In this brand-new article I'll discuss whether you should have an ezine, a blog, or both! They are both great communication tools for staying in touch with your target market, but both do require a substantial amount of time-investment from you. So which one is really the best choice for your solo service business?
There's still a raging debate on online forums amongst solopreneurs as to whether you need an ezine, a blog, or both, with questions like,
"I currently publish an ezine and a blog, but I'm thinking of dropping the ezine and going with just the blog."
My answer... you need both!
And here's why:
Creating a blog post is much easier to do than going down the whole ezine publication route; however, as you do not know who is reading your blog you cannot begin to build a relationship with the reader in the same way you can when publishing an ezine. Therefore you are missing out on building the like, know, and trust factor that is so important for a solo service business owner.
That said, a blog is also an essential online communication tool simply because there are some people who do not wish to subscribe to a regular newsletter, but will subscribe to a blog's RSS Feed.
RSS Feed? Put simply, anyone can come along to your blog, and subscribe to your RSS feed thereby receiving any blog posts that you submit as soon as you submit them. By not publishing a blog you are missing out on this whole other target market reach.
My preferred tool for blogging is WordPress and I've been using this for the past three years. The main reason I use it is because it's hosted on my website so each time I post to my blog, I'm creating fresh content for my website, which the search engines love, and all of this goes towards improving my search engine rankings.
A blog allows you to interact with your target market as readers can leave comments. However, it can be much harder to develop a relationship with your blog reader as your post is not delivered directly to their inbox as with an ezine subscriber.
So let's just take a look at some of the pros/cons of a blog vs. a newsletter:
Pros
* You can really show off your expertise by posting on a regular basis.
* Blog posts don't need to be very long - approx. 200-350 words.
* If you have some important information to share, you can instantly create a post - no waiting for your next newsletter to make your announcement!
* If you use a blogging platform such as WordPress, this is hosted on your website. Each time you post to your blog you are creating fresh content for your website, which the search engines love!
Cons
* You need to post regularly - at least once a week - in order for this marketing strategy to work.
* You need to feel confident that you will be able to write fresh content regularly.
* It can be difficult to build a direct relationship with your reader.
When And How Often To Post
Now, this can be a dilemma. It's important that you post to your blog regularly in order to provide fresh content to the search engines; some experts say you should be posting at least two to three times a week!
Now that's a big commitment if you're not really a writer, so here's what I advise to get your blog going...
Each time you write a fresh article and publish it in your ezine, post that same article to your blog.
And then try and make other posts throughout the month so you're keeping your blog content continually updated. Posting to a blog is not as rigid as publishing an ezine so it can be difficult to create an editorial calendar or some other system. Ideally your blog posts should be impromptu wherever possible. You also want to have in place a sign-up box to your ezine on your blog either in the sidebar or at the bottom of every post.
Some possible topics for your blog posts:
* Links to other blog posts of interest to your target audience
* Any new products or services that you've launched
* Any places where you'll be speaking
* Events that are taking place within your industry
* An opinion that you have about something that is happening within your industry
* Links to resources that you've found to be invaluable
Conclusion: A blog + an ezine = more targeted traffic to your website, more subscribers to your list, and positions you as an expert within your niche!
5 Tips for Finding a Great Virtual Assistant
Lately I've been hearing from clients and colleagues about bad experiences they've had when working with a virtual assistant, so that prompted me to write this brand new article for you. In it, I'm going to be sharing with you my five tips for ensuring you find a great virtual assistant to partner with, and making it the rewarding experience it should be.
How to Ensure That Your Business Continues to Run in the Event of a PC Failure
Having a system in place for regularly backing up your important documents is crucial when you are a solopreneur. A hard drive failure can strike at any time, sometimes even new PCs can fail. Read this article to learn more about creating a back-up system for your computer, and follow my tips to ensure you have your back-up system in place.
The Secret for Overcoming Writer's Block With These 3 Simple Tips
How many times have you sat down at your PC all ready to write your newsletter article, only to be faced with that dreaded writer's block? You're sat there and can't think of a single thing to write about. In this article I'm going to share with you my top three tips for overcoming writer's block, and show you how easy it is to write your own articles.
