Learn the Secrets of Making Money For Your Business With A Blog

You own a business. And you decide to start blogging. So deciding what to blog about should be pretty easy, right?

Actually, even if you have a business, sometimes the hardest part is coming up with what to blog about. Is there truly an interest in what you have to offer? How do you "sell" what you do?

The key to blogging is to give people more information on what you do, and a connection that builds you as the expert. If a potential client knows enough to search for solutions to a problem, and you come up with answers, she’ll have more reasons to trust you.

Blogging isn’t about saying the same thing over and over again. Or writing a post one every few weeks - when you have the time or feel like it. It’s about sharing your ideas consistently and relating it to what’s happening in people’s lives.

Let’s say you are a small business accountant.

• You can write about organizational skills throughout the year.
• You can write about tax tips as tax deadlines approach.
• You can write about new laws as they are signed in.
• You can talk about tips

Are you ready to blog?

One of the hardest things for most business owners is creating their online profile. They don’t want to get too personal and add the details about who they are. Picture - yikes! And listing all of your awards, accolades, skills, talents, etc - it’s hard to talk about yourself.

If you don’t, who will?

People like to know who you are, who they will be working with, and what your story is. That’s how we get to know each other. It’s how we build a relationship.

I suggest you develop your profile in a Word document, and save it so you can use it again and again. It’s much easier developing it once and making it a complete resume of who you are.

Also invest in a great photograph - yes, use a professional. This is your image - make sure it represents who you are.

How To Build Your Profile

1. Start with your background. What degrees do you have? What training or certificates? What positions have you had that qualify you to be doing what you’re doing now?

2.  What stories can you share that will build up your expertise? Share stories of how you’ve worked with other clients, helped out in your industry, or developed a name for yourself. Sometimes past experience can be just as powerful as having credentials.

3. Provide natural progression. Develop your profile in a timeline fashion so people can see how you moved from A to B.

4. Develop what you want to share - and what you don’t. Then stick with it. When you move from LinkedIn to Facebook to your Blog to your website, you should be reading a similar profile from place to place. In some places you may develop a more detailed profile, but the overall story should remain the same.

For instance, on LoriOsterberg.com I share a short bio from beginning to end. You get an overview of who I am and why I am where I’m at today. But on my VirtualPhotographyStudio blog, the about us section is written to show more of my photographer side.

Now that you have your details, use them to add to all of your online profiles. People will follow you from one place to another, always seeing you as an authentic business person.

Which would attract your attention?

Just offered - 5 night cruise to Mexico for $249 - inside cabins. Great ports, you’re going to love them. Click for more info.

Or

The night was balmy as we headed on deck to watch as the ship set sail for the second of four ports. After spending the day in Cabo San Lucas, we were all tired from walking, and ready to enjoy a fantastic lobster dinner…

Do you see the difference? A blog is a way for you to share your experiences. It’s a way for you to entice people to want more information. They want to see how the story ends - how your material can directly apply to their lives.

Sure, money speaks. But then it just boils down to price.

If you talk about your adventures, and tell them places you’ve gone, what to expect, what you can do, what the menu looks like - then you’ve created the desire to experience it for yourself.

9 Beaches  is a blog I’ve found recently, and love the way they write, both on their blog and in their ezine. They share experiences, share viewpoints of visitors, and give you ideas of what to expect. I haven’t been there yet, but it is on my short list of vacation spots to visit.

Sacred Destinations is another wonderful blog that shows you through words and photographs the authors travels around Europe. I can scroll through individual locations in each country, and learn a wealth of information about each one.

With both of these blogs, they go beyond selling you on a service, and share with you the idea of being there - of actually experiencing the locations for yourself. Both monetize their blogs in some manner - 9 Beaches by enticing you to visit, and Sacred Destinations with links to products/services.

To Do: Take a look at your own blog posts - would you want to read them? Do they share quality information with the readers? Can they learn something from you? If not, maybe it’s time to change the way you post.

You run a small business. Part of your business is providing your clients with knowledge. So how do you decide what to put onto your blog, and what is too much information to share with the rest of the world? After all you don’t want your competition taking your information and using it too, or your clients learning so much they have no need to come to you.

Your blog is a tool to provide just enough information for a prospect to see what is possible, share enough information that they become overwhelmed, and set you up as the expert that can provide the perfect answers.

Don’t be afraid to give some valuable tips for free. If you give things of value for free, imagine what you’ll give with your pay material!

At the same time, don’t release your valuable material that has taken you years to learn. Save that for the prospects that become clients.

Also remember there are different levels of "free". Anyone can come to my blog and read my material. Only a certain amount of people will give me their email address for a free report. And only a certain amount of people will sign up for a free 30 minute consultation.

Each of these three people have different ideas in mind. They are willing to go to another level because of their interest, and their desire to acquire a person in your area of expertise.

I was chatting with a wedding photographer over the weekend about blogs and blogging. He liked the idea of a blog - but he only photographs 30 weddings a year. What can he blog about the other 300+ days of the year?

Too many business owners think purely from what they sell, and try and use that as the main focus of their blog. Instead, think of it from an industry perspective, and focus on capturing an audience within your niche.

So yes, a wedding photographer could have 30 dynamic posts that showcase the wedding they just worked, and include a variety of their "greatest images". They could have these posts up and online within hours after the event.

Now lets look at some of the other 300 posts.

How about engagement images? A great post could be talking about the power of an engagement photograph, and showcasing a few of them in a post.

Will you be running a booth at a local bridal fair? Why not teach brides how to use bridal fairs? Give them the details of the event, where you will be located, and what they should ask other photographers they meet.

What about wedding tips? Come up with some fun stories and advice you’ve accumulated over the years simply by being at so many events.

Are you showcased in a trade journal? Write about it and link over to the  association’s website. PR is a wonderful thing, especially if its a recognizable source.

Resources are always welcome. In the wedding industry, a bride only plans once (usually ). It doesn’t always have to be about your business - offer tips for complementary businesses, and give online resources. Your prospects will love it - and remember you. 

Do you have a hobby? Why not turn it into a blog.

Scrapbooking is one of the largest hobby industries out there right now. Millions of people scrapbook on a regular basis. They have parties and weekend getaways to scrapbook with friends, and keep up with the industry through a wide variety of magazines. People spend hundreds of dollars every year to keep up with the supplies, and to create their own scrapbooks.

Sounds like a great opportunity to me.

So what if you want to create a blog about scrapbooking? What can you do? Here are some ideas.

• You can blog about the scrapbook pages you create. Share with your readers a photo of the final page, the papers and embellishments you used, how you put it all together, and where you can find the resources.
• You can blog about supplies. There are thousands of different suppliers available – share some of your favorites and link to the best sites.
• How about digitizing your scrapbooks? Many scrapbookers are very proficient on the computer, and love creating pages using Photoshop and other software programs. Show the latest tips using technology.
• What about a site showcasing the different classes and tours? There’s dozens of different shows touring every single week. Why not make it easy for people to find

Want more ideas? I found Top 50 Scrapbooking Blogs that lists out the top blogs in the industry. This will help you find ideas – and maybe help you find an area that’s missing, and could allow you to start blogging.