Business Blogging – Blog For Your Customers Not For Your Competitors

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It’s really easy to start a blog with the intent to blog about one thing, but then completely change your blogging focus. I see this problem with real estate blogs all the time. Realtors are very good at marketing to other Realtors. It is very evident in their blogs and in real estate networks. Most business owners find it very easy to talk to other professionals that deal with the daily in’s and out’s of your business.

I find myself doing this all the time. While, the main purpose of this blog it to reach out to small business owners and teach them how to use social media to promote their business, I often find myself blogging about technical issues. I find it very enjoyable to blog about WordPress hacks, SEO, and Website development. Most of my blog posts go way over the head of small business owners, but other tech bloggers use my blog posts for references. The problem is, other tech bloggers aren’t my customers.

Not all goes in vain. By reaching out to other professionals in your industry, you will build relationships.

I’m a big believer in the 80/20 rule, where 20% of your actions will bring in 80% of your business. Problem is, that 20% is the hard part. It is really easy to do the other 80% and get very little return. When you are not blogging to your customers and blogging to impress your competitors, you are doing the 80%. It’s hard to blog with real messages to people that need your services and provide education and training.

Here is my solution.

1. Try to blog everyday to your customers. Blog about the benefits of what you do, and how your services will help them. You don’t have to sell anything, let your benefits sell themselves.
2. To make connection with others in your industry, go read other blogs, and comment. Let them blog to other professionals. It might seem tricky, but in reality what you are doing to encouraging them to blog to their competitors. When you blog to your customers you will get very little comments, but when you blog to competitors, you will get more comments which is turn makes you feel like you are doing something worthwhile.
3. Be social on Twitter and Facebook. Make friends, build relationships and business contacts.
4. Answer questions on forums and Q&A boards.

In summary, I you should set out a plan and stick with it for a while. Don’t continually change at a drop of a hat. Blog to your customers, and then go get social with your competitors.