It’s funny how everything goes in cycles. It used to be that everyone asked about and desperately needed brochures. Then, websites and later anything SEO-related. Now, everyone is asking about blogs. Blogs, blogs, blogs.

And that’s a good thing. It’s good to ask and to know as much as possible so that you or your team can make the right decision about what vehicles will give you the best bang for your marketing buck. And in most cases, blogs are a good tool for most businesses, from the smaller one-man (or woman) shops to the most giant of the corporate giants.

But…(and you knew there would be a “but”) I keep seeing the same mistake being made when it comes to blogs and I am sure if blogs could speak, they’d echo my words. People are putting too much pressure, expecting too much from these blogs. As I said, they are great marketing vehicles, but they can’t do it all so don’t expect them to carry your entire marketing load for you!

Whenever I am asked about blogs, and as I said, it’s more and more and more, I first ask the asker to define what the purpose of their blog is (or will be). I want to make sure they are being realistic in terms of what they expect from their blog and in how they plan to measure or gauge the success of their efforts.

You may think you know the real purpose of your blog, but I suggest you spend just 5 or 10 minutes and write a couple of sentences explaining this purpose. Then compare what you have written to what you are actually doing and what you are expecting in return from your blog.

Is everything in sync? You may be surprised.

Yours In Success,

Allison Nazarian

I have been asked to re-run my Three Sins of Blogging, so here they are again:

• Getting too personal. Keep personal revelations and details about your life out of your business blog. Avoid posting details about your partying, your child’s potty-training or your most recent fight with your significant other. Clients and potential clients like to see a real person behind the words, but sometimes too much is too much. Save the personal details for your personal blog.

• Going on...and on...and on. Use a 150-200 word count (per entry) as a rule of thumb. If you must write at length about a subject, which makes sense especially when you are an expert or leader in your field or industry, not a problem. Break up your copy into different entries and label each one accordingly: Part 1 of 3, Part 2 of 3, Part 3 of 3, etc.

• Forgetting the rules of the game: branding, consistency, expertise. Your blog is a marketing tool and as such, an extension of all your related efforts. Weave your marketing message and brand identity into pieces that are informative and relevant to your readers. Know your readers and don’t write way off-base from what they expect. Always remember what you are selling, even (or especially) if it is your expertise.

“…the aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous. The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well that the product or service fits him and sells itself. ”

          – Peter Drucker