How to Set up a Blog and
Build a Successful Business

Learning how to set up a blog is one of the best things you can do to market your spiritual business. When you set up a blog for your business, you are building a powerful Internet marketing tool that will increase public awareness of you and the products or services you offer, and continually draw in new customers.

What is a Blog?

A blog is short for "weblog". Blogs were originally thought of as "online diaries" or journals, but nowadays, blogs - especially as they're used in business - have evolved into high tech content management systems ("CMS") with as many bells and whistles as traditional websites, if not more. One of the most compelling reasons to create a blog for your business is that blog posts - the equivalent of a website page - get indexed by the search engines (Google and others) very quickly. If Search Engine Optimization is properly incorporated into a blog post, it may show up in Google's search results within minutes - and almost always within one or two days. Traditional website pages, on the other hand, typically take longer for the search engines to index - days, weeks, or if your site isn't optimized correctly for search engines, maybe even months.

Why is Blogging Important to
Spiritual Business Owners?

A blog is an important part of Internet marketing. It is a necessary factor in having a solid and effective presence online. Writing a blog can be a great help in building any successful business. In fact, many people now understand that a business without a blog has a serious marketing handicap.

When you blog for the purpose of marketing your business, your blog is tightly focused on your particular niche or profession. Many people earn their living from their blogs, and include advertising on the side panels of each page. Examples of this would be Google AdSense advertising, banner ads from blog sponsors, and Affiliate Marketing advertising.

Blogs also have the capacity to add static sales pages too. In this respect, a blog can mimic a traditional website. Because of the infinite number of possibilities when designing a blog, many businesses now rely entirely upon their blog to reach customers, and forego traditional websites completely.

Learning How to Set Up a Blog for
Your Spiritual Business is Easy

Learning how to set up a blog does not require any knowledge of HTML or other computer languages. You won't need any design skills. Best of all, setting up a blog doesn't require any money. WordPress software, the most popular software for blogging, is totally free. This makes blogging accessible to anyone who has a computer and an Internet connection.

Because thousands of people continually add to Wordpress' robust set of features, it's become the Gold Standard for serious bloggers. And as icing on the cake, there are thousands of free plugins for WordPress which extend its functionality even more. This means that when you learn how to set up a blog, you learn how to control the look, the layout, and the content of your blog, too.

After you install your blogging software, you can customize your blog's appearance by choosing a layout from thousands of free Wordpress blog "themes" (i.e., website designs) that can be downloaded and set up in minutes. You can choose whether the most recent entries show up at the top or bottom of the page, where to place ads, and what kind of ads to place.

How can Blogging Benefit your Business?

Learning how to set up a blog is well worth your time, for a number of reasons. Here are several ways in which blogging can help build your business:

Blogging helps you to get in touch with your target market.

When you set up a blog that is focused on your profession, people who use the Search Engines will find your site by typing in keywords which match the content that's found on your site. This delivers your target market directly to you.

Blogs get indexed by the search engines more quickly than traditional websites.

Search Engines will index blog pages more quickly than they index pages from traditional websites. The term "index" basically means that the Search Engine "becomes aware" of that page, and will include that page (and its content) in its relevant search results.

As a result, blogs get found more frequently - and more quickly - via Search Engines than traditional websites. Because blog pages are often indexed within hours (if not minutes), you can get your message out to the public in a more timely manner. Blogs can take advantage of fast breaking news in your industry and allow you to post stories that coincide with news events, new trends, and the latest buzz.

Blogs have a higher chance of appearing in search engine results.

Search Engines favor sites with frequently updated content, such as blogs, so they are likely to rank your blog higher in search results than traditional websites, which often sit for months or even years without any new content being added.

Blogs essentially "put a face to the name".

People always feel more comfortable when they are dealing with a business that is personable and relates to customers on a human level. A blog allows people to get to know you on a more casual, personal level, which makes them more likely to do business with you.

Blogs allow you to demonstrate your expertise.

If a potential customer sees that you have a blog that's filled with relevant, insightful posts relating to your business, they'll feel more confident that you know your profession inside and out. They will also know that you are dedicated to your business.

Blogs open the channels of communication between you and your customers.

Readers can post comments on your blog, opening channels of communication between you and your customers. This creates a feeling of accessibility that makes you seem more trustworthy.

Blogging builds trust between the client and business owner.

If someone sees that you have a frequently updated blog, they'll know that your business is vital and active. They will also see that you have a passion for your business (and also for helping people in your business).

What Should You Blog About?

Blogs are increasingly gaining in popularity amongst businesses because they're an ideal way to connect directly with customers. Blogging for business purposes can take many forms. When you blog to promote your business, you are not merely rambling about things you did that day - as many people do in their "personal" blogs. When you learn how to set up a blog for your spiritual business, you'll be learning how to communicate effectively with your potential clients.

Your blog should include content such as:

	Informative posts about various aspects of your profession. This is a particularly good way to demonstrate your expertise.
	Personal experiences or anecdotes relating to your profession.
	The latest news or trends in your profession.

If you're not sure what you should blog about, a professional marketing coach can help you learn how to set up a blog to meet your marketing goals.

What are the Characteristics
of an Effective Blog?

When you learn how to set up a blog, you'll also need to learn how to blog effectively so you'll achieve noticeable results.

An effective blog is:

	Updated frequently - at least one or two times per week at a minimum, and more if you can handle it.
	Informative, educational and interesting.
	Focused, and doesn't wander around from topic to topic. For example, you should only mention the movie you saw last week if you can tie it in to some larger, greater topic that is relevant to your niche market.
	Reader-friendly, using language that's both open and accessible to a wide range of reading levels. Don't be too erudite, but don't be too elementary either.
	Grammatically correct, with proper punctuation and spelling.
	Full of illustrations (photos and graphics) which are absolutely appropriate and will make your blog visually appealing too.

Case Study of Spiritual Business Owner
Who Learned How to Set up a Blog

Sarah is an organic gardener. She has experienced firsthand how eating wholesome, chemical-free food can heal your body and nourish your soul. She would like to share everything she's learned with others, while building her organic gardening business in a number of ways.

Sarah learned how to set up a blog so she could reach out to her potential clients (her target market). She writes blog posts about several topics which directly relate to organic gardening and healthy eating habits. For instance, she posts healthy recipes, organic gardening tips, and information about Biodynamics as well as other methods of natural farming. Sarah also blogs about the beauty of living in tune with nature.

As a result, people who are interested in organic gardening and healthy living find her blog via the Search Engines. They find a wealth of information on her blog, so they feel that she's an expert in her profession. Visitors to her blog often post comments and questions, and she answers them in a timely manner. This makes people feel that she is both accessible and friendly. Soon they start asking her if she'll offer courses in organic gardening. Sarah is excited, because teaching was one of her business goals!

Sarah is also interested in selling her vegetables directly to local restaurants and health food stores. The local businesses she would like to work with can see from her blog that she has a passion for nature and gardening, so they feel assured that she won't lose interest after signing a business deal. They can tell that she'll be reliable.

Sarah posts lots of pictures of herself and her garden on her blog, so people will feel like they "know" her. This puts a face to the name. Although she's running a business, people don't approach her as a businesswoman - they approach her as a trusted advisor and someone they can relate to.

This really pays off when Sarah writes her first eBook about organic gardening. Her blog visitors know that she is full of knowledge and has a passion for organic gardening, so they can't wait to buy her eBook and learn how to grow their own organic vegetables. Thanks to Sarah's blog, she can help people not just in her local community, but from all over the world!

Learning how to set up a blog was well-worth it for Sarah. Her business is now thriving and she's helping others with their goals of healthy living.

Is Learning How to Set Up a Blog Right For You?

Learning how to set up a blog is a worthwhile decision for any business owner.

Some business owners are hesitant to set up a blog, for any of the following reasons:

	They simply don't have the time to blog.
	They have difficulty putting their thoughts into writing.
	They're pretty sure they'll lose interest in blogging.
	They don't think they'll have enough topics to write about.

However, as a marketing coach, I can help you overcome these issues if any of them apply to you.

I can also show you how to set up a blog and assist you in:

	Deciding on a theme for your blog
	Deciding on the content for your blog
	Installing the software for your blog
	Designing the header graphic for your blog
	Choosing plugins for your blog
	Choosing a domain name for your blog
	Maximizing Search Engine Optimization for your blog

Talk to a Marketing Coach and Learn how to Set up a Blog Today

Marketing help is just a phone call away!

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