LEARN HOW BLOGGING CAN CATCH THE CLIENTS YOU NEED AND WANT.

By Judy Mandell

Days after Ted Demopoulos started blogging, he got a phone call from a complete stranger asking him to give a keynote speech for a conference.

“My personality, passion and knowledge of the subject had been obvious to this fellow from my blog,” says Demopoulos, who is also the author of What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting and co-author of Blogging For Business.

According to a survey by Pew Internet & American Life Project, 39 percent of U.S. Internet users (about 57 million Americans) read blogs. Technorati, a service that tracks more than 90 million blogs, says there are 15 million bloggers, and the blogosphere is doubling every 320 days—1.4 blogs are created every second of every day.

Short for “weblog,” a blog is a way to make your ideas available to anyone who has a computer and Internet access. It is a powerful tool that can help anyone reach a broad audience.

“[Blogs] are quickly becoming the news and information source of choice for millions of people across the world,” says Caroline Melberg, founder of Small Business Mavericks and author of the e-book Local Small Business Internet Marketing Secrets.

In addition, says Aliza Sherman Risdahl, author of The Everything Blogging Book, “In business, blogging encourages open communication and sharing of information between a company and its clients.”

Blogs are easy to set up and use— not to mention very cost effective. You can download a free template from blogger.com.

“Getting the right blog buzz can help launch new products and services, and can help new businesses build reputations rapidly,” says MacDonnell Ulsch, director of technology risk management and privacy for Jefferson Wells, a professional services firm. “Blogs can globalize a company quickly.”

But there are also pitfalls. “Just as blogs can be an expression of positive information, the tables can turn quickly and result in a negative response to a new business. And that response can be based on nothing more than an comment,” Ulsch says.

In the end, it’s important to keep in mind that blogs should be fun. “What makes a blog different is that people respond to what you say,” says Richard Laermer, CEO of RLM Public Relations and author of Punk Marketing. “I’ve had companies call me for PR not only because of what I said on my blog, but how I said it. They responded to my personality.”

EXPERT TIPS FOR Better Business Blogging

TED DEMOPOULOS	CAROLINE MELBERG	ALIZA SHERMAN
Read blogs before you even think of starting one. You must understand the medium very well to be effective. Make sure you’re passionate and knowledgeable about the subject. If you don’t care much, why should your readers? Don’t talk endlessly about your products and services. Instead, weave them naturally into the discussion when appropriate.	Create a unique voice for your blog. It’s okay to have an opinion, but know that not everyone will agree with you. Regardless, your voice will resonate and help build strong customer relationships. Add keywords to all of your blog posts. This helps with search engine optimization of your Web site. Don’t post any personal information on your business blog. Being conversational is one thing, but keep it professional.	Focus on the subjects that you care about. If you have passion for something, it’s infectious. Be real. People like blogs because they can communicate with a real person. Corporate-speak and PR platitudes won’t cut it. Don’t say anything on your blog that you wouldn’t say in a public forum. The Internet is the most public of forums.