Blogs! All you need to know

#Blogs are probably the best #tool for #advertising that you can have nowadays.

They are relatively easy to create, maintain and customize so they can satisfy the needs of any kind of blogger. There are so many tools that you can use to create your unique blog: text, pictures, videos, links ,buttons, banners, SEO, interactive content, contact lists, shops and much more!

But, to make them work you need to use proper #content, relevant #information and also very important: to have a target #audience.

But first, let's examine the difference between #blog and #website. As elaborated here:

Website

Content is static.

Formal/professional.

Interactivity does not exist. There is only one-way communication.

Transactional.

Communication about products and/or services.

Almost everyone has a website. In fact, it is almost a requirement in business today.

Blog

Content is regularly updated.

Not formal.

Interactive.

Informative and educational.

Interactivity about industry/customer issues.

Some people have a blog.

Why owning a well designed blog/website is huge advantage while working online?

Maybe you own a blog/website for sometime now and if you have used it properly, you know the advantages. If not, here are 10 things you should know about blogs:

1. Owning a well designed, compact blog/website is essential for any business because you present your business and yourself professionally, without exposing yourself to face-to-face promotions. The blog/website does the job for you and it can serve significantly more people that you can if you do ''face to face'' promotions. Also it is available 24/7.

2. The blog can contain several topics/pages/discussions and you can interact with your visitors, present your business and also advertise whichever products/services/other websites you want - for free! Or you can focus on one topic and you can make posts about that.

3. Make the blog interesting. Offer something new, different and exciting. Even if your blog's focus is on something that many other bloggers do (cooking, for example) you can still be different. Maybe in the way you present your recipes, your images, the wording or maybe the recipes themselves. Just be innovative and explore your options on daily basis.

4. GRAPHICS!! Having stunning graphics and pictures that visually and psychologically affect the viewers increases your chances for more #views, #shares, #comments... which directly affects your traffic and your traffic leads to popularity and sales!! You can use your own pictures or try some of those offered online for free. Same applies to videos. It is best if you can use your own videos. If not, then provide credits and links to the original poster/s. *Do not use copyrighted pictures and videos! Just search for copyright free photos (check for links on my Free stuff page) or ask permission from the owner and always make sure you name the author and insert link to the original (if it is watermarked image you have to purchase the licence to use it).

5. Don't copy content or other articles. People can easily copy/paste your post and find the source material and report you. Not only that they will stop visiting you and unsubscribe, but the original author can cause you trouble.

*You can refer to an article if you like, but put the author's name and link to the article (if possible)

6. You can use it to share various things on the pages. Starting from your personal thoughts, art, recipes, products that you sell, reviews, to exchange banners, testimonials, freebies, contests, rewards, inspirational pictures/quotes...whatever suits your needs!

7. It makes the exposure and the advertising easier. How?

Instead individually posting all the things you usually post (products for sale, posts that you have made on certain topic, your latest video, images of your new chocolate cake) on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google plus etc. separately, you can post them on your blog and then share that link to the social media without the need to upload everything again and again. Once your social media visitors come to your blog, they can easily navigate through it and enjoy your content.

8. You can use some of the following features to boost your traffic (get more visitors): keywords, meta description, email Marketing, traffic exchange, banner exchange, add it to SEOs ,use backlinks, start Twitter Chats and Google Hangouts...

To do all of this, you need to know a bit more about blogs/websites. It won't hurt if you start learning these things right now because:

No traffic --> no sales

No sales ---> no business

9. If your blog/website is doing well, you can earn money from Google AdSense or other advertising companies that pay you so you can put their advertisement on your blog!

10. You can add a subscriber feature. With it you can get subscribers and send weekly/monthly newsletters about your blog/website/products to those interested in your content.

*Secret extra tip: You have to make your blog/website "alive" for this to work, give it a soul. If it doesn't have a good content updated regularly, then it will fall on the dusty shelves of the Internet, even if you pay for traffic. This means:

-you have to post interesting things on it,

-dedicate few hours on your blog once or twice a week,

-share it,

-update it,

-live with it, give it original thoughts, experiences and unique content,

-invite guest authors,

-start discussions on relevant topics

-use all the tools you can to promote it in order to get more visitors

Don't just create one and forget it!

None of these things are complicated or difficult to learn. If you need help, you can always find answers online - just use keywords in the search engine.

To excel at anything, you have to put an effort to it. That includes learning, exploring, reading, searching, changing, evolving...take it from someone who knew nothing about advertising and websites several years ago :)