Understanding The Power of Blogging For Business.
Karen Fiddes recently was our guest speaker with Mandie Holgate talking about Blogging For Business at our Suffolk event. One business woman was so taken with the results of this workshop that she was up writing blogs the following morning at 6am!
So thanks Karen for sharing some more ideas here;
I never truly understood the power of blogging to smaller businesses until recently. I was talking on just this subject at a local seminar for small businesses. When I asked how many of the busy owners in front of me had already set up and then updated their blog regularly, I was surprised to see that over 50% had. Great news!
It got me thinking about marketing in this new digital age and how small businesses can now genuinely enjoy just as much (if not more!) benefit from digital marketing as the larger companies do. Sure those big boys might have more resource, more time and more money to throw at various media channels but do they have the personality, hunger and passion for what they do and how they deliver that or are they just another corporate face flying the digital flag because it is the “done thing”?
You see the beauty of blogs is that regardless of your size, with just a little bit of work and relatively small (or no) capital investment, you and what your brand stands for can shine through. Couple good writing with effective social media optimisation and search engine optimisation and you will be seen by humans and robots alike. If your blog then delivers excellent content to meet expectation and educate the reader – it will get subscribers and drive traffic to your site ensuring that you most definitely stand a chance of kicking around with the big kids on page 1.
If you would like the opportunity to have Karen Fiddess working on your marketing strategy contact us for more information on the October Business Clinic coming up, looking at Marketing with Mandie Holgate and Karen – only open to 10 business women each month.
The Bane of Learning New Stuff – And Why Every Business Woman Must
So the BWN website is getting an overhaul.
I personally got raked over the coals for being too good at marketing and driving too many business women to the site and it couldn’t cope. Now that is the kind of telling off I like!
But the outcome is my IT Fairy (no really we have an IT Fairy!) said that we were going over to an even more interactive site.
The Business Women on our site would be able to use it more and it would work even better for driving traffic to their websites.
It would be easier for business women to access the information they needed.
And we would be able to add a shop with great business offerings and books from our favourite speakers.
It all sounded great……BUT…..
I like many have a passion for just getting on with it. And when confronted with something new something goes in my head. It’s my Mrs Negativity. I don’t know if you have one (But I’m betting you do) mine looks a bit like Maureen Lipman off of the BT adverts. “An ology” remember. Wow I bet I’m showing my age there!
But the fact is when she pipes up the real me. The capable, effective business women me kind of shrinks a bit. As Mrs Negativity says things like “Mmmm do you remember that time at Dads house when you broke the TV, best you leave that well alone don’t you think for the clever folk.” Then she whines “Still you are not bad at cooking, stick to that dear and leave the grown up stuff to someone cleverer. There’s no shame in being a good housewife love. Everyone needs clean floors.” Okay so there is nothing wrong with being a full time homemaker. I loved that time in my life. But the way Mrs Negativity says it she makes me feel about 5 again.
So why do we let this happen?
I know the quickest way to shut her up is to prove her wrong. And here is the thing. The minute you take action things get easier. Okay so you might make a mistake but with most things in life, that can be fixed and you can learn in the process.
The problem is the longer you hold off, you allow your Mrs Negativity to attack your success and your momentum. The less powerful you are and the stronger you make your Mrs Negativity.
Learning new things is so often an area that we procrastinate on. We hold fire. We “Wait and See” But how beneficial is that for your success?
What impact is that going to have on your business and your life?
In business there will always be a latest gadget, tool, idea that you are going to need to get your head round and you have 2 choices. 1) rise to the challengae and learn something new to grow your business and your success or 2) allow it to be an obstacle to your success.
Now who wants to put obstacles in the way of their success?
Mmmm so here I sit with a brand new layout to blog with, a new style website to up date, to interact with business women and slightly nervous as to how posting this blog will go. But Mrs Negativity (Sorry Maureen Lipman but it will always be your face I see) is firmly shut up. Oh yes I’m sure as I press a wrong key she will be there to say “told you so” but I will be ready “With don’t worry love, I have plenty of experiences of getting it right so it’s only a matter of time!” And as I say that confidently like the successful business woman I am, in my mind I am sticking my tongue out at her (Well everyone that knows me knows I’m very young and fun at heart – yes just a big kid really!)
Every time this week something new comes along. Don’t say “mmmm That looks interesting – I will look into it” Give it go. Get stuck in. And I would love to know how you get on. At the BWN there are always new things to learn, if you don’t see something you like, let us know and we will get that subject added.
mandie@thebusinesswomansnetwork.co.uk