The Lighter side of Business.: Tips for Starting Business Blog

The Lighter side of Business.: Tips for Starting Business Blog: I have a friend that is an experienced corporate marketer who started a new business. His stall just opened, and being that good pal t...

Tips for Starting Business Blog - Internet Marketing

The Power of a blog _ nasongo.blogspot.com

I have a friend that is an experienced corporate marketer who started a new business. His stall just opened, and being that good pal that I am he requested for some tips on marketing on the web – specifically with regard to blog marketing.

Considering this as a small business, he had to think more about the costs of putting up a completely independent website, its functionality, flexibility and its ease of marketability. In my opinion, the website was to be simple but comprehensive with regard to his business product menu as it needed to be an online representation of the business. In such a case, I gave him my recommendation for a low cost, easy to use and search engine friendly online content management system. The Blog software.

Let’s face it, what often happens when a friend ask for advice regarding web marketing? Different answers will emanate from this question with regards to internet marketing. But have you ever thought of the blog?

I am herein going to give recommendation in support of this technology since once I give such advice, the next question probably after a week , several or months will be, “So, how is your blog or web site doing?”

My friend for instance started the blog using Blogger.com, which by itself is not a problem according to online marketing parameters. The problem was with the name. While setting, a blog, you need to change the default URL selection and use your business name in that place. My friend forgot to change this and instead used the default one - nameofstore.blogspot.com.  By all means, this is not your business name but a guide on the way to go about it.

You need to consider your name on the URL as this is your online representative. Just like your business has a name, your blog also needs a name, the blog is a kind of sub domain but a reliable, cheap and user friendly platform for internet marketing. It is therefore advisable that you consider the face of your business on the internet as much as you do to your physical office.

However, picking a third party domain for the blog address goes against one of the most important rules in sustainable blogging. I advice that you always host the blog address with a domain name that is under your control. By this, I mean, example.com/blog or blog.yourbusinessname.com or yourbusinessnameblog.com.

Failure to which, you give up the control of your domain.
You need to always have the “what if” mentality when setting this up. For instance, What if the blog host goes down? You know, free services rarely provide support. If you were in these shoes, and this happens, what option would you be left with?

Among other reasons for you to keep your blog address as part of your own domain name is your ability to change your blog software services without necessarily having to change your blog address.

You also enjoy the benefit of search engine optimization if you host the blog as a sub directory of your main company domain name. You need to know that blogs are very linkable entities and other bloggers tend to be enthusiastic about linking. You can then perceive other links to your blog as a vote of credibility to your main web site since your blog and the web site can share the same domain name.

You may see blogs as simple and stupid internet marketing options but in the long run, they definitely work. As my friend asked on what they were supposed to do next, especially after receiving numerous hits on the blog, it becomes clear that the blog is not as simple as perceive it to be.

 As it turned out after the talk with my friend, the blog became the company web site with time. With increased business, with more and more businesses coming, it became practical, cost effective and functionally efficient way to manage your online presence.

You see, simple stupid, excellent!!!

Internet marketing

For the last three months we at Kuzabiashara have been doing capacity building workshops with SMEs, giving them website management tips and other tips on online marketing and social media marketing. At one time, internet marketing mainly consisted of having a website and or placing banner adverts on other websites. But wait, just what is internet marketing?

I could say internet marketing is the ability of a business to take into marketing  and promoting their products or services over the Internet. However, there are many definitions of internet marketing and online marketing.

Internet/online marketing is today evolving into a wider mix of components which can be used by a company as a tool of sales increase.  Increasingly, internet marketing is becoming a marketing tool as many established and upcoming businesses are under pressure to attract the wider online client base.

For you to carry a successful online marketing campaign, you need to have a complete understanding of what you want to use the online platform. In this, you need to communicate the company’s message comprehensively, clearly outline the products and services offered in the company.

You are supposed to do this after you have conducted a comprehensive research on the nature, demographics, preferences and needs of the target customers. You will then be able to select the category of goods and services to upload onto the internet or your preferred online advertising channel.

Social Media Marketing

Just like traditional marketing, Social Media Marketing shares the same branding and messaging goals, but differs on its execution. Social Media Marketing is a form of Internet Marketing carried out through the many social networking sites.

 Social sites however include outlets and opportunities present on the Internet, such as social networks, communities, blogs, forums and other emerging forms of online media. Any site where users generate the content can be considered a social media site. However, unlike traditional marketing, Social Media Marketing takes a much more subtle approach because activities in this arena must be catered to the community-based nature of the social outlet that they searve.

An effective Social media marketing campaign must therefore stimulate interest and participation from its target audience without breaking the bonds of consumer trust. Social media marketing can ruin or build your brand and you therefore need to approach this new kind with caution.

While marketing on this channel, you still use the structures, startegies and understandings just like on internet marketing. The advantage with Social Media marketing is that, social media marketing attracts a wider client base owing to the large number of social media consumers.

The term social media applies to a variety of niche forums, news sites, blogs and industry-specific consumer generated content sites. The main activity on sites consists of connecting with other like-minded people and/or sharing some form of content. You can therefore write as much as you can about your service and product menu on these sites to entice the viewers. While using social sites, you need to comprehensively describe your product and give links to your website for further clarifications.

E-mail marketing.

This is a direct mode of online marketing where you target your clients directly by sending them mail. However, this is channel is more time consuming as you will need to find your clients E-mail addresses. Email marketing is basically the online equivalent of direct mail marketing. This can as well be used as a tool to direct people to your website especially when using the corporate emails.

Corporate emails have the title of your website therefore; you can attract traffic to your website as through curiosity, people may seek to know more about your firm. With email marketing, you can send basics about your product menu to specific people, citing therein your website as a source for more information.

Basically as technology advances, you as a business person have to grow with it. In this case everything is moving away from the normal physicality to online presence. You don’t need to visit your clients physically to showcase your wares since you can do this online. Social interactions such as Google hang out, Skype folder share, screen share, Facebook chat among other components of social media have made all these easy and simple.

You have the strategy, knowhow and a clear way on going about online and internet marketing. Now get up and grow.

Entrepreneurial learning.

Entrepreneurs need to make complete use of the online media and social media platform as this is the new trend on internet marketing. They need to come up with a working strategy, carry out a comprehensive market survey and establish their consumer needs before venturing into online advertising/marketing.

Boost your business partnership.

grow your business through partnerships

Last week we held two SME clinics whose main agenda was how business people can manage their online clients as well as manage their company websites. Although this was the case on the agenda, many questions were fired at us in regard to customer satisfaction. It occurred to me that among the challenges that SMEs have, managing customer relationships when the relationship gets shaky was key.

Many are the times when a business people resort to ignoring their clients calls or even pretend not to be in business after an inter business hitch. I have herein given a simple structure through which you can follow in making major business decisions especially when you have things not working well with your business allies.

You need to understand that although to some extent, you might be the cause of the problem, or alternatively, your ally is the one to blame for the miss being, conversation is the best solution for such cases and this move should always be the first.

In cases where the representative for the other firm is answerable to a superior, they are on the spot over the same, they may resort to a fight mode rather than fight for you. Employees will always try their best to be out of blame especially when they are in the center of such a mix. In such cases it is advisable that you resort to conversation as instances like these require a conscious mind and understanding of the situation at hand.

In such situation, you need to focus on the business relationship in terms of savings and the value of the relationship. You can as well decide to take the blame for such cases where the business relationship depends on the complainant then fix the issue at hand before it gets to the superiors. However, if the choice you make is most likely going to affect your relationship with other business partners, then you need make a decisive choice but without being compromised.

This also calls for a well thought financial impact on your business. In cases where a negative aggression may ensue, leading to a break of business relationships, you need to creatively think about the possible loss of revenue then compare it with the temporal negative impact that it may have on your business then weigh the two. If the direct negative impact is smaller compared to the impending ones, then you can alter the relationship and vice versa.

You need to know that businesses are built on the existing relationships therefore if the other party seems relaxed on the issue, then you therefore need to know that they don’t value the relationship. It is important to note that as much as you are putting so much into ensuring the relationship stands the other party could as well be playing part in the same if the relationship was a two way one.

Once you have established these aspects in your business relationships as well as the two way benefits, on value and revenue, you can now plan your actions. Many business fail in this process due to inferiority basically brought through poor judgment and quick reaction.

When making major business decisions, a good entrepreneur needs to take time, focus on consistent communication and internal business research before taking the leap.

Entrepreneurial pick

Find the value in a business relationship and then find its value to the business

Round up!

Huh! Thank God the week is over. This has kind of been a mixed up one for me, owing to the two experiences I have encountered.

Okay, let’s face this; we had the most successful SME clinic this week, put in practice all our skills in marketing, lecturing directing and advising. Though many seem to have had a laxity on the product having experienced miss expectations after sign ups we managed to raise their hopes and beliefs in the product.

Wait, this is no doubt a high – high point.  Another one, I can be consulted for anything relating to Google applications, Google sites and anything relating to that. I can personally declare myself a guru in this segment. No joke, that’s my other very high- highest point. Aha…

You never know how it feels when you invite up to 20 people for a workshop, then only 6 turn up even after giving them an opening for two days… sad, isn’t it. This to me is the lowest point since I joined the Kuzabiashara team and will remain in my head till my last dawn.

Also sad that I have to do away with my mouth – hand combined communication. You must have seen this with me. It is one thing that I now want to do away with this and depend solely on my voice whenever I communicate.

Finally, the longest weekend is here. Somebody asked me to ask for a Monday off… can this work? Let me give it a shot.  Msishangae mkiniona Tuesday.

Happy weekend and Madarakaism