Running a small business can leave you overwhelmed at times, especially with all of the responsibilities that fall on your shoulders.
That said there is one area of your business where you truly don’t want to drop the ball that is your website’s blog.
If you’ve been slow to gravitate towards your blog, change that attitude moving forward.
Quite simply, your blog is a great marketing tool, especially for a small business owner who likely has limited financial means when it comes to promoting his or her brand.
But even if you have the means to promote your blog, do you really have enough time in the day to write substantial copy for it on a regular basis?
If the answer is no, have you thought about turning to an effective guest blogging service?
In doing so, you could easily give your business some guest blogging love.
Finding the Right Message
If you plan to work with a guest blogging service, how do you know which one best suits your needs?
For starters, get to know each and every service you are considering going with.
Among the items you want to educate yourself on:
- History – How long has the company you’re looking at for guesting blogging been around?
- Results – Does the company you’re considering have a track record of success? No, not every post that someone writes for you is going to be a 10 on a 1 to 10 scale, but you also do not want a bunch of 5’s either. Maintaining quality posts on a regular basis is a necessity in order to build up your blog’s traffic. You want a service where results matter, not just making money off of you.
- Socialization – Does the service you might go with have a stellar social media history? Part of having a successful blog is making sure it gets lots of social media attention. The random tweet or share here and there isn’t going to get the job done. Look at the social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn etc.) of any authority guest posting service you are thinking of hiring.
- Customer service – Last but certainly not least, what kind of customer service does each guest posting service provide? Sure, it may be hard to fully know that when you have never worked with them before, but there are ways to learn some things here and there about each provider. Check as many of them as you can on social media. Do they respond to inquiries from consumers in a fast and proper manner? You can also talk with those you’re familiar with in the business world, seeing if they like the choice you are thinking of going with. Above all else, customer service is a key to success, especially your success. Make sure any guest posting service you hire is committed to making your brand as successful as it can be.
As mentioned earlier, the importance of your blog’s message each and every time you post can never be understated.
While your blog is but one component of your business, it has to be one you spend time focusing on.
Take a look at some other businesses similar to yours and see what their blogs look like.
If they are updated regularly with quality content, you would to be more like them. If they have infrequent updates and the content is lackluster at best, steer clear of trying to duplicate their efforts.
Lastly, avoid falling into a rut with your blog.
While it may seem at times like you (and your guest posting service) really do not have much to talk about, there are always topics of interest you can come up with.
A blog that is always growing and providing worthwhile information for consumers is one that is surely going to get some love.
About the Author: Dave Thomas covers small business topics on the web.