Like many small business owners, you’ve probably been intrigued by the concept of blogging at one time or another. However, at the same time, you’ve never been sure exactly how blogging would specifically benefit you or your business.

One of the main attractions of blogging is the simplicity behind it. You don’t need to have innate technical abilities or well-developed computer skills to tap into the power of blogging.  A blog is nothing more than a simple website in which you “post” an entry that is published immediately. In addition, each post is displayed in reverse chronological order so that the newest posts are always at the top of the blog.

Basically, a blog is an individual’s commentary on a particular niche topic such as wine, gardening or marketing strategies. Blogs generally consist of text, images and links to other blogs, web pages and media that relate to its topic.

One of the main reasons that blogging has become a phenomenon in recent years is that it gives individuals the ability to communicate to a mass audience whenever and wherever they want. In addition, the blogger can easily update their blog at a moment’s notice.

Blogging is quickly becoming essential to small business success. Here are a few reasons why your small business needs a blog.

1. Simple to create. Building a website can be a technical nightmare while blogs can literally be created in minutes. In addition, there are free blog services such as www.blogger.com that allow anyone to start and maintain a blog.

2. Provide dialogue with prospects and customers. Blogs are now being used as a communication vehicle to share important information with customers. Because blogs can be updated in real time, businesses owners are finding blogs to be one of the quickest and most accurate ways to distribute their message.

3. Here to stay. According to study conducted by Pew Internet and American Life Survey, there are over 12 million creators of blogs and 57 million Americans who read blogs. Obviously, blogs are a staple for the small business owner and should be embraced wholeheartedly.

4. Drive traffic to your website. When small business owners use blogs to educate their target market and communicate with their customers, they can drive additional traffic to their website. This is essential for anyone seeking new leads for their business or interested in generating online sales.

5. Flexibility to post whenever, wherever, 24/7. When authoring a blog, all you need is access to the Internet. This level of flexibility removes many of the barriers associated with traditional forms of communication. Some blogs even allow you to post via email.

6. Establish yourself as an expert. By keeping a blog up-to-date and contributing in an area where you have experience, you quickly build your reputation as an expert. Once you’ve established yourself as having knowledge in a particular subject area, you can begin contributing to other sources such as news articles and interviews.

7. Generate ad revenue. The beauty of a blog is that you can attract those interested in a very specific subject area. This is an ideal market for online pay-per-click advertising like Google Adsense. This is a perfect way to provide value to your readers while generating revenue for your business.

So, the next time you’re debating if your small business needs a blog, consider these seven reasons. And, once your blog is up and running, you’ll find it to be an irreplaceable platform for getting the word out about your products and services.

Video marketing is hot, hot, hot in today’s small business world. However, it’s not enough to shoot a video, load it into Youtube and sit back as the sales roll in.

In order to launch a successful video marketing campaign, you need to follow a step-by-step process that encompasses solid marketing strategies.

If you follow the proven tips and strategies below, you’ll not only create brand awareness, but generate more quality leads and eventually make more sales.

The 5 Step Video Marketing Process:

Step One: Educate And Inform Your Prospects. Remember, you never want to aggressively “sell” yourself or your products/services.  If your video is one big “sales pitch,” your prospects click off your video faster than you can even imagine. Instead, offer valuable information in order to educate your prospects. When your prospective customers and clients watch your videos, they should learn something that they didn’t know before.

Step Two: Brand Yourself And Your Business. As you educate your target market, you naturally begin the branding process. Ultimately, you want to position your small business in an important place in the minds of your prospects.

Step Three: Drive Traffic To Your Website. Believe it or not, the goal when using videos as a marketing tool is NOT about making an immediate sale. The purpose of your videos is to drive prospects to your website in order to find out more about you and your company.

Step Four: Build Trust and Credibility. Once visitors come to your website, they should be able to supply you with their name and email address in exchange for additional information about your company. (ie. a free report, ebook, tips booklet, etc.) Once you have “captured” your visitors’ information, you can continue to market to them over and over again. Most prospects need to see your offer up to twelve times before they make the decision to purchase from you. Therefore, it’s imperative that you continue to build a relationship with your prospects.

Step Five: Increase Your Sales. Remember, individuals want to do business with people whom they know and trust. So, continue to offer them valuable information, access to important resources and free, helpful advice. If you adhere to this rule, your small business profits will skyrocket.

So, if you are going to use videos as part of your overall marketing strategy, make sure to take the time to implement a rock-solid marketing process.

If you’re up on stage blogging your heart out to an empty stadium, don’t quit…here are 21 quick and easy ways to blog like a rockstar and fill your stadium with die-hard fans.

1. Write compelling headlines. Your headline is how people decide if they’re going to read your blog post of not. So make sure that it reaches out and grabs hold of your reader.

2. Capture your reader’s attention in the first paragraph. Your first paragraph should draw in your reader and entice them to keep reading. Keep it simple, snappy and sassy.

3. Keep sentences short. Short sentences stand out, are simple to read and balance out longer sentences. Utilize short sentences throughout your blog for some added pizazz.

4. Omit the fluff. Omit all unnecessary words, especially fluffy, frilly adjectives. Just the facts, Jack.

5. Use keywords throughout your post. To help the search engines find your posts, sprinkle important keywords throughout the body and in the title.

6. Use white space. Using plenty of white space throughout your post makes it easier to read. When your readers are faced with a page of dense, black text, they’ll literally give up before they even begin.

7. Make use of lists. Bulleted or numbered lists make your posts simple to scan. And, since so many of your readers are “scan readers” this strategy ensures that they stick with you ‘til the bitter end.

8. Use bold text and italics. When you want to emphasis a certain point or draw attention to an important word, use bold text or italics.

9. Link like crazy. One characteristic of bloggers is that they link, link and then link some more. They link externally to other relevant blogs and they link internally to their own past blog posts. In addition, links help Google determine what your post is about.

10. Keep your posts short. We’re living in a world packed with people who have short attention spans and overloaded lives. Aim for posts that are 300 – 500 words. Short, sweet and to the point.

11. Talk directly to your reader. As you write your post, imagine that you’re talking to one person in a face-to-face conversation. Your goal is to make the reader feel as if you’re having a conversation with them and only them.

12. Solve your readers’ problem. One of the main purposes of your blog is to help your readers solve some of their most pressing problems. This is how you position yourself as an expert.

13. Don’t preach. Blogs aren’t meant to be a personal pulpit in order to preach to your congregation. They’re a social platform meant for connection, interaction and creating relationships.

14. Have some fun. If you’re not having fun writing your blog, your readers aren’t going to have fun reading your blog. So kick back, relax and have some fun!

15. Forget what you learned in high school English class. Forget the tight-laced rules that you learned in English class. Blogging is more about connecting with your audience than worrying about sentence fragments, run-ons or dangling participles.

16. Proofread. Even though your blog posts can break some of the strict rules of grammar, you still need to adhere to some of the basics. Make sure that you don’t have glaring typos, misspellings or jumbled sentences.

17. Read your post out loud. Reading your posts out loud helps capture your authentic voice so that you sound natural and real.

18. Let your personality shine. Your personality should be a part of every single post that you write. If you’re funny, then be funny. If you’re serious, then be serious. Just make sure that the “real you” is shining through each and every post.

19. Voice your opinions. Don’t be afraid to have opinions when you blog. Let your readers know what makes you happy, what makes you sad and what drives you crazy.

20. Interact with your readers. Since blogging is a social platform, it’s natural to interact with your audience. Use your blog as a way to connect with your prospects by encouraging comments and replying to comments.

21. Provide closure. Never leave your readers hanging. Wrap up your blog posts with a short conclusion that signals to your reader that you have finished.

So there you have it. As you implement these 21 quick and easy tips, you’ll soon discover that you have more fans than you ever imagined.

Many small business owners shy away from video marketing because they’re camera-shy and don’t want to be the “star” of the video. However, even if you don’t do well in the spotlight, you should still consider using videos as a marketing strategy for your small business.

Whether you want to be the main focus of your videos or not, here are four ways to produce your videos.

1)     Someone Else Is The Star. If you don’t want to be the main focus in your videos, you can always have a business partner, employee, assistant or someone else associated with your small business be the star. It’s important to keep in mind that they need to have a strong grasp of your business and be able to relate it effortlessly to your viewers.

2)     Record Your Screen. Screen capture software allows you to record what you’re doing on your computer screen along with voice narration. You can create instructional videos, demonstrations, or a powerpoint presentation. Usually screenware capture software is well over $200. However, there is a free alternative available at: www.jingsoftwareproject.com Jing has excellent editing capabilities and allows you to convert your videos to many different formats.

3)     Use a Free or Low-Cost Service To Produce Your Video. You can put together an interesting presentation highlighting your products or services using pictures, music and text. One such video service can be found at: www.Animoto.com. If your presentation is 30 seconds or less, the service is free.

4)     Make Your Own Picture Movie. In addition, if you are a “do-it-yourselfer,” you can download free movie editing software (Windows Movie Maker for PC’s or iMovie for Macs) to use on your own computer. You are then able to import your own pictures, your own music and even your own voice narration.

5)     You Are The Star. If you are not camera-shy, starring in your own videos is a great option. When you talk directly to your audience, it helps them understand that there is a real person behind your small business. It allows them to connect and relate to you. Of course, if you focus on educating your prospects and giving them tips and strategies related to your industry, they will also perceive you as an expert in your field.

So, even if you aren’t a natural-born movie star, you can still use the power of video marketing to bring extra exposure to your small business.

Even though there are countless ways that you can use Twitter to build your small business, there are also some obvious activities that you want to avoid at all costs.

Not only will engaging in these activities hurt your business, they can even cause Twitter to suspend your account.

So, avoid these 3 Twitter No-No’s:

1) No spamming. Spamming consists of sending out the same message over and over again (especially if you are sending out your message to the same people over and over again.)

One common practice in Twitter is to send out an automatic Direct Message (DM) to all of your new followers.

I strongly suggest that you avoid this practice. The reason is fairly simple. Many of your followers consider the use of automated DM’s “spam.” Furthermore, people in the Twitter community are allowed to report you for spamming. If enough do, then Twitter can suspend your account instantly. And, once you’re suspended, it’s virtually impossible to get reinstated.

If you do want to welcome new followers, then welcome them personally in a tweet post.

2) No hard-selling. It won’t take long before you notice how many people use a “hard-sell” approach on Twitter. Instead of interacting with their followers and adding value, they blatantly sell themselves and their businesses. Obviously, this approach will only backfire. Your followers will quickly unfollow you, and you’ll build negative buzz about your business. Remember, it’s always about relationships first, sales second. So, leave the hard-selling approach to the used-car salespeople.

3) No “hands-off” approach. Twitter is a social community and if you want to succeed through this tool, you need to be – social. You won’t do well if you automate all your posts and refuse to interact with your followers. If one of your followers asks you a question, answer them. If you notice that someone is facing a problem that you can solve, offer the solution. I suggest that at least three times each day you make a real effort to get social with your Twitter followers. Mingle with your followers and help them realize that there is a real person behind your business.

If you refuse to spam or sell yourself and instead make an effort to relate and interact with your followers, you’ll soon find Twitter a powerful tool that can move your small business forward.

Many small business owners hop onto Twitter and aren’t quite sure how to find people to follow.  So, they simply start following anyone and everyone. Of course, they’re hoping that 50% of these people will follow them back and that their Twitter following will grow beyond their wildest dreams.

One of the most important aspects of Twitter is building a “targeted” Twitter following.  Keep in mind that it’s more important to have 500 targeted Twitter followers (related to your industry) than 5,000 general followers (unrelated to your industry).

The best way to begin to build a targeted following list is to follow Tweeters in your own industry. If 50% of your target market follows you back, then, and only then, have you struck gold.

Here Are 6 Ways For Finding Tweeters To Follow:

1) Follow Those You Respect and Admire. This is always a great place to start. Begin following anyone whom you respect, admire or simply want to establish a Twitter relationship with.

2) Follow @MrTweet. He will send you personalized recommendations of people for you to follow.

3) Follow Your Competitors. Remember, you want to keep an eye on your competitors, therefore, follow any competitors within your own industry.

4) Use The Search Tool In An Outside Application. If you sign up for a free account with SocialOomph, you will have access to their search tool. Once you enter the search term that relates to your industry, SocialOomph will present you with hundreds (if not thousands) of targeted people to follow.

4) Perform a Twitter Search. Twitter has its own “search tool” that you can access at: http://search.twitter.com You can type in keywords to locate Tweeters in your industry or locality.

5) Perform an Advanced Twitter Search. If you are interested in performing an advanced search, you can go to: http://search.twitter.com/advanced This allows you to highly customize your search based on your keyword specifications.

So, instead of following any Tweeter that you can find, refine your efforts and follow those who are related to your particular industry. This will ensure that you won’t be Tweeting in vain.

Is blogging a tool only available to the gifted and talented writers of this world? Absolutely not!

Always remember that one of the best parts of blogging is that there are no “hard and fast” rules. Here are a few points to keep in mind that will help you off on the right foot:

* Offer fresh, unique content often (at least 2x per week).

* Present information informally; your tone should be personal, yet professional.

* Provide useful information to your subscribers (latest updates, news, and topics in your industry) so that they see you as an expert in your field.

* Provide a place for busy, over-stimulated individuals to find the information that they are looking for quickly and efficiently.

Even if you hate writing, you can still maintain a successful small business blog.  Here are seven blogging strategies for the non-writer:

1) Create video blog posts. Instead of writing a blog post, you simply videotape yourself (using a video camera) or your computer screen (using free screen capture software such as Camstudio ). You upload the video to your blog and you have created a video post.

2) Create an audio post. You can also use audios on your blog as well. Again, you record your voice using a microphone and voice editing software. Once you have uploaded your audio file to your blog, you’ve created an audio post.

3) Ask your blog/ezine subscribers to write guest blog posts for you. Once you have a subscriber database, you can send out an email asking for guest bloggers. You would be surprised how many individuals are willing to write a guest blog post to create exposure and visibility for their own business.

4) Hire someone to write the content for you. Believe it or not, many small business owners hire “ghostbloggers” to write blog posts for them.  This option works best if you don’t have much time and have the funds to outsource the work. You can hire a ghostblogger through guru.com or elance.com Just make sure that they are fully qualified, dependable and sign an agreement that all the content they provide to you is copyrighted and owned by your company.

5) Use Private Label articles. Private label articles are niche articles written for the general public to use. You are allowed to take the article, tweak it so that it reflects your own voice and writing style and upload it to your blog. Obviously, you will need to take the time to find appropriate articles and edit them, but you will never again face the daunting task of coming up with fresh content. To find Private Label articles, you can use a company such as easyplr.com or simply do a Google Search using the term Private Label articles to find additional options.

6)  Use article directories. There are hundreds of article directories on the internet that have published articles on every imaginable category. As long as you keep the article fully in-tact and reproduce the full biography of the writer, you can use the article as a blog post. Some of the best article directories are:

1)     ezinearticles.com

2)     ideamarketers.com

3)     articlebase.com

4)     buzzle.com

5)     searchwarp.com

6)     articlealley.com

7)     goarticles.com

8)     amazines.com

9)     webpronews.com

10)   articleset.com

7)  Advertise for guest bloggers. Let other bloggers know that you would like them to write guest blog posts for you blog. One of the best places to find guest bloggers is at bloggerlinkup.com There you can advertise (for free), that you are interested in obtaining guest blog posts.

So, whether you are a bonafide Ernest Hemingway or not, there are still ways that you can maintain a highly successful blog that will help build your small business on a shoestring marketing budget.

One of the main questions from small business owners regarding Twitter is, “What in the world do I Tweet about?”

You understand that millions of your prospects are on Twitter, you realize that your Tweets should be valuable and educational, but you’re just not sure what to send out to your followers through your Twitter stream.

Here are 50 Tweetable ideas tailor-made for the small business owner:

1)    Share a relevant quote from your industry.

2)    Link to your blog post.

3)    Link to someone else’s blog post.

4)    Share a link to a video at:  www.TwitVid.com

5)    Share industry tips.

6)    Ask questions.

7)    Answer questions.

8)    Share a cool, new tool that you just discovered.

9)    Start a new # discussion within your industry.

10)    Join a # discussion within your industry.

11)    Re-tweet relevant tweets that your followers will enjoy.

12)    Share a picture at: www.TwitPic.com

13)    Link to one of your published articles.

14)    Link to someone else’s published article.

15)    Share a link to one of your recent press releases.

16)    Post updates while attending a conference.

17)    Share a link to your podcast.

18)    Let your followers know about an upcoming interview.

19)    Brag about your favorite clients and customers.

20)    Ask for help solving a problem.

21)    Share a link to your online radio show.

22)    Create informal mastermind groups at: http://grouptweet.com

23)    Generate quick polls at: www.TweetPoll.com

24)    Give away free stuff (ebooks, reports, audios, etc.)

25)    Review a product pertinent to your industry.

26)    Review a book relevant to your industry.

27)    Set up a #TweetUp to meet your twitter friends in-person.

28)    Offer great customer service.

29)    Find Joint Venture partners.

30)    Brag about a job well done by another company or individual.

31)    Provide your expert opinion.

32)    Tweet out your eZine.

33)    Promote your live event.

34)    Promote your virtual event www.Tweetvite.com

35)    Showcase your work.

36)    Promote your new product or ebook.

37)    Host a contest.

38)    Build relationships with bloggers.

39)    Build relationships with PR people.

40)    Share a link to your Hubpage: www.Hubpages.com

41)    Share a link to your Squidoo lens: www.Squidoo.com

42)    Announce the upcoming launch of a new product or service.

43)    Redistribute content.

44)    Share a link to a powerpoint presentation on www.SlideShare.com

45)    Take questions from the audience whenever you participate in a teleseminar or conference.

46)    Form a group for your customers and clients at: http://grouptweet.com

47)     Tell an industry joke.

48)    Rant about something not done well in your industry.

49)    Solve a problem that your target market is facing.

50)    Toot your own horn. There’s nothing wrong with a little self-promotion.

Once you’ve built your blog, you may be tempted to believe that blog traffic will just magically start pouring in. Too bad it’s not that simple. If you do want more blog traffic (that result in more subscriptions), then you will want to be proactive in your marketing efforts.

The good news is that in today’s new media environment, it’s easier than ever to begin bringing visitors and traffic back to your blog.

Here Are 10 Simple Blog Traffic Strategies To Begin Generating Subscribers:

1) Facebook Fanpage. Add your blog feed to your Facebook Notes Tab so your fans are instantly notified via a status update whenever you make a new post.

2) Twitter. Add a Twitter plugin to your blog so that your Twitter followers receive automatic updates whenever you post to your blog.

3) LinkedIn. Add your blog feed to your profile (using the LinkedIn application) so your connections are can follow your blog posts on your profile page.

4) Blog Catalogs. You should add your blog to the top blog catalogs so that readers (or publishers) that are searching for specific blog topics can subscribe instantly to your blog.

5) Blog RSS Feeds. Add your blog to top RSS feeds so that individuals interested in your topic can easily subscribe to your blog feed.

6) Blog Carnivals. A blog carnival is a blog post that points to other blog posts all related to a specific topic. When you participate in a blog carnival you can often get a spike in new subscriptions. To find out more about blog carnivals go to www.blogcarnival.com

7) Your Signature. Make sure that you create a signature that contains a link to your blog. Of course, use that signature in all of your correspondence.

8)  Comment Marketing. This is one of the oldest blog traffic strategies out there. But, it continues to work for many bloggers. Find about ten blogs related to your industry and subscribe to them (using an RSS feed like Google Reader). Create a routine in which you leave comments on the blogs every time they make a new post. In theory you will draw attention back to your blog through other readers and perhaps even from the bloggers themselves.

9) Forum Marketing. Visit forums in your industry, make valuable comments and contributions and insert a link to your blog in your signature.

10) Social Bookmarking. Use social bookmarking platforms to bookmark each of your blog posts as they are published.

If you continue to actively promote your blog using these simple platforms, you will undoubtedly notice a spike in traffic and a surge in subscriptions.

With the onset of social media, prospective customers and clients understand that they can peruse online reviews about a particular product or service that they are considering to purchase. This includes everything from a graphic designer to a doctor, dentist or lawyer.

Obviously, you want to be listed favorably when your prospects begin this online search. That’s where the “social search engines” come into play. A social search engine lists local small businesses and rates, ranks and reviews them.

Sites such as Yelp and Insider Pages are becoming more popular by the day…and for good reason!  A listing in a social site is free publicity for your small business. (And, obviously, in my shoestring marketing mind, there’s nothing better than free!)

In addition, you begin the important process of managing and promoting your online reputation. (Don’t worry too much about that dreaded “negative review”; most of the sites have tools in place to fight obvious spam or undocumented rage.)

Here’s a 5-step process for getting involved in social search sites:

1) Sign Up With Major Social Search Engines:

Yelp.com
InsiderPages.com
Judy’s Book
Smalltown.com

2) Fill Out Your Pertinent Small Business Information. In addition to your business name, location and picture, include an enticing marketing message that allows your prospects to ascertain exactly how you will solve their problems.

3) Ask Your Current Customers and Clients For Reviews. Many small business owners are noticing that a positive reviews on the social search sites often gives them better rankings and more visibility.

4) Publish Your Positive Reviews. As the love (in the form of positive reviews) begins to flow in, you can place these reviews on your website, blog, ezine or newsletter. The point is to let the world know what your customers and clients are saying about you. You can talk about yourself until you’re blue in the face, but your bragging won’t make much of an impact in the minds of your prospects. It’s what OTHERS say about you that’s worth its weight in gold!

5) Add Your Own Reviews. Obviously, these social sites are just another form of social media marketing…and it’s important for you to be involved in the process as well!

So, go ahead and get involved in a few social search sites for added visibility, increased trust and hopefully, more leads and sales.