This month...

• Blogging For Your Business
• Special offer to our readers
• In print

Blogging For Your Business

This is an excerpt from a recent article I had published in Small Business & Home Based Income Magazine - July 2006 issue.

About this time last year, a client asked me to investigate setting up a blog for her business. She'd read about it in a business marketing newsletter and thought it might be worth looking into.

On first look I wasn't sure that this was the way to go, however, to fully understand what's involved, I set one up for myself and learnt how to tweak the template, using www.blogger.com, registered it with blog search engines and explored blogging communities.

This didn't happen overnight – it really took me months to get into it, but slowly I started to see what the benefits could be, if I put some time into it. I chose to write about things that had happened during the week in my own particular industry.

Today I own several blogs but only 3 are business related, the rest are personal interest blogs. All get traffic that is growing and I find that when someone visits one, they also visit the others too, and periodically leave comments when they find something that relates to them. I also get people emailing me saying “I didn't know that…” – it's given those who are interested, a window into my life, so to speak.

So, if you've been thinking about a blog for yourself, where should you start?

1. You need a topic of interest that you can contribute to on a regular basis – at least weekly. If it's infrequent your audience will lose interest. There's a whole community (actually several) out there who spend spare time surfing blogs – stats seem to indicate people also surf blogs whilst at their workplace. Of course, if your blog is business-related, that makes sense.
2. Next, have a look at the free blog services available to you – there are a choice of templates and their system is a simple to use, like a word-processor, so it's easy to get started. I use both www.blogger.com and www.wordpress.com and recently installed wordpress on my own server.
3. Choose a name for your blog – if you run a business you'll want something that relates to your business name or industry. Mind you, if have a hobby you're passionate about, you could set one up for that too.
4. Create your account and enter your first post. It only takes 5-10 minutes to set up and you're on your way! Easy.
5. Take time to explore the system, make sure you switch on the search engine services so it gets listed quickly with Google and other search engines. The listings seem to show up much quicker than regular websites. Seek out other blog search engines to list with.
6. Make notes in your diary to post again on a regular basis, so it becomes a habit.
7. Place a link on your blog back to your business website and vice versa.
8. Spend time surfing other blogs (in Wordpress and Blogger you just have to click on 'next blog' in the navigation bar at the top right hand corner) and learn from others.
9. There was mention of an a-list being developed of the top Australian blogs and there is a very noticeable lack of women bloggers on that list – so far. See the article at http://duncanriley.com/2006/03/20/the-a-list-of-australian-bloggers.

Happy blogging!

Special Offer to our readers!

I've been able to arrange a special offer for my clients to attend "How to Have Less Mess, Less Stress and More Success" on Saturday July 15th. If you book by 4th July you'll also receive a complimentary FREE recording of the live event valued at $197 for FREE. Having assisted Lorraine at these events, I know just how valuable they are and how much you'd benefit in both your business and personal life. Regards Kathie 

Attn: Time Poor Business Owners and Managers
"Do You Own Your Own Business Or Does It Own You?"
"Is your business taking over your entire life?"  
"Are you becoming a stranger to your family?"

Lorraine Pirihi, Australia's No. 1 Productivity Coach is presenting her powerful, hard-hitting, workshop “How To Have Less Mess, Less Stress and More Success on Saturday 15th July for business owners and managers who seriously want to increase their productivity and profits and have more time to enjoy life… Here's a fraction of the powerful tips, tools and tactics you'll learn:

* How to organise your day so that you can have a life outside of the office

* 5 simple ways to get on top of your paperwork and technology

* Proven strategies revealed on how you can easily increase your profits and work less hours

* How to supercharge your meetings and make sure each one is effective and  gets results

* How to attract and maintain a high performing team that are  a t rue asset to your business

Date: Saturday, July 15
Venue: The Buckingham International, 1130 Nepean Highway, Highett
Time:   9.00 a.m. - 1.00 p.m.
Investment: Single: $297, Double : $397 (save $100)

Special Free Bonus:

Plus you'll also receive a Free Bonus valued at $147 “How To Survive And Thrive At Work” a 12-week comprehensive e-mail course valued at $147. This course offers you twelve weeks of provoking ideas and strategies that takes your business to the next level and beyond. And it's yours FREE!

Here's What Others Say...

"I have realised how much time I waste in a day looking for things, having no set agenda in place."
Julie Barker, The Bodyshop at Home, Ph: (03) 9717 3225

"An excellent presentation. The material presented is easy to follow, understand and to implement, and will provide real results to me, my family and my business."
Stuart Smith, ASG Accounting Solutions Pty Ltd, Ph: (03) 9682 8966

"I feel more positive and motivated as there is a solution to my problems, and I am not the only one needing help."
Deb Richardson, Mt Buller Condominiums, Ph: (03) 5777 6799

To book for this event, go to http://www.office-organiser.com.au/lessmessseminar.htm. When you have booked please send me an email and let me know so that I can make sure the special bonus is made available to you.

In Print

Recently we were interviewed for an article for Lawyers Weekly magazine. It highlighted how legal Virtual Assistants are helping practitioners in the legal field. You can read the full article here.

About Our Organisation…

What is a Virtual Assistant?
It's a term for home-based secretaries, administrative and secretarial support, and others who supply remote or virtual support.

We are as close to you as your computer and can do almost anything traditional support staff do - except virtually. You don't need to provide office space, equipment, software or furniture - we have our own!

Location no issue as the work is carried out 'virtually' no matter where you are!  See our newest members listed at VA Directory