One tool that every Internet marketer should be using is a blog. Blogs offer Internet marketers a huge opportunity to establish their unique presence in their target market.

What is blogging?

Blogging is simply the act of putting out news, information, gossip, product reviews or whatever on a special type of website called a blog (short for “weblog”). However, a blog has features that set it apart from other websites such as:

1. Content entries (posts) are arranged in chronological order with the newest content at the top

2. Reader comments are often an important part of a blog and create a sense of community.

3. A free subscription system called RSS is offered so readers know when the blog has been updated.

4. Posts are arranged into some type of archive system so readers can find information easily.

Many Internet marketers base their entire business around blogging.

Here’s why…

• All it takes to set up a blog is a computer and an Internet connection.
• Blogs are free. You can set up a free blog with one of the many blogging services.

Flexibility, Intimacy and Credibility

Flexibility is also one of the outstanding features of a blog. There are numerous platforms to blog from, and even if you don’t want to host your own blog on a webhosting account, you can set one up at one of the many free blog services like Blogger.com or WordPress.com.

Many people also feel that blogs create an intimate atmosphere for learning and research. A blog can create a simple credibility that can help sell your products because it helps create an personable “Everyman” aura, that is, a stripped down, hype-free way to talk about products.

If your opinions get read and respected, you might find that your credibility will begin to increase around a particular subject. People will begin to look to you to offer your opinions on forthcoming issues. And once you are established and considered an expert in a niche, your ability to sell from your blog will increase dramatically.

Use Your Blog To Build Your List

Blogs are great for list-building, and mailing lists are a great way to build a relationship with people and bring people back to your blog. Make sure you have an autoresponder and post an opt-in form for your list on your blog. (See Lesson Eight – List Building With Autoresponders.)

A great way to utilize your list is to send a message to it when you have made a new post to your blog. Encourage your readers to read your new article and also to comment on it.

By using your list in this manner, your subscribers won’t feel that you are using your list merely to sell to them. Also, your list and your blog will be mutually supportive.

Of course, you can sell lots of stuff from your blog, and if your readers begin to comment on your posts, they will be helping you to enhance your blog’s “stickiness” – i.e. the degree to which people stay on your blog when they arrive, and whether or not they return to visit again and again.

Blogging is a terrific tool for any Internet marketing business. Done in the correct manner (meaning that if you intend to build your credibility, you should blog in the most personal manner possible), you’ll be able to make money blogging in a relatively short time.

The best way to find out if a blog is right for you or your business is to look at the top 5 reasons to start a blog.

Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Start A Blog

1. You don’t need any programming skills. Whether you use a free blogging platform like Blogger.com or WordPress.com, or a self-hosted blogging platform like WordPress.org or Typepad, you can literally have a site up and running within minutes. Simply select a theme and go.

2. You can add content easily and often. Adding content to a blog is no more difficult that typing a Word document and hitting save. In the case of a blog, though, when you hit publish your information is immediately available to the whole internet community.

3. Search engines love them! Search engines are ravenous for up-to-date, useful content to meet the demand for information on the internet. By their very nature, blogs provide fresh content on a regular basis–usually daily.

4. They build communities. Blogs are meant to stimulate conversation between the blog owner and the blog readers. Through this interaction, they build communities and the blog owner can learn valuable information for his business (if it’s a business blog).

5. You can monetize them easily. Whether through Google Adsense, Yahoo! Publisher, or affiliate links, monetizing a blog is one of the easiest ways to begin making money online.

One good way to get a feel for blogging is to get a free blog from Blogger.com or WordPress.com. Simply write and develop your own blogging voice on whatever topic comes to mind. If you want to make money with your blog, however, you should host your blog on your own web hosting account then decide on a market niche, and focus your content to match that audience.

Blogging is still one of the easiest ways to start an online presence and also one of the easiest ways to make money online.

Lesson 6: Article Writing

Best wishes,

David Hurley
P.S. If you do not yet have your own business blog set up, click here to discover how you can get your own WordPress blog set up free of charge…