Blogs Have A Food-First Attitude

Take a cue from the new bare-bones restaurant model," advises Amy Casper, Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Magazine. "Stripping away the layers of white linen and battalions of waiters leaves them with something that people actually appreciate: a restaurant that’s putting its money and effort into what’s on the plate."

Casper might have been addressing business bloggers along with restaurateurs. 

It’s interesting that marketing maven Seth Godin says that most business owners should not want visitors noticing their website, only the "story" on the page.
In this sense "bare-bones" blog posts, shorter, less formal and more personal than websites, win out, showing the effort is gone into the "food", meaning the content of each blog post.  The site itself, says Godin, can’t be too cutting edge, clever, or slick.  On the other hand, it shouldn’t be amateurish, he adds.

In any economy, but especially during a recession, Entrepreneur emphasizes, successful restaurants offer real value for patrons’ money, with good food and good service "trumping" elegant décor and ambience. 

Entrepreneurs who venture into "putting food on the plate" through business blogging marketing will be pleased to find how bare-bones economical blog marketing can be when compared with traditional marketing tools such as brochures, direct mail, promotional events, billboards, and broadcast media.

For online searchers, the blogging equivalent of finding good food in a restaurant is finding up to date information presented in an easy-to-understand, engaging way. For visitors, the blogging equivalent of good restaurant service is convenience of navigation.  In creating your business blog, consider that, at any moment, visitors might be ready to learn more, to ask questions or post comments, to subscribe to the blog, and, best of all, to buy your products and services. You must ensure there’s a smooth path for them to accomplish those actions.

"This economy can work for a business," according to Entrepreneur. "Strip it down to the essentials.  Do what you do best and make it good." 

Bloggers, take heed.  Forget the elaborate widgets, flash, and even video.  Use words and perhaps a photo or two to tell what you sell, what you know about, and what you know how to do to solve problems and "make it good" for your clients and customers.

After getting just a "taste" of your business or professional practice through your blog posts, you want readers to be saying "Mmm, mmm, good information!"