Starting your own blog doesn't have to be as intimidating as you think. Like many types of new marketing (email, social media, et al), it's easy to feel like you're the only one who's not blogging. But with a little help, you'll soon find yourself up and running and giving others some advice.
I've had a great experience with WordPress and setting up my blog/website. I've done Marketing for years but had no web programming experience (unless you consider making copy bold and underlined). In the past I've always leaned on my team of experienced web gurus. But when I started poking around and doing some research, I found that it's not all that difficult.
Unless you're a web designer, creating your own blog means you have to do a lot of reading to figure out all these new functions. Try this Forum section on WordPress, there's lots of info on how to get started, go to WordPress and it's under "support."
I also recommend going to YouTube. I'm a visual person so I like to "see" how things are done. They have a lot of video tutorials that show you how to do different things. Just type WordPress in the search field.
I created my own site/blog on Wordpress within a day or two and have been able to add plug-ins that add forms, get traffic stats, help with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and much more. I've had a few issues adding photos but I'm about to upgrade to the newest version of Wordpress (2.7) to see if it helps.
You'll want the name of your company in the title and on an "About" page. You can create static pages, to let people know about your company, products, services, etc. Then use blog posts or articles to discuss things that are of interest to people who may buy your product/service.
As far as optimizing your site for search engines, you'll want to look at some of the plug-ins available to help you with optimizing and measuring traffic. I recommend All-in-One SEO and Google XML Sitemaps. These will make your site easier to search for the search engines. Also add plug-ins like AddThis Social Bookmarks, to encourage visitors to bookmark your site and make it easier for them to come back and visit if they like what they see.
For content you don't necessarily want to have your company name mentioned over and over to help increase traffic, unless your company name is so well known that thousands of people will be searching for it. You want to make sure you include relevant keywords that your potential customers will search for.
Also try a plug-in called WordPress Stats. It will allow you to see how much traffic you are getting. Eventually you will want to set up Google Analytics to see where traffic is coming from and which keywords are most popular.
It all sounds intimidating. But when you jump in and get started, it will all start to make sense. If anything, you know you can always come to [http://www.understandingmarketing.com] to get more tips.
Chrisanne Sternal is an independent marketing consultant that has built highly effective and profitable marketing campaigns for many well-known brands and small businesses alike.
Sternal Consulting helps small businesses make the most of their budgets by avoiding costly mistakes with their marketing efforts. Creating emails, websites, landing pages, blogs, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, public relations, direct mail, newsletters, social media, branding and more.
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