You probably realize by now that there is some value in blogging, but maybe you are not sure what that value is. How can blogging benefit your business? That is a good question.
A study called State of the Blogosphere was released this month from Technorati, which surveyed 2,900 bloggers in 50 countries. In it are some very interesting statistics. But lets stay focused on the question of How can blogging benefit your business?
Until recent years, companies have been trying to tell their story in 30 second TV commercials, ¼ page print ads, on the floor of trade shows and splashed on billboards. Call it branding, marketing or advertising, it doesnt really matter. Telling the real story about your company, what you do, is an excellent way to build customer loyalty. Reflecting your people and your culture as well as the things that really make your company unique and successful can be a difficult task.
Blogging can break through those limitations and give people the opportunity to see what you really do, what you really think and how you really operate. Reading thoughts from the CEO, other employees, or clients, and allowing for anyone to comment paints a true picture of the character of your company.
In writing a blog regularly, you also help boost your ability to rank more highly in search engines. You will be amazed at how you become found for more diverse and unique keywords and phrases. Fresh, relevant content on your site is the healthiest thing you can do for your rankings, and your business.
In the State of the Blogosphere report, respondents claimed the following benefits of blogging:
• 71% have greater visibility in their industry
• 63% said clients have purchased products and services
• 56% say their company is now regarded as a thought leader
• 40% were asked to speak at conferences
In summary, a blog can help you define your brand character for your customers; it can help your customers get to you more easily through the search engines. Blogging can give you greater visibility and establish you as a thought leader in your industry.
The question was How can blogging benefit your business? I think the new question is: "Are you blogging yet?"

I'm a very visual person. Nothing makes me cringe more than seeing a web site with paragraph after paragraph of what seems like endless text. I like to have a break in reading once in a while to view a photograph or a graphic that relates to the content on the page.

Photography doesn't need to be limited to only photo galleries or banner areas on a web site. Content areas are an ideal place to utilize imagery and break up multiple thoughts on a page or even to create an illusion that there is more on a page than what might actually be there without a photo. For example: take a look at your contact us page on your site. It's ok... I'll wait until you get back. OK, so what did you find? I bet there is an address, directions, some phone numbers, maybe a form? Is there a photograph of your building or your office? No? What a perfect place to put a photograph! Give your customers a chance to see where you are located, and at the same time make that form they are about to fill out seem less intimidating.

Another example: do you list out your staff or management team on your site? Are there bio's and descriptive paragraphs about your team members? Are there portraits of those individuals? Adding portraits or even a group photo can bring a human element into an otherwise stale presentation of content. People tend to like to see who they are interacting with, and they tend to remember names better when they have faces to associate them with.

Adding photos to your site doesn't have to be a time intensive endeavor. I would bet that you have an "image bank" of pictures to use for print collateral and other marketing pieces anyway. Why not use them on your web site? A few words of caution however. Don't overuse photography. If a certain page does not warrant having a picture on it, then by all means, don't try to cram one on there. Also, be sure to properly optimize your photographs for viewing online. There are many free applications (http://webresizer.com/) that will resize, crop and edit your photos for you and provide you with a web ready image for your site. Don't upload a full sized picture directly from you digital camera, don't stretch or otherwise distort you photos, and don't apply any unnecessary filters or effects to your images. Remember, your goal is to enhance your web site... not detract from it.

Video on the web has exploded. Hosting it, posting it, and viewing it is no longer a problem. The problem now is, “How can I create my own videos that are effective tools for my business?” While hiring a professional video company to produce, shoot and format your video may be optimal, it’s not often a realistic option when it comes to budgets. For anyone interested in learning more about how to create effective videos for the web, here is a great new tool to consider: http://webwarriortools.com/ebook/making-web-video-that-sells

Once it’s created, LogicalSolutions.net offers our clients a great way to store, organize, create playlists and display video on websites we develop for them with LogicalSolutions.TV. For a great example of how one of our clients is using video to sell their products check out: http://www.leki.com/trekking/   . The juxtaposition of video demonstration next to product details and the immediate option to buy is an outstanding use of video on the web. It creates a level of customer confidence unmatched by static spec sheets or instructions.

For a fun example of video check out: http://www.geneseebeer.com/Museum/TV/  . Genesee Beer is giving their fans the chance to view great old commercials to reinforce their brand connection and they’re doing in a way that supports the complete brand message.

Go beyond the expected “Welcome Video” and get creative with the way you use video to not only inform or entertain your customers and clients, but to Sell More!

As the age of Social Media and Networking continues to evolve and grow, it is important to consider ways that your organization can evolve your Website utilizing these Marketing strategies. 

There are many implementation tactics that you can pick or choose from to establish a strategy that works for you.  One tactic that should be considered for any strategy is enabling your visitors to share content on other Websites. 

As you can see at the bottom of this entry, we are providing you with the ability to share this article on a host of other Websites.  This is a simple and effective viral marketing tactic that allows your visitors to promote your own blog entries, news articles, product information, or events. 

Not only can users share content on other Websites, they can send emails, instant messages, and text messages to friends that they feel could benefit from the information that you are providing. 

This approach provides great value for little implementation cost as it only takes a few hours to add to your site.  From there, all you need to do is continue to provide information on your site that is insightful and engaging to your visitors to encourage them to share it and help you achieve your Marketing goals.

Fishing is one of the activities that I greatly enjoy.  I've fished for most of my life and done just about ever kind from charters in Florida and the Outer Banks, to trips on the Great Lakes, and lately a lot of trout fishing in local streams.  But with three small kids, it isn't something that I get to do nearly as much as I used to. For the few times I get to go each year, I always want to be sure that I will be spending my time out on the water wisely.  So how do I use the internet to make that happen?  First, the obvious thing is to use weather.com to keep an eye on the weather.  Yes I've fished in the rain and even the snow, but I at least want to make sure I know what I'm up for before heading out.  If nothing more, than to be sure I am dressed appropriately. 

While using weather.com is an obvious one, the site I frequently use that might not be quite so obvious is the USGS (US Geological Survey) Water Watch.  This site is a national listing of stream sensors throughout the US that record the stream height and flow on an ongoing basis.  You can drill down to specific streams and see in relative realtime these two data points for a specific stream.  They don't have sensors in every single stream everywhere, but for the most part any major ones that you might consider for fishing.  For me, the useful data comes from the stream height.  I've used this site enough throughout the years to understand that at certain levels the stream is too low making the water very clear and the fish easily spooked and at other levels the stream can be too high and fast making it impossible to get a fish on your line.

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