12/ 26/ 2007
Do you have a blog? Ever considered starting one? According to CyberJournalist.net, as of last year, there were 50 million blogs out there in cyberspace, and blogging keeps growing as a popular method of communication, especially among young adults. As a young entrepreneur, however, you have to be more careful about how you represent yourself online than most of your fellow students do. When handled correctly, your blog could even help you increase business. Read on to find out the dos and don'ts of blogging.
In general, if a blogger has doubts about what to post, a good rule of thumb is to ask the following question: “Would I be embarrassed if my mom saw that?” This often makes people think twice before posting photos of last night’s party and a laundry list of all the questionable things that people were doing there.
You have a secondary question to answer: “Would I be embarrassed if a client or potential client saw that?” As a young entrepreneur, you may occasionally come across those who doubt your maturity and capability, so make sure your blog doesn't contain any items that will give them more fuel for their fire.
While this might make having a blog sound like a liability, it’s actually an asset when you use it correctly. The personal nature of blogs make readers feel a connection to the writer. While reading your posts, your clients might find out that you have shared interests or views that would never come up during a business transaction.
To have the most success with your blog posts, you should keep them short and upbeat. Confine the diatribes about your slovenly roommates or least favorite professors to your personal journal. While most blogs are about the writer’s day-to-day life, you should still consider whether the posting would be of any interest to a reader. If the only thing that happened when you went to the coffee shop this morning was that you bought coffee and left, there probably isn't any need to blog about it. And just because a blog is a casual form of communication does not mean that you should shun professionalism. As with anything your clients might see, make sure you proofread and spell-check before posting items.
You can also use your blog to promote your business more directly. Write about upcoming events and sales. Link to articles about your field that might be of interest to your clients. In addition to personal blogs, many businesses set up a blog that several employees contribute to. The more frequently you post, the more often clients and friends will check to see what you're up to, so opening up the blog to other employees takes the pressure off if you don't have a lot of time to write.
If you have a personal or business blog you'd like to share with your clients and friends, be sure to include the web address on your business cards and in the signature line of emails. Even if blogging isn't your thing, it’s still a good idea to have an online presence. Create a page for your business on Facebook or MySpace (or both) and ask everyone you know to add you as a friend. That way people visiting your friends’ pages will have the opportunity to check out your business and get in touch with you without your having to market to them directly.
Creating a blog or a page on an online networking site can be done in minutes. While posting regularly does add another task to your already jammed schedule, it can be well worth the effort when doing so helps you attract new clients and forge a stronger bond with the clients you already have.
