You can’t read any marketing material without hearing about social media – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIN, Google Buzz, tec. — but blogging is also a social platform. Twitter is defined as a micro-blogging service. Instead of a whole paragraph or a whole page, it is a 140 character blog post to the Twitter service. Who says you can’t blog?

Why blog?

A bunch of reasons including to demonstrate your subject matter expertise; for publicity (PR); to become a Trusted Advisor; for reputation; or to just be heard.

In general, you blog for marketing.

A side effect of blogging (and other social networking) is SEO (search engine optimization) – or at the very least, search engine results. If you create enough organic, genuine content around your subject or topic (or keyword), the search engines will ikely find it (eventually). The more content and the more frequent you create content, the better your search results. So blog often.

I hear this all the time. “I can’t write. I don’t have time. What would I write about? I’m a lousy writer.

Seth Godin would say that is your lizard brain yelling at you. It’s creating excuses, throwing up obstacles. I say, “Just do it.”

You can’t write, but you can if you practice. You can if you are writing about something you believe it. (You believe in your company’s products and services, I hope.)

You have to make time. Marketing costs money or time. Either hire a marketing firm or schedule some time – regular appointments when you are freshest is best.

What do I write about? I have answered this numerous times. Tell stories about your customers, your community, your industry, your employees, your charity. What do you talk about at networking events? Write a short post about that. (It’s a place to start!)

You are a lousy writer – now. With practice (and maybe some editorial help) you will get better. But to do that you have to get started!

If you don’t want to write — audio and video work too!

UTB Social Media Seminar from Zack Koczanski on Vimeo.

Coverage of the UTB Social Media Seminar at the Hilton Garden Inn, Oldsmar on Friday September 11, 2009. Sponsored by the UTB Chamber of Commerce, the event drew over 40 people. The topic was “Social Media – does Your Business Belong in This Game?” A well versed panel of experts presented information and answered questions.
This program was part of the Small Business on-going educational offering by the UTB Chamber.