and/or newsworthy, it’s fair game. Take that story and run with it, staying “in character” to build your brand and corporate personality while also connecting with your target audience.Increase VisibilityBeyond building your brand, your company needs to find — or continue to gain — its foothold in the industry. That’s the thing about business, after all — your work is never done. Blogging is a great way to gain visibility for your organizationand to position it — and its leaders — as true leaders and thought leaders in the space.From Fortune 500 blogs that gain nearly automatic followings to the new-to-town blogger posting fun finds and tips through fresh eyes, every blogger has a shot to gain visibility and earn a following. It’s what you do with that opportunity — and how you use the floor — that makes a difference.Be original. Take an opinion — it may not be popular, but that will likely only contribute to the discussion. Look at blogging as a way to take a stance, announce — and discuss — the latest andgreatest, and to position your leadership and talent as leaders.
Focus on Quality and ConsistencyThey say that content is king, but the truth is, onlyqualitycontent is worthy of a crown. It’s not about getting as many posts out there as you can—it’s about posting great stuff. So, until you can consistently produce two to three high-quality, impactful blogs per week, you don’t need to push yourself to try to do more.4. Go Past Creation to CurationOnce you have some traction and followers, consider ramping up your content by posting blogs from others who share your messaging. Content curation is not only a great way to impress your audience and engage them with other points of view and voices, it’s an amazing way to build a stronger, more collaborative relationship with people who could become strategic partners. Similarly, extend your own influence by serving as a guest blogger and posting your material on sites with similar interests.
Our voices matter and our opinions matter. Age is just a number and everyone has to start somewhere.
With the an estimated 150K new websites and 7M new pages added to the Internet every day, the biggest challenge for every entrepreneur is to get found, and get some credibility for a new startup. I can attest from experience that publishing a regular blog to properly showcase your offering, even before you have it, is a most cost effective approach in time and money.The biggest roadblock is that startupfounders already have too much to do building a product, mapping strategy, courting investors, etc. So finding time is hard, and good writing is simply not what most people do. But here are some key reasons why you need to give it some priority:1.You can validate the need and yoursolution before spending money.Too many entrepreneurs spend bigmoney on development, only to find out that the solution isn’t quiteright. Feedback from your blog will tell you quickly whether anyone agrees with your assessment, and whether you have a customer basewaiting.2.Find potential partners.Most of thepeople you would want as co-founders are now cruising the relevant blogs for ideas and partners. It’s a great way to find like-minded people, and get a dialog going. From a networking standpoint, it’s a lot more efficient than going to seminars and other industry events.3.Populate your team.Smart potential employees are also reading blogs to stay up-to-date in their field, and find the new leaders. More and more, employees work for people they respect, rather than companies. Take the initiative to put yourself out there. Of course, ultimately youwant employees who can blog for you and your company as well.4.Cultivate early customers.It’s never too early to start a dialog with customers, as long as you don’t mislead them about where you are in the cycle. Build your brand and get leads today. There’s also the opportunity to do some consulting with interested customers to provide needed revenue while the product is still under development.5.Build your credibility with investors.A blog is an excellent vehicle to meet investors, before you are ready to ask them for money. You will also learn about competitors, who can’t resist responding to a well-written blog. Once you gain real traction as an expert in your space through the blog, investors will put you at the top of their funding list.6.Hone your communication skills.Writing a blog is all about communication, and that’s your number one job as founder of a new startup. Trying to write something down for someone elseto understand quickly, will tell you if you really understand it yourself. Even if you use a ghost writer for your blog, the briefing process will enhance your skills.7.Your Google ranking will go up dramatically.Whereas Google and other search engines may take twoor three weeks to list your new website in search results, new blogsites and new blog entries are indexed every day. From comments, you will accumulate external links both into and out of your site, and get additional ranking from Google.
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