Looking for Cheap and Effective Small Business PR? Try Blogging.

Suzanna de Baca -- Expert Business Source, 12/3/2008 8:53:00 AM

“I need new clients but I have no marketing budget!” moaned a friend recently. The friend, a small business owner, was feeling the effects of the tough economy and was trying to cut unnecessary expenses. I asked if she’d ever considered starting a blog to promote her services.

“A blog?” she said, “Aren’t blogs for college kids who want to blather on and on about the meaning of life?” No, I assured her, blogs are essentially online conversations which have become a legitimate form of advertising for businesses large and small.

In a recent Expert Business Source article entitled “Small Businesses: In Downturns, Invest in Public Relations,” I urged small business owners to think carefully before pruning public relations out of their budgets.In tough economic times, promoting yourself is critical but can be costly. Happily, there are numerous affordable ways to market your business; blogging is one very efficient and inexpensive form of advertising that might be a good investment of your time and dollars.

“BusinessWeek magazine summed up the importance of blogging for business by saying 'blogs will change your business - catch up or catch you later',” says author Ken Lewis in a December 1, 2008, National Organization of Women Business Owners news article.   Lewis quotes Her Business Magazine editor Fionna Powell as saying, "Blogs are a hugely powerful business communication device and leading businesses understand that a blog is an integral part of their marketing and branding strategy, as well as a common sense way of getting closer to customers to build trust and relationships."

Blogging, while popular with younger generations, is still a bit of a mystery to numerous Baby Boomers and Seniors. Many individuals think of blogging as a form of social networking, a place where bloggers can opine endlessly about topics of their choice on the World Wide Web. Others see blogging as media outlets. But blogging has become sophisticated over the last few years and has increasingly become a smart way to create visibility for your business, product, or service.

A blog is essentially a dialogue between you and an outside audience. For a small business owner, that audience can be existing or prospective customers or clients, partners, vendors or suppliers, or an even broader segment of consumers. You control the content and, while the blog may be available to all, you can chose those to whom you wish to send links or the URL. If you have a blog that is separate from your company website, you can easily create links to drive traffic in that direction.

Blogs are an effective way of getting strengthening your brand, staying in front of your customers or partners, or reinforcing your message. You can use a blog to announce milestones, new business initiatives, promotions or media attention you’ve received. You can also use your blog to build or reinforce your reputation as an expert in your industry. Creating blog posts about industry trends or issues can solidify your standing as an authority or help position your business as an industry leader.

Depending on your intent, style, or audience, the dialogue may be more one-sided , with you simply putting up content. But in other circumstances, a true discussion may ensue between you and your readers. This discussion can be a great way to find out what your customers or prospective customers need, want, or are thinking about.

Creating a blog requires very little in terms of start up costs. You can create a blog on your website or create a stand alone blog on a site like blogger.com or typepad. Some blogging sites are free and others require only a small fee. Most of these sites have graphic templates or allow you to build your own look; you can easily drop in your logo or corporate identity as well as pictures or graphics.

The main investment you make as a blogger is time. It does take effort to put up new content, but the blog posts don’t have to be professionally crafted essays. An effective blog post may be one that describes your thoughts, experiences, or industry happenings briefly. The key is to keep posting and to promote those entries through emails or links so that your audience keeps coming back to see what you have to say.

In a difficult environment, small businesses must continue to promote themselves. If you are on a shoestring budget, or if you are trying to find ways to reach a larger audience with less money, blogging may be a good and affordable fit for your business. As I mentioned in the earlier article about PR, investing time and minimal money into communications efforts like a blog might be one of the best investments you can make in today’s economy.

Suzanna de Baca is president of Private Capital Solutions Group. Securities offered through Broker Dealer Financial Services Corp. Member FINRA & SIPC. Investment Advisor Representative of Investment Advisors Corp., A Registered Investment Advisor. Material discussed is meant for general illustration and/or informational purposes only and it is not to be construed as tax, legal or investment advice. Although the information has been gathered from sources believed reliable, please note that individual situations can vary, therefore the information should be relied upon when coordinated with individual professional advice