Business Blog

So you think you are unique? Me too. But let’s face it, we’re not the only game in town in our particular industry. Odds are, you aren’t either. I know, you’re likely going to tell me how your business really is unique and that you have a product no one else has. But if you are honest, you know deep down that somewhere, someone is selling something very similar. Your competitor.

Even if you are the only game online, it’s not going to be forever. If you are successful, others are going to try to copy that success. So let’s just say for the sake of argument that everyone has some competition.

On to blogging. It’s huge. With business especially these days. So it’s no wonder that every niche imaginable has hundreds of companies blogging their guts out. Vying for that top position in the search engines. Competing for the lion’s share of a finite market.

So your potential customers probably have a ton of options when it comes to blogs about your business. how can you make your blog stand out from the crowd?

Here are a few steps to becoming the standout in your business or industry.

1. Professional Appearance

Just like your storefront, your blog needs to make a good first impression on your readers. It needs to be clean and professional. Custom designed if you can afford it. With a graphical look that is unique to your and your company. A branded look. One that they only can find on your site. Because just like name recognition, website recognition matters. People will remember your site if it looks professional. The impression its design makes is important.

2. Interesting Content

Your blog content needs to be interesting to it’s readers. If your blog is as boring as a trip to the dentist, then they are not going to come back. They are not going to become customers for the most part, because they will never read enough to build a level of trust sufficient to become a buyer. If they find content that keeps them interested, better yet, entertained or titillated, they will bookmark your website. If they are not ready to buy now, your link sits there patiently in their bookmarks. When the day comes that they are looking for your product or service, they might just search their bookmarks first. Or remember your site. Or just know where it is, because they read your enthralling content daily….

3. Daily Content Additions

Some blogs are really cool, but they aren’t updated often enough. By “enough”, I mean daily. Because that’s what it takes to run a successful business blog. Daily blog posts. People are fairly fickle, and if they don’t find new content on your site each time they come back, they’ll stop coming back. Because it’s the same old stuff. Nothing new to read means that there is no reason to return.

Ever go somewhere you were really excited about going, only to find that it was closed. Bummer huh? Same goes with your blog. It’s a bummer to readers when they come to your site and find nothing new….

4. Step by Step Instructions and Guides

If your blog contains very specific step by step instructions and “how to” guides, it will stand out more. You’ll get more bookmarkers, and a much deeper viral impact from users sending your link to other users. Because people want to find useful content. If you have a guide to do something that none of your competitors have, it can make your website stand out substantially.

5. Strong Social Networking

Getting out there in the social networking scene can also make your blog stand out like a nun at a KISS concert. Five years ago, just writing a good blog was enough. Not anymore. You need to be actively social bookmarking your blog posts where ever you can. You need to be building your own circles in various social networks.

You definitely need a blog to compete in any business online today. But more than that, you need that blog to stand out from the crowd. You need it to be the very best blog in your field or industry. The best blog that sells your particular line of products or services.

So take the steps and stand out. It’s not hard, it just takes a little extra effort. Effort that your competitors are not putting in. So do what they are not doing, and be that shining star among the business blogs in your niche.

Tags: competition, Marketing, networking, niche marketing, Social Bookmarking

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