Some time ago I ranted about the term "blog," even suggesting it should be replaced by something more "palatable" from a marketing POV. I was roundly trounced for the suggestion, and determined the reasonable course of action was to just shut up about it and accept that the term was too much a part of pop culture nomenclature to be fooled with.

Having said that, I came across a press release about a survey conducted by Debbie Weil, one particular paragraph of which caught my eye. Here's what it said. . .

Other questions in the survey revealed that 82% of respondents did, in fact, know what a blog was, while 2.9% had no idea. 44.7% thought the word “blog” was descriptive. 33% feel the term is just plain silly and 22.3% said the word is “ugly.”

Now that I feel at least somewhat self-justified, let me add that the survey also indicated that "marketers see blogging as more than just a current fad. 63.8% percent of readers surveyed felt that blogging was here to stay, while only 8.5% percent believe it’s just a passing trend."

So, not only is the term "blog" here to stay. It looks as if most people believe the technology is as well!

Though targeted more to the corporate business community than small business, the Corporate Blogging blog produces some highly useful material for anyone interested in learning about how to use weblogs for business. One such post deals with a step-by-step process by which a business can go about starting a blog.

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I want to thank my friend, JD Iles, of the Lincoln Sign Company (His was the first small business blog I reviewed.) for giving me some sound advice regarding the direction of this blog. He told me I needed to focus on providing practical tips each day, giving it a "blogging 101" type of appeal.

Because my commitment is to help the small business blogger, I am going to include that as a prime directive. So, begin to look for more practical tips, suggestions, and resources.

One such resource is JD's very own blog. SignsNeverSleep.com is an excellent example of how to use a blog in your small business to create that ongoing conversation with your client or customer. (Saturday's post - which I noticed he posted at 5:45 a.m.!!!!! - is a perfect example! Apparently, not only do JD's signs never sleep, he doesn't either. Ha, ha!)

I want to make one point abundantly clear: Blogs are not so much about marketing as they are about conversation. Keep in mind the Cluetrain Mantra: Markets are conversations.

Here's how I visualize the perfect small business blog. You have this friend who is a customer (or client as the case may be). You're getting to know this person on a personal level, and you decide one day to invite them to lunch. You find out you like this person, and a friendship ensues.

Pretty soon you're talking to them on a regular basis. You're telling them things about your business they might never know otherwise. Sometimes it's just chit-chat. At other times its bearing your soul.

The end result is, not only do you have a loyal customer, you now have a friend who will be there for you in bad times as well as good. Someone who will look out for your best interests. Why? Because they know you. A relationship has been forged.

That's exactly what blogging can do for you. It's not so much about trying to sell your product or service as it is about getting to know the people who do business with you, or who may choose to.

So, small business blogger, when you sit down to write your post, do it this way. Imagine that person (that ideal customer or client) sitting across the table from you in the local coffee house or diner having a cup o' joe with you. Envision the way the conversation would unfold and write from that perspective. Write like you talk. . .only with spellcheck handy!

Perhaps you don't have time for a leisurely conversation. Then imagine a quick phone call just to update your friend on what's going on.

Blogs are marketing communications tools to be sure. But, they are primarily a way to connect with your customer at a very personal, honest level. Approach it from that perspective and watch your business grow!

Thanks to Grif Wrigley just about every business in his hometown of Northfield, MN is blogging! (Or so it would seem.)

Grif's company, Wigley and Associates, specializes in helping small businesses and other organizations set up and maintain weblogs on their web sites. A quick count of his client list shows over 30 businesses and organizations that are currently using blogs as communication tools for their business.

Admittedly, some are not using the platform with great frequency (Some of the sites I reviewed have posted only a few times over the course of several weeks or months.). Nevertheless, it is refreshing to see one person's passion for weblogging affect his local business community. He is even in the process of writing a book entitled Small Business Blogging - Why and How to Do It. Kudos, Grif! Keep up the good work!!

My friend Rick Bruner of Business Blog Consulting has gotten himself an honest job. He will be research manager (Excuse me, Research Manager) at DoubleClick. Congratulations, Rick. It's about time you got a "real" job! :-)

My friend Michael Katz is an email marketing maven if ever there was one. If your small business uses an email newsletter as part of your marketing communications strategy, then you need to read his practical manual E-Newsletters That Work. It's a step-by-step guide to creating an effective email newsletter.

In the latest version of his own newsletter, Michael shares some tips on how to turn readers into clients (or customers as the case may be). After all, what good is a business newsletter if it doesn't help your bottom line? What he has to say applies equally as well to small business blogs too.

Here are the bullet points. . .

1. Use client experiences as examples - Say things like "In working with XYZ client last week." This helps your readers associate your company with a solution to a problem that they may also have



2. Stop referencing "the experts" - You become the expert, not just an observer of experts. (Of course, where email newsletters are concerned, Michael IS the expert!



3. Congratulate your clients - Your client gets some free publicity and you get to remind your readers of the work you do.



4. Include an "About Us" section - Provide an easy way for your readers to get to know you.

In addition to purchasing Michael's book, you will also want to subscribe to his monthly newsletter. I promise you it contains refreshing, entertaining, and very helpful content. You will welcome it into your inbox, to be sure.

In reference to his photo above, don't you just love a guy who enjoys his work! :-)

One site I refer bloggers to frequently, especially fledgling bloggers, is Weblogs.About.com. My friend Shai Coggins is the guide for this site, which provides a wealth of comprehensive information about blogs and blogging.

For the blogging newbie there is a section called Web Logs Basics, a blogging FAQ section, and several how-tos/tutorials covering a range of topics including how to set up a blog using any one of the popular platforms (Typepad, LiveJournal, WordPress, etc.), how to add a counter to your blog, or how to add commenting and trackback functions.

Shai provides enough basic and how-to information that I shouldn't have to write anything along those lines! :-) I'll just refer to her.

Oh, I really encourage you to join the forums and participate in the ongoing discussion thread.

I had an email conversation with Anita Campbell, co-editor of the Small Business Trends blog. She had some good advice for me, which I think is worth your reading. Here is some of what Anita had to say about small businesses and blogs. . .

Click to read more ...

Why hasn't someone written a "dummies" book for blogging yet?