I consider myself somewhat technically savvy. But when I built The Marketing Imagination blog for my business I had never done a Website before. I did do my research, though, and that helped immensely in creating my first blog. Here are a few things to consider when putting together a blog for your business.
1. Determine your platform. The platform is merely the container for your Website. WordPress is probably the most popular and user-friendly platform available today. At WordPress.org you simply download the free WordPress web software onto your computer.
2. Choose your theme. After you’ve downloaded the WordPress software, you can browse the thousands of themes in the WordPress Theme Directory. This is a way to make your site uniquely you and if you don’t already have a brand identity, can you help you begin to develop a look for your company. If do have some branding, such as a company logo, you might select a theme that is similar to your logo in terms of colors and design.
3. Register a domain name. Once you’ve decided on your theme, you need to choose a domain name. In most cases it would be the name of your company if you don’t already have a company Website. Or you can choose a name that reflects the type of content you’ll publish on your blog.
4. Purchase Web hosting. While the WordPress platform is free, you still need to pay to have your blog hosted on the Web. There are a number of different companies who can not only manage your hosting but can help you register your domain name. I use GoDaddy.com and if you go to their site you can see if the domain name you want to use is available. If you purchase the Managed WordPress package it includes hosting and an easy set up to use your WordPress theme.
5. Create your plan and start writing. Before you begin writing articles for your blog you’ll need to develop a plan. Some questions to consider include:
• What is your objective; are you trying to get leads, build an email list, educate your customers, or position yourself as an expert in your field?
• How often will you blog?
• What is the “voice” of your blog; are you casual and fun, or authoritative and educational?
• How will you get your readers to interact with your blog; will you request an email address, provide a link to a sales page, or a contact form to request a quote?
I recently created a new service called Small Business CONNECT that is a turnkey solution for small business owners. To find out more about how you can get up and running, check out Small Business CONNECT.
