March 2011

Why Your Business Should Be Blogging

Why do I need a blog for my business?
A business blog is a great way to market your services and engage your customers. It is not always the cheapest but it is very cost effective, especially if you do it on your own.

What should I write about in my business blog?
Blog about what you know, what you are passionate about, blog about your industry. Be a leader in your community. If you’re going to create regular and meaningful content, you will need to blog about a topic in which you’re knowledgeable, thoughtful and passionate. If you do not meet all 3 of these criteria for your industry then you most likely have a larger problem that blogging will not solve.

How do I get started?
There are many systems to get you up and running from WordPress, Tumblr, Blogger, etc... Choose one and run with it. They all have pros and cons. We use Drupal because we like the flexibility that it brings if we want to expand our site beyond just the blog and build a community. WordPress has an easy install and tons of free plugins to get you started and can easily manage a very advanced blog as you grow.

How do I get vistitors to my blog? 
Share your posts on social media like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Comment on other blogs. Cover topics in your industry. Network online.

HubSpot Has Got Their Funding - Now It Seems Like They Are Spamming Me

Last week Hubspot announced they have received funding upwards of $32 Million. From powerhouses like SalesForce.com and Google Ventures, I am excited to seem some really great things in the near future.
Unfortunately, it seems like since the announcement, all I have really seen is a bunch of additional email marketing. Almost bordering on (dare I say) spam.

I have gotten email about e-books, webinars and even an announcement that they have "Launched a New Blog".


Really Hubspot?

$32,000,000 and you "Launch a Manufacturer's Marketing Blog" and kick up your email marketing so aggressively that I am now researching how to unsubscribe.
I say researching, because I did subscribe to receive some emails from your company.
I have always appreciated your educational webinars and really like your Grader Tools.
Unfortunately, sometimes more money is not always better for the product or consumer.
I hope this is not an indication of things to come and that you continue to focus your efforts on innovative tools for SEO, Inbound Marketing and Lead Generation.

We will be keeping an eye out.