Blog vs Ezine? Which is Right For You?
by Tracey Lawton
There's still a raging debate on online forums amongst
solopreneurs as to whether you need an ezine, a blog, or both,
with questions like,
"I currently publish an ezine and a blog, but I'm thinking of
dropping the ezine and going with just the blog."
My answer... you need both!
And here's why:
Creating a blog post is much easier to do than going down the
whole ezine publication route; however, as you do not know who
is reading your blog you cannot begin to build a relationship
with the reader in the same way you can when publishing an
ezine. Therefore you are missing out on building the like, know,
and trust factor that is so important for a solo service
business owner.
That said, a blog is also an essential online communication tool
simply because there are some people who do not wish to
subscribe to a regular newsletter, but will subscribe to a
blog's RSS Feed.
RSS Feed? Put simply, anyone can come along to your blog, and
subscribe to your RSS feed thereby receiving any blog posts that
you submit as soon as you submit them. By not publishing a blog
you are missing out on this whole other target market reach.
My blogging tool of choice is WordPress, which I've been using
for the past three years. The main reason I use it is because
it's hosted on my website so each time I post to my blog, I'm
creating fresh content for my website, which the search engines
love, and all of this goes towards improving my search engine
rankings.
A blog allows you to interact with your target market as readers
can leave comments. However, it can be much harder to develop a
relationship with your blog reader as your post is not delivered
directly to their inbox as with an ezine subscriber.
So let's just take a look at some of the pros/cons of a blog vs.
a newsletter:
Pros
* You can really show off your expertise by posting on a regular
basis.
* Blog posts don't need to be very long - approx. 200-350 words.
* If you have some important information to share, you can
instantly create a post - no waiting for your next newsletter to
make your announcement!
* If you use a blogging platform such as WordPress, this is
hosted on your website. Each time you post to your blog you are
creating fresh content for your website, which the search
engines love!
Cons
* You need to post regularly - at least once a week - in order
for this marketing strategy to work.
* You need to feel confident that you will be able to write
fresh content regularly.
* It can be difficult to build a direct relationship with your
reader.
When And How Often To Post
Now, this can be a dilemma. It's important that you post to your
blog regularly in order to provide fresh content to the search
engines; some experts say you should be posting at least two to
three times a week!
Now that's a big commitment if you're not really a writer, so
here's what I advise to get your blog going...
Each time you publish your newsletter and write a fresh article
for it, post that article on your blog.
And then try and make other posts throughout the month so you're
keeping your blog content continually updated. Posting to a blog
is not as rigid as publishing an ezine so it can be difficult to
create an editorial calendar or some other system. Ideally your
blog posts should be impromptu wherever possible. You also want
to have in place a sign-up box to your ezine on your blog either
in the sidebar or at the bottom of every post.
Some possible topics for your blog posts:
* Links to other blog posts of interest to your target audience
* Any new products or services that you've launched
* Any places where you'll be speaking
* Events that are taking place within your industry
* An opinion that you have about something that is happening
within your industry
* Links to resources that you've found to be invaluable
Conclusion: A blog + an ezine = more targeted traffic to your
website, more subscribers to your list, and positions you as an
expert within your niche!
About the author:
Online Business Manager & Office Organization Expert, Tracey
Lawton, teaches online service professionals how to operate an
efficient, organized, and profitable business. Let Tracey teach
you how to create an efficient and organized office in 7 EASY
steps and receive free how-to articles at
