Is Blogging is good for Business?

The short answer is YES.

Blogging is very good for business and blogging about your business is an excellent way to  increase online traffic to your website. 

These are just a few of the advantages:

* Generating a constant flow of followers (reminding old customers about you and encouraging new ones!)

* Brands you and your business as an expert in your field

* Refreshes content on your website keeping visitors interested and coming back.

Ideally your blogging strategy will include:

                          Interesting, Relevant and Informative Content:

 You have the opportunity here to brand yourself as a leader in your industry by offering interesting and informative content. It's important to remember that most internet readers 'scan' rather than read. Keep sentences short and use language in a way that is easy to understand and follow. 

Encourage Participation and Feedback:

Feedback, participation and discussion should be encouraged. Remember though, your primary goal is to increase your local business leads. A good way to do this is to have a specific Call to Action at the end of your blog. So ask a question invite comments, views and opinions. Also, for business purposes, comments on your blog can help your search engine ranking, so again, ask for feedback and comments with a Call to Action when appropriate.

 Correctly use SEO (Search Engine Optimisation):

Be sure to place important keywords/phrases in the body and headline of your blog. This helps ensure your posts are found easier during searches and they go a long way in helping you rank higher in local results specific to those keyword/phrase terms. Remember however not to over do it! Too many keywords appear unnatural and will read unnaturally. Worse still, search engines often pick up on it and it certainly won't work in your favour.

Blogging is a dynamic, fun way for local businesses to make their mark, increase their web traffic and promote their brand.  Set out your stall with these intentions, follow the guide lines above and you are well on your way to making things happen!

Online Advantage offers a Blogging service. If this is of interest, do get in touch, we'd be delighted to help. http://www.onlineadvantage.co.za 

Meet our Clients....

Villa Athena is incredible. Situated on the beautiful island of Skiathos, overlooking the Aegean, you'll find this wonderful 6 studio bedroomed villa nestling between ancient Olive trees.

The resident owner/manager Peggy Loebenberg has a eye for detail. The villa has been lovingly brought back to life with authentic Greek furnishings, hand painted tiled floors and artefact's so unusual, it'll be a feast for your eyes.

Speaking about feasts - Peggy is in fact a qualified Cordon Bleu chef. She has teamed up with a long time friend and legendary foodie Yvonne Romano to introduce cooking workshops at the Villa during May, June and July.

Peggy wanted to get word of these workshops to the world and met with us to discuss her strategy.

We set up a dynamic Google Adwords campaign using over 300 relevant keywords to attract her exact target market .  We designed enticing Ad Groups to reach a wider audience and working within her budget, targeted Europe, South Africa, USA and South Africa.

Within 24 hours, Villa Athena is positioned in the top 5 in relevant search categories in over 100 keywords!  She easily achieves over 50 targeted, clicks from people interested in exactly what she has to offer each day - a fabulous result keeping within her daily budget.

We then looked at her Social Media marketing and set up her Twitter account @villaathena and her Facebook page. We hooked her up with an appropriate following and within 2 weeks, Twitter was responsible for driving the extra 20% of the traffic she received to her site.

We encouraged her to Blog and set up an account for her. This is a fantastic way to get your message out there and as Peggy knows so much about island living, particularly on Skiathos, they are wonderfully interesting and rapidly gaining a following. See http://villaathenaskiathos.blogspot.com/

As her mailing list grows, we have designed a newsletter template which she can populate and will send out to all her interested and potential guests.

To ensure her website is optimized, we linked her to a number of relevant sites and directories and consistently monitor to ensure we are covering all the bases.

Peggy is delighted with the response. Her bookings are coming in thick and fast so if you are interested in sharing this wonderful holiday experience this summer, get in there fast!

If you need to get your message out there, be it just locally or to the whole world - we can help you.

Contact athena@onlineadvantage.co.za and watch your business soar!

Recipe for choosing your Internet Marketing company

You'll need:

Considerable patience. There are a lot of us out there (From those of us who take it seriously to that bloke down the road who has a PC, a Facebook page and a damn fine sales patter)

A bit of knowledge. In this case, not a dangerous thing. Have an understanding of what is out there and what you can expect from a decent marketing strategy. (The bloke above will promise you a beach house in Bali and dancing girls...take care - dancing girls don't come cheap.) Instead, openly discuss your expectations with your marketing company. They should listen, contribute, honestly evaluate and recommend. It's about working together for your benefit. If they are offer that, definitely put them on your list of considerations.(It's worth mentioning  that Online Advantage are offering  fantastic Internet Marketing workshops in Cape Town and Gauteng in May 2011, which will give you an in depth understanding of online marketing. Check out our website http://www.onlineadvantage.co.za/workshops_5.html for more information)

A deep pocket. That is if you are dealing with the bloke above. In reality, there are many Internet Marketing companies who offer outstanding service and internet strategies that will bring you a excellent return on your investment. Ask for references from businesses similar to yours that they have assisted and check up!

Method:
Take your time, do your homework. Ask a lot of questions. Get like for like testimonials so you know your marketing company has a thorough knowledge of your business vertical. Look for a company who understands you, your business, your market and above all, who you understand. This is complicated enough without having to take a night class in internet acronyms!

Enjoy: Finding the perfect Internet Marketing company for you will be worth the effort. Expect results and they'll deliver.