Along with the serious work we do, we still know how to have fun here at the Women’s Enterprise Centre.  We surround ourselves with great folks who not only know how to educate entrepreneurs (and teach us a thing or two as well) but can also be highly entertaining.

Last week we invited Liz Hover, local blog-guru, to spend part of an evening chatting with us about all things bloggish (and since part of the conversation was about her Shih Tzu Sadie’s blog, it was about things doggish too!).

Liz takes a somewhat revolutionary perspective on business blogs and believes that the blog should be the hub around which your website revolves, acting as a channel to some of the information that you want to send to the world. 

She notes that one of the chief reasons to blog is that it gives you a chance to change your website frequently (thus incenting a greater degree of search-engine optimization (SEO) that gets more people to your site.  Naturally, this is the desired outcome,

particularly if your site is set up to optimally show off your product/service and if you have a way of easily converting views into sales.

Liz asserts that a blog gives a company a human voice, as well as a chance to establish your expertise.  It also allows you to build trusting relationships with your customers and promote some of your new products.  Blogs are also attractive to other bloggers who may be looking for industry information or education about your offerings.  That kind of blog networking can lead to collaboration and can give you a wider audience for your voice via other similar-thinking blog writers.

On the ‘there is no such thing as a free lunch’ side of things, while blogs are inexpensive to develop and post, they do require a high degree of commitment and consistency.  It can take as long as a year’s solid application before you see any real results in your sales.  The trick is to keep at it while you find your voice and build your community.

Check out Liz Hover’s great resources at her informative website.

Posted by Sandra Altner at 4:26 PM 1 Comments

Tags search engine optimization  SEO  blogging  blogs  Women’s Enterprise Centre  Liz Hover  networking 

In my on-line walkabouts I occasionally come across a real gem of an article or blog that is so straight-ahead instructive and informative that it begs to be shared.

 

Most recent of these pure-diamond finds is Mark Schaefer’s blog Are These the 10 Best Corporate Blogs in the World?

 

I’ve followed him on grow and find his non-partisan, non-product, non-promotional offerings always entertaining and educational. There’s an innate humility but honest forthrightness that characterizes his writings, making them very engaging. This blog is a good example. He doesn’t purport to provide the world’s 10 best blogs, but puts forward the surmise that they might be, if you agree that they are.

 

Schafer’s big-company blog list illustrates what excellent blogs have and how they behave; information that can be easily transferred to small business use. Whole Foods blog exhibits how-to’s, best practices and product ideas; Patagonia, which sells adventure gear, tells customer stories; and a regional grocery chain talks about entertaining and recipes. Others make the list because of employee engagement, down-home problem-solving discussions, or encouragement and celebration of customer ideas.

 

Check out the list and be inspired to add value to your own blogs – making them more fun to both read and write.

Posted by Sandra Altner at 4:07 PM 0 Comments

Tags women entrepreneurs  women-owned businesses  Women’s Enterprise Centre  blogs  blogging  Mark Schaefer  brand building