Blog to Brand And Grow Your Business

Article as seen in Costco November, 2012 newsletter:  Want to brand your business as the top resource in your field?  Branding expert and Costco member Nora Richardson (http://spot-onbranding.com) says blogging is a great way to showcase your business.  “If you’re not blogging, you’re in the minority,” she says in an article on Biznik.com  Here are her reasons:

• Show your expertise.  Use your blog to elevate your audience’s trust in you, your business and your brand.  TIP:  The frequency of writing/posting shows commitment to your business.  This builds credibility with your target audience.
• Connect with your target audience.   As you continue to blog and offer insider industry information or tips, you’ll build a solid following.  TIP:  Ask questions at the end of blog posts to initiate conversations/comments.  Be sure to respond to these to build relationships with your audience.
• Introduce other websites:  Use your blog to connect people to your business website and your other media platforms.  TIP: Be sure to have plenty of links on your blog page to your other social media outlets.  This encourages others to share your blog posts and comments – bringing more traffic to your website and further distribution of your ideas.
• Give and you shall receive.  Think of each blog post as a free nugget of information that will improve the reader’s personal/professional life.  TIP:  Offer additional complimentary materials, such as e-books, for example, that can help you expand leads.  Ask contacts to sign up for your newsletter to receive other free information.
• Showcase your connectedness.  To show your connections with your community and within your industry, invite professional contacts to write a guest post.  Request success stories.  TIP:  Writing a guest blog can be time’consuming for your colleagues.  Link from their post back to their website and/or social media pages to show the benefits of sharing their knowledge and experiences with your audiene.

As a blogger, I invite you to share your posts with my online/offline community.  Simply email submissions for me to review for consideration.  The Joy of Connecting blog reaches almost  1/4 million followers.  bootgirl@TheJOYofConnecting.com