More Ways To Blog For Business

Sometimes I find my Say It For You blog posts taking on a "’Dear Rhoda’-advice-column cast.  (With 25 years of ‘Dear Rhoda’ financial advice columns under my belt, the format has a natural feel for advice on business blogging.)

Today, I thought I’d model the post after the "More Ways To Save" section in last week’s Indianapolis Star, which offered advice on smart grocery shopping and meal preparation.

Here are just a few of the food-related tips business owners can heed when it comes to blog marketing:

(One customer bought 12 bottles of salad dressing at once, so she’d have it on hand for preparing various dishes.)

The blogging equivalent is to keep an "Ideas" folder.  Jot down any juicy word tidbits or clever sayings, clip articles from magazines, the newspaper, ads, brochures, billboards – anything you believe you’ll be able to later incorporate into a blog post.

Be flexible.

(One shopper first looks for which items are on sale, then plans her meals around those items.)

Bloggers need to be flexible, too, building posts around conversations with other bloggers and business people, and centered around news items and issues of the day. Suppose  you just read about Michell and Barak Obama’s theater date night in New York City. Relate remarks about what you sell or the services you provide to New York, big city life, married life, fashion, theater, babysitting, etc..

Develop some favorite websites.

(Cooks are advised to bookmark their favorite websites, so they can easily go back to find just the right recipe for either a family dinner at home or a big party.)

Business bloggers can do the same thing, bookmarking favorite sources of information on subjects that relate to their business, and favorite blogsites to link to. 

Repackage if necessary.

(If buying a ten-pound package of ground beef or other product saves money, go ahead and buy the larger size, advises the Star reporter, then rewrap into smaller packages you can save in the freezer for later meals.)

"Repackaging" is a way to get more out of your business blog, because the material you developed for your posts can be used for brochures, newsletters, e-books, and as text for video clips about your business. 

As I always say, "Your brand ‘r you in your blog!" Serve up valuable information and they will come!