Blogs and RSS
People are often intimidated by the terms ‘Blog’ or ‘RSS’, but the concepts are quite elementary. Blogs (short for web logs) are simply online journals, written by a single person or group about a subject they are (hopefully) passionate about, and RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a means for receiving blog or news articles in a singular location, much like an email inbox.“So what’s the big deal?” is usually the next question. The big deal is that a blog can be a powerful method for not only informing the world about a particular subject, but in establishing your brand by allowing your unique personality to shine through. In fact, the more specific your topic, and the more unique your personality, the more likely you are to carve out your niche market, and solidify your brand loyalty. Best of all, you are literally flooding the internet with keyword-rich content, and you’ll be much more likely to be discovered in relevant search results.
RSS feeds allow for people to subscribe to your blog. Software, such as Google Reader or FeedReader, allow readers to collect, organize and categorize the blogs they read on a regular basis. Most blog softwares, such as Google’s Blogger or Wordpress, have RSS capability built in to the structure. Podcasts can also be added and ‘fed’ via RSS. Again, these are great ways of keeping your clients closer, by reminding them on a regular basis just who you are, what you do, and what you know.
As a small business owner, you know your trade inside and out. Who better to write a journal on your subject of choice? People often demure, citing lack of time or writing ability. But anyone can be a blogger. Believe me. At the time of writing there are about 112 million blogs (not including China!). It just takes a passion, perseverance, and keeping in line with an overall marketing plan to make a blog work for you.