All right, the cat’s out of the bag. I am much more than just a website designer.
Healthy WebDesign is all about helping small business owners use the web to plan, develop, execute and grow their business. So yeah, I design the website. But I also help my clients get clear in their objectives and their target market. I help them position themselves in their niche and then show them how to use their websites to find clients and grow their business. That’s what this blog is all about (or at least that what it’s developing into).
Every client I have will eventually ask me if they should have a blog. My answer is always the same – “yes!” Then we talk about how blogging fits into their overall business plan. Some go forward and begin blogging. Other’s don’t.Personally, however, I think every small business and independent service professional should be blogging. They should be blogging with a clear purpose and specific goals in mind. They should take a little time to learn their way around the blogosphere. They should comment on other blogs and learn about feeds and feed readers. And they should learn how to use their blogs to network with other bloggers.
But the most important reason small business owners should be blogging is to help them refine how they write and speak about their business to their audience.
The fact is most small business and independent service professionals struggle with creating a clear message about their business. They struggle with who they’re speaking too and how to speak in a way that builds relationship and encourages action. They very often are out of touch with their audience’s real needs. And this makes it hard to reach their audience and get them to respond.
By blogging, small business owners can speak about what they offer in a relaxed, conversational way – as though they’re sitting down for tea with a perspective client. They can enter into discussions about their business with the opportunity to share what they know. They can build trust and grow relationships without the pressure of closing a deal. And they can give the visitors a chance to buy when they’re ready instead of making them feel pushed.
So, blogging can really help small business professionals learn to craft their marketing message in ways that will truly meet their audience’s needs, answer their concerns and share with them the benefits they gain from working together.
And the great thing about using a blog this way is that you can measure how well you’re doing through feedback (comments), feed subscriptions and traffic patterns.
So how have you used your blog? What have you learned about your audience while you’ve been blogging?
You nailed it right on the head…
Thanks Chris. My own business goal is helping small business grow – that’s what I do. And, as I said, most small businesses suffer from lack of clarity about their business and communcation with their clients.
Hi Chris,
I am writing my blog in the same interests. I think the real reason small business owners should blog, is to talk with their audience and create good connections and develop their skills.
I have linked you to my blog. I found you in technorati. Cheers!!
Mahesha. I absolutely agree. Yet, a majority of my clients have little or no idea what it takes to utilize their websites to build their businesses. And one place they lack is in understanding how to meet their target market where they are. So what I’ve found is that blogging offers them a chance to refine how they want to speak to their audience in the first place.
Once they understand that, then they can work on relationship building and the like. But to me, the connection with their target market comes first.
All accurate points there, but I’m not sure I agree with the statement, “every small business and independent service professional should be blogging”. Now, i don’t think this is an industry-defined standard, I think it more depends on 1) the person in the business writing the blog and 2) the blogging strategy of the business.
I am in the same business as you in that in addition to web development, I help small businesses really understand how a blog can work for them. One of the most important things we can do to help the small businesses is to first understand their goal, second help develop a blogging strategy to achieve that goal, and third, show them everything their blog can achieve for them that is outside of their goal so they can really grasp how beneficial it would be to them.
Nice article!
Sara
Thanks for visiting. Great points. What I meant by ‘every small business…should be blogging’ is that many independent professionals struggle to reach their audience through the content of their websites. Blogging simply gives them a place to practice, try things out and develop the voice that will engage their potential clients.
So whether their blog is a central focus of their business goals or just a way to get them to find clarity in how they communicate about their business, I feel blogging can help all service-oriented, small businesses owners.
Again, thanks so much for your comments. I’m heading over to your blog right now.
Business owners can use a blog to clarify their business purposes and connect with prospective customers.I feel that the blogging process has opened up the communication process between owners and customers through a very relaxed, inexpensive, direct, and immediate manner. But that assumes the business owner can write and even more importantly wants to write. Many owners communicate much better verbally and in other ways, and choose not to write. But now owners who do like to write have a way to effectively communicate, that was not available before blogging. Neat!
Thanks Bill. I certainly agree. Blogging isn’t necessarily for everyone. Yet all of my clients write their own web copy. So I’ve often suggested blogging as a means to refine their writing style, find more clarity in their communication and reach out to their customer/client base.
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Sue,
Welcome. Thank you for your kind words. I work very hard to make sure my clients are well cared for.
I looked at your site. I was expecting to see a blog that I could read more about what you do, perhaps subscribe to your feed. Didn’t see that. Perhaps you can tell me more about what you do.
I have gone through this site it was very good i got more information on small business and i have seen similar site it is also a very good in giving the information on smallbusiness
http://www.blog.businessbooming.com
Sharon,
Thanks for your kind comments. I’ve visted your blog and have enjoyed reading a few posts. I pulled your feed so I’ll be watching for interesting posts to come. ‘See’ you around.
Hi
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every small business and independent service professional should be blogging.the most important reason small business owners should be blogging is to help them refine how they write and speak about their business to their audience.
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Sowmya,
Thanks for your comment. Can you direct me to a specific post about how small business owners can use their blogs to refine their message?