Why should small businesses be blogging? How can they get started? Those are the two big questions for #blogchat this Sunday night.
What is #blogchat?
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| Here’s Mack Collier leading a live, in-person version of #blogchat. This Sunday, I’ll join him for the online version, focusing on small business blogging. |
It’s a chat held on Twitter. It’s a conversation with hundreds of people asking questions of each other and sharing what they know about blogging. Learn more at What is #Blogchat? by Mack Collier, the host and founder. (He’s also a small town guy!)
When is it?
#blogchat is held every Sunday evening at 8pm Central Time. I’ll be co-hosting this Sunday, January 13, 2013, and we’ll talk about small business blogging.
Why should small businesses be blogging?
Small business people have plenty to do. If you ask them to do one more thing, that thing better be extremely valuable. Blogging is extremely valuable to small businesses.
- Good blog content answers customer questions before they ever turn into phone calls. That saves the business time.
- Good blog content attracts new potential customers who are searching for solutions to their problems.
- Good blog content builds trust before customers ever meet a person from the business.
- Good blog content helps train new staff members, getting them up to speed on “inside” information that customers will want to know.
How can they get started?
Getting started with blogging doesn’t have to be the hardest part.
- If you can write an email, you can write a blog post.
- Blog platforms range from “no experience needed” to “you’d better get some help.”
- What you say on your blog matters more than which platform you use to blog.
- Photos and video can be easy to add and create extra value.
- A blog can serve as the entire website for a small business.
How do I participate?
If you use TweetDeck, you can add a new column for “#blogchat”.
If you usually use the Twitter.com website, the best tool to try is TweetChat. Here’s the TweetChat “room” for #blogchat. From there, you’ll need to click on the Sign In button so you can join into the conversation. You’ll find more instructions at What is #Blogchat? by Mack Collier.
People usually start gathering and chatting about 7pm Central, then we’ll kick off the official discussion at 8pm Central time. Hope to see you there!
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Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
blogchat is cool – but, if you are running a small business, you should be blogging about the things your customers what to hear about – new products, better services or how your offerings can help them better manage their lives.
Steve, I disagree. Talk more about them, less about you.
That’s what I meant – things that they want to hear – like things that can help them in their lives – and that means talking about what you offer – not about yourself but how you can help them. I think we are just splitting hairs here – the goal is the same – talk about them and how you can help.