marketing

For some professions and businesses, blogging is easy. For others, it’s not so easy. Obviously, if you are an attorney, you want to write about the laws in your state, important cases, and important court rulings. A real estate broker may blog about tips for selling a home or obtaining a mortgage. If you own a comic book store, you probably write a lot of film reviews. But what if you sell something that doesn’t automatically generate blog topics? If your business sells used tires, window blinds, or heating and AC repairs, what can you write about?

The truth is, you can blog about anything. Especially in a field or industry where few people are blogging, a well-written and engaging blog can attract new readers – and potential new customers – simply by being unique and having no competition. It might be hard to come up with topics at first, but once your creativity begins to flow and your blogging skills come together, you’ll find that the writing comes easily, and it doesn’t take a lot of your time, either.

Make your blog readable and reliable, a place where consumers can go for information they can trust. If you only sell vacuum cleaner bags, become the authority on house cleaning. Used tires? You’re now an auto and tire safety expert. Your customers will appreciate learning more about your product or service, and your best blog posts will be liked and shared – and hopefully re-liked and re-shared.

Don’t get discouraged. If you really have no idea how to begin – or how to continue once you’ve started – help is available. Talk with the professionals at an internet marketing agency. An established and experienced internet marketing agency can help you with ideas, and they can even write the blog posts – and create your other marketing content – after meeting with you and understanding your business and your marketing needs. It doesn’t matter what product or business you’re selling. You need to be selling it online, and an internet marketing agency can help with any or all of your online marketing, from website design to blog writing to video production and more. Make the call right away. Get the help you need. Customers are waiting.

Increasingly, we’re abandoning traditional news sources like morning newspapers and evening network news broadcasts. Some people now get their news from Comedy Central or Saturday Night Live. Others go to Facebook or the Drudge Report. What’s consistent among all consumers seeking news is that they’re looking for a news source they can trust. According to the Pew Research Center, on both Facebook and Twitter, more users are getting news than in the past. As of early 2015, 63 percent of Facebook and Twitter users get news on those sites. This is up substantially from 2013, when about half of each network’s users reported getting news there.

If your facts are reliable and your writing is clear, you can build trust and establish yourself as an authoritative voice by doing your own journalism. Attorneys shouldn’t hesitate to report on high-profile cases, recent rulings, and current legislative proposals. Real estate brokers should report on market conditions, interesting community events, or anything that might be of interest to homebuyers or sellers. Use your imagination – the only limits are the basic rules of online marketing. Give your visitors practical and engaging content, make sure your facts are accurate, and add your own take or insights. You’ll establish credibility, you’ll show visitors that you care about what’s important to them, and you’ll slowly build a growing readership base.

You need not confine your “journalism” content to a blog. Professionals and even small businesses now use podcasts, video, and more to “report the news.” Several law firms and other businesses have created separate websites devoted entirely to news. Let the experts at an internet marketing firm explain the many options that are available to you. As your content is liked and shared by followers and friends, your influence – and your readership – will grow, and you’ll turn some of those readers into clients and customers. If you don’t feel comfortable adding “journalist” to your list of obligations, or if you are as busy as most business owners and professionals, get some help from the experts at an internet marketing firm. Make the call promptly and start putting the internet to work for you.

When you compose a blog page, you need to break up solid text with striking graphics that complement your theme or topic. Outstanding graphics draw readers to your blog and make your posts easier to read. If you don’t have the time – and most professionals and business owners don’t – get help for your blog or for any or all of your online marketing needs by contacting an experienced internet marketing firm and talking with some marketing professionals. A good internet marketing company can set up your blog and provide content, graphics, and much more.

Any time you use any kind of graphic, you need permission. If you can take your own photos or create your own graphics – and the quality is good – use them. Wikimedia Commons offers free photographs and other graphics that are in the public domain, and for a modest fee, iStockphoto provides a comprehensive collection of graphics related to virtually every imaginable topic. One exception to the permission rule is corporate logos. If a particular corporation is your topic, you can use their logo without having to obtain permission. What you do not want to use is Google Image Search. With very few exceptions, their photos and graphics are copyrighted.

Plenty of software programs are available to help you with graphics, but if you are using Windows 8 or Windows 10, you already have Microsoft Office Picture Manager and Microsoft Paint, and for the purposes of adding graphics to your blog posts, those programs are all that you really need. Be sure you place the graphic near the top of your blog page – where readers can see it when they land on the page. If someone has to scroll down to see a picture, the picture isn’t helping you. If you don’t have the time – or the confidence – to tackle photos and graphics on your own, don’t hesitate to hire a good internet marketing company to help with any or all of your online marketing. Call promptly, and let seasoned professionals relieve your marketing anxieties and provide the text, graphics, and marketing insights you need.