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

I just wish I had the time to blog effectively! Its still there on my list to do but something always rises above it

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Childrens Fancy Dress Costumes and Party Dresses
Childrens Costumes and Dancewear

I think the key thing is to update the blog regularly with content that is actually interesting. Some blogs I've seen see one post every six months saying what they had for dinner!

Mind you saying that my blog needs some TLC

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Cheers,

Phil

Open Mind Commerce - Simple but powerful eCommerce Stores

It can be good for driving sales, but it does need dedication and the ability to write as you would to a friend. Blogs that fail, fail mainly because the writer can't relax into it and so the text comes out looking stilted and dry. It doesn't really matter what it is you talk about - telling a joke you just heard is as good as anything else - all that matters is how you say it, and that you add a little something on a daily (or as near to that as you can get) basis.

Kate

Have you been reading my yahoo360 blog?

The last time I added to it was to tell peeps that I had made some really rubbish fudge

*nips off to see what I wrote on 'myspace'*

You should try finding an excuse to mention what you're selling then drop a link to that product's page on your site. Every link counts and search engines love blogs, so make it work for you.

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Lawrence

I don't how people find the time to blog though, I can't keep up with the few forums I post on bever mind blogs! I am lucky if I post once a month, have to push myself to make more of an effort I think

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Childrens Fancy Dress Costumes and Party Dresses
Childrens Costumes and Dancewear

Forums take up more time and energy than does reading (or writing) a blog. On a forum you have to scan different sections, read new posts, then nine times out of ten get waylaid answering a few, but with a blog you don't have to reply, just read it, which saves time for the blogger too - one bit of typing and all done.

No more excuses. :-)

Kate

I dont need to jump on the band wagon as I have been a prolific blogger for some years when it wasnt at all fashionable.

I have a blog on my freewebs site

http://www.freewebs.com/sunnycreativesworld

and have added an RSS feed from my Yahoo360 blog

http://360.yahoo.com/joinee_freya

many of the on-line social networks have blogs too - I have blogs on Myspace and Bebo and a whole bunch of other sites.

I write about the ups and downs of combining my roles of being a carer of my grown up daughter (Annie) who has Autism and a severe learning disability and that of running my own business from a pokey council flat.

I let my readers know what's new in-store and add links to listings on trading venues along with some of my fave sites including

http://www.bazzyboy.net

That reminds me - I am going to have to blog off or my lovely readers will think I do nowt all day

Does that mean you're going to start a blog on here too?

BTW Don't forget to drop the odd link to here on your other blogs

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Lawrence

Sorted - just copied the URL from here and am going to paste it all over the net - YAY!

Perhaps I should move this thread to the SEO cat and title it "How to get incoming links for your site."

BTW Thanks.

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Lawrence

Didnt I post the link to '185 ways to drive traffic to your website' here? - it says to add links to blogs and social networking sites so they act as backlinks. I checked on the backlinks to my store recently and got really excited that there were more than thirty.

Only when I checked to see where they all came from they were all mine - doh!

I buy customised teeshirts from Vistaprint for under £7 each - they have my storename and URL on them - but you can upload a logo too if you want. Gavin has made me a banner and an Avator - I will upload my avator next time I order and use that as the logo.

I have also sent out magnetic business card thingys with Christmas cards this years and some of my cards have my logo on - it all helps.

You mean something similar to this list? 101 Tips to Improve Your Web Presence.

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Lawrence

Here it is

http://www.computervaleting.co.uk/trafficebook.html

I downloaded it and printed it off - it's only 13 pages - because it's made up of tips and stuff you can dip into. I love it - it's great when I come across something full of things I already knew - made me end up feeling clever - and that doesnt happen often.

Someone posted it on the dropshipforum site - they also helped me with suppliers but my store is pants right now. I want to keep the domain but get someone else to sort it out who doesnt speak in techspeak every time they email me.

My blogs appear pretty highly in the searches for it relevant field. I don't seem to be getting much of an effect on either traffic to it or my site. Am I only doing it for the links in that case?

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Dichroic Fused Glass Jewellery Glass Fusing Blog
Discount Dichroic Fused Glass Jewellery

Sunny, the download isn't working, could you email me a copy
Susie x

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Fair Trade Gifts & Organic Skin Care.

It takes time to build traffic to a blog. Keep adding more content and inbound links to you blog and you should start to see more traffic in time. Use services such as pingomatic and also digg the odd post to help spread the word.

Check some of these tips to increase traffic to your website.

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Lawrence