Blogs are the latest in a long line of Internet crazes. In the same way that individuals rushed to build a personal web page when the web first began to grow, the rush now is to create a blog. The difference between the two is that blogs are evolving from a highly personal form of communication to an important new tool for business.

Should small online retailers then jump on the bandwagon? The answer in most cases is yes. A blog gives you a low cost way to develop customer relations, try out new marketing techniques, and increase sales. Added to that the software platform needed to create a blog is far simpler than that needed to build a website.

Saying ‘in most cases’ though, doesn’t mean all. There are things to think about, and the first of those things is deciding why a blog would be good for your particular business plan. Before starting to set one up decide on its purpose. Are you going to use it for marketing, for publicity, or as an information-cum-question and answer source for customers? All of those demand that you create a different core message. That you sit down and decide what it is you’re going to write about and how you plan to write it.

Shall it be chatty, like a letter to a friend?

Warmly humorous?

Factual and informative?

Which approach would be best suited to the audience you hope to attract?

The secret to creating any successful blog whether business or personal is to please the readership. That has to be made the prime target. That, and accepting the fact that maintaining a blog is going to be a time-consuming activity which takes much planning and forethought, and at the end of all that it must be written blog-style – blog-style meaning the ability to inject your own personality into the way you write.

And then there are Comments. The blogosphere is a two-way street, not only does it give you free rein to discuss whatever subject you choose, it also gives your readership the opportunity to respond via the ‘Comment’s space at the end of each blog entry. Learn to accept that the comments may not always be kind. There will be dissatisfied as well as satisfied customers and there will be awkward questions. The way you respond will determine how you and your business are perceived.

Used correctly a blog can serve you well, it can get your name out there and known more quickly than a simple e-commerce site could do, it allows you to create a direct link between your business and your customer base and is the best form of PR tool for small online retailers.

Useful tips:
* Remember to submit your blog to the Search Engines in the same way as submitting your website.
* Use the same keywords in both blog and website text to establish closer links.
* Keep track of your positioning with tools such as: www.blogpulse.com - www.technorati.com - www.icerocket.com

Finally, remember “fortune favours the brave” and go out there and get ‘em!

Kate