Top 7 Reasons to Publish a Blog v Ezine.

Many of my small business clients ask me: "What is a blog and do I need one? " As a marketing consultant and business coach, I too had to address those questions in my own business.

A blog is a form of online journal that business owners use to develop customer relationships and establish credibility. Blog authors write and post relevant content frequently – daily, every couple of days or weekly.

After publishing an ezine for some time, I decided to switch to a blog. Of course I could do both -- for the more points of contact with my target the better. But for now, I'll share my top seven reasons why I choose to blog over a monthly ezine:

1. INTERACTIVITY: Blogging puts the humanity in technology. Readers can leave comments and respond to each other. Adding video and audio to a blog also significantly enrich the learning experience, allowing for various learning styles. Ezines on the other hand, are fairly static.
   
   
2. CONVENIENCE & EASE: I can communicate with my audience quickly and efficiently without the elaborate set-up and content requirements of an HTML ezine.
   
   

3. INEXPENSIVE: Lots of blogs are free. For example http://www.blogger.com. I like Typepad at http://www.typepad.com. For a minimal charge of $4.95 per month, I get a professional looking blog with upgraded features. Compare with a professional ezine/contact management program costing $19 per month.

   
   
   
4. INCREASES VISIBLITY: Search engine spiders love blogs for the simple reason that they constantly seek new content. Frequent postings are crucial for success. As a result, bloggers gain increased Web presence and higher search engine rankings. For example, Google, Yahoo and others often index blog entries within days of posting as opposed to waiting weeks for ezine postings.
   
   
5. CONTENT MANAGEMENT: When I set up this blog I created keyword-based categories for the topics that I'll write about in the future. Each time I post, I select which category my post applies to and voila! My posts are catalogued by category and date. This feature is essential fodder for future e-books and other informational products. Try content management with your ezine articles on your website – things can get unwieldy fast.
   
   
6. INFORMAL: Everyday I'm bombarded with scores of ezines telling me what do when, how, where and why. It's refreshing to receive an informal perspective, in blog format, that I can read under five minutes and even have a two-way conversation!
   
   
7. CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY: No doubt, this is not flash-in the pan technology. According to "Entrepreneur Magazine," "Business Week" and other notables, blogging is here to stay. Ezine publishers have to contend with overflowing e-mail boxes and spam filters that block ezines. Not so with bloggers, readers just subscribe and get automatic feeds

Copyright © 2005.

Lena Claxton is a small business coach & marketing consultant, committed to helping self-employed professionals reach their highest potential. She's author of the e-book "Small Business Boosts." Download your free copy at http://www.ontrakmarketing.com
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