Every single small business owner is an expert in their field. No matter what product or service you provide, your customers do business with you because you are the expert in that arena, and if you are not an expert, then they very quickly realize that and go somewhere else. People trust experts, and when making a decision about a purchase, they look to the expert to tell them what they need to know and to give them all of the information they need to make an informed decision.
For a small business owner who is just getting started, however, it may take some time and effort to establish yourself as an expert in your field. You may know what you need to know, you may have the information you need, you may do a superb job at what you do, but if your potential customers do not know that and cannot see it, then why would they choose to do business with you? You need to, essentially, place yourself out there in front of them and demonstrate your expertise. You need to build your reputation as an expert in your specific area, which will build the trust of your customers and potential customers.
An excellent tool to use when establishing yourself as an expert is blogging. A blog is essentially an online journal. You write about whatever you want, it’s easy and simple to use, and easy for people to read. This gives you a medium to communicate your expertise, as you can blog about what you know about your product or service and provide useful information for your readers.
For example, if your business is selling salt-water fish and aquariums, then you would want to set up a blog and write about the care of fish, how to set up an aquarium, what you will need to get started, what kind of fish are good to start out with, what fish and creatures dwell together well, and so on. Since your business is marine fish, you obviously know a lot about them and have a lot of information to share, and you can do this in a fun and interesting way, and in whatever style is you.
Another example, if your business is a car repair service, then you would want to write about not just car repair, but car maintenance, how to prevent common neglect and accidents, how to care for your car after repair, how to choose a good mechanic and what to look for in a repair shop. And the list can go on.
Setting up a blog is easy and inexpensive. There are numerous websites where you can sign up for free and create your own blog. They already have the tools that you need integrated into the website, ready for you to use – you can start blogging almost immediately! You can add photos to your blogs, you can allow readers to post comments, and most blogs have an option for your readers to subscribe to receive new blog posts via email or rss feeds. Google has a blog service that can be found at www.blogger.com. Another free one is at www.thoughts.com. For other options, just do a Google search for “free blog” or similar keywords. These sites will give you your own subdomain, such as www.yourblog.blogger.com, which links directly to your blog. You can then give this url out to your friends, customers, and include it in your marketing materials to direct people to your blog.
If you are not sure what to write about, or are afraid you will run out of topics, try some of these ideas:
Keep a paper and pen handy with you in your purse, by the phone, on the dash of your car, in your shirt pocket or wherever is convenient for you. You will find that as you go through a normal day, you may get ideas for blog topics. Write these down as you get them, then when you go to blog, you will already have a list of great topic ideas!
Ask your readers what they would like to know about. Invite them to email you questions. Some blog sites may have a tool where you can create a quick poll or a short survey. Use these to get feedback and to find out what your customers are interested in knowing about your subject.
Browse magazines on your subject. This may spark ideas and you may be able to build off what you’ve read.
Borrow from other experts. If you run across another blog, or website, or an article in a magazine that you really like and would like to feature in your blog, then get permission from the author and post the article on your blog. Most authors will be more than glad to let you use their article as long as you provide their information and a link back to them, but don’t forget to ask first.
Use your own experience. Do you have some entertaining stories from your experience in this field? Do not be afraid to throw in some fun and humor.
Blogging does not have to be tedious and boring, or take up huge amounts of time. If you are not a natural writer and feel like it’s too much of a job to sit there and write a long post, then don’t! Keep it short and simple, or whatever is your style. Remember that it is your blog, so let it reflect your personality.
If you find you simply do not have any time at all to do your blog, then hire someone else to do it. Perhaps you already have someone working for you who can take it on, or perhaps you know someone who would be interested. You can give them your topic ideas, or even use a voice recorder to record the posts for them to type out in the blog. Again, whatever works for you, your style and your business!
The world of blogging is a wonderful tool to use to keep in touch with your target customers and to establish trust as an expert. If you take the time to start, you will find it well worth the while and will learn a lot from it as well! You have information and expertise to share – a blog is a great medium to use to get it out there!