Let’s be honest, there are a lot of blogs out there. As of November 2007, the blog search engine Technorati was currently tracking more than 112 million of them. So why venture onto the Web with one of your own? Because a blog is the great equalizer, says Ali Sales, co-founder and president of Indianapolis–based Compendium Blogware. “Traditionally with a direct marketing piece or a commercial, it is going to cost a lot of money,” says Sales. “A blog is really scalable and really easy to use; a smaller retailer can compete with the big names.”

Blogs aren’t as time-consuming as you may think, and you don’t need to be tech-savvy to be a blogger. They also have a low barrier to entry, show the human side of your business and can substitute for a Web site.

“I think it’s kind of the same reason reality TV shows are so popular. We want to see how others think and act and create and live,” says AJ Finsand, designer and shopkeeper at Sophie’s Cottage in Hillsboro, Oregon. Finsand’s “Trash to Treasure” blog (http://trash2treasure.wordpress.com) includes photos and how-to project ideas, as well as comments on her life, news events and happenings in her store. “The Web site is usually all business, but with your blog, you can be more personable and show a little more of what goes on behind the scenes.”

Amber Sears, owner of Frivolities, a gift and home decor store in Dexter, Michigan, writes a blog she calls “Behind the Counter of a Frou-Frou Shop” (http://blog.frivolities-shop.com). Sears says that blogs are a great way to communicate with customers. “If you get them hooked on the soap opera of your life, your audience will be thinking about you and your store several times a week. That probably doesn’t happen if they see your ad in the paper once,” she says. “I also think it’s a great way to show customers that there is a person behind the business, and a lot of times if they ‘know’ who they are doing business with, they will do more business with you.”

Allowing out-of-town customers to keep up with her store has been a key benefit of Michele Wethington’s blog (http://countrycandlesandmore.blogspot.com). The owner of Country Candles & More in Liberty, Kentucky, Wethington created her blog as an alternative to a Web site. While she “knows her way around a computer,” she says that those with even beginner computer skills should not be intimidated by blogging.

Software and Search Engines
There are many free and low-cost blogging tools available to get one started. Wethington uses Blogger and tries to update her blog at least once a month. Sears, who was previously a Web site designer, created her own blog. She planned to post every other day but fell behind this summer; she’s now getting back to it. Finsand settled on WordPress after testing six different blog sites and has been at it since February 2007, posting a few days each week, usually three to four new entries each time.

In addition, many companies, such as Compendium Blogware, are available to work with all budgets. These companies typically have dedicated customer service people and allow for more customization of one’s blog. Even with the free sites, Sales cautions there may be some hidden costs and adds that those programs don’t necessarily structure your blog to maximize search engine optimization.

Blogs do help your sites show up higher in search results. Search engines take into account how recently a site has been updated and how frequently new content is added. Consider how static most Web sites are as opposed to how frequently a blog changes, and you can see which is poised to rate higher. Plus, those coming to you via a search engine are receptive to your information and expertise, as opposed to someone receiving a direct mail flyer or an e-mail who may or may not be interested at that moment.

What to Post?
Not sure what to blog about? Sales says there are lots of hidden places to find content: feedback you’ve received from customers, store initiatives, a conversation that is already taking place in an e-mail or offline, and new products. Give readers the inside scoop. “Educate me and build a relationship with me,” she says. “When I’m ready to buy, it’s going to be from you.”

Sears talks about daily life, what’s going on in the store, items that have come in, events and sales, and she occasionally even mentions her home remodel. She thinks having a sense of humor and keeping it fun is key. How much personal information you choose to include is up to you, but even if you keep the blog strictly business-related, write in a conversational tone. “If you don’t know what to write, just start out as writing a letter to your customers,” Sears adds. “Tell them a bit about yourself, the store, your likes and dislikes. Before long you’ll find your own voice.”

Finsand recommends studying other blogs to see what you do and don’t like about them. Her blog was initially focused on retail customers and do-it-yourselfers but has expanded to also cover more general retail. And she’s not opposed to blogging about her personal life either; she just places those posts in the “Just Life Stuff” category, one of 44 categories on her blog.

With hundreds of posts, and different types of readers coming to Finsand’s blog, the categories make it easier to find topics of interest. She also uses her blog stats to create categories. When she noticed many searches being done for “step-back cupboards,” she created a category by the same name and included all relevant posts.

With the exception of Sears, who does not have a high-speed Internet connection, all say blogging is not time-consuming. Sales suggests spending at least 20 minutes a week on a blog. Wethington says it typically only takes her five or 10 minutes to update her blog and that includes uploading photos. Sales agrees that photos are good blog posts, but recommends including a bit of text with each image, as search engines have difficulty registering photos.

When she updates her blog, Wethington says site traffic does increase. And while customers can’t purchase items from her blog, they have e-mailed her from it, which resulted in sales. That interactivity is another added benefit of blogs. Anything that creates engagement—whether customers e-mail you directly or use a comment section—is a good thing and may transform into a stronger relationship.

“I’d really encourage others to start a blog,” Finsand says. “Don’t let the fear that you will run out of things to write about stop you. The more you write, the faster the ideas will come. And you’ll get lots of great ideas in return.”

So what are you waiting for? Let the blogging begin, and just watch as your retail business expands.

Talking ‘Bout My Blog
Once you feel comfortable with your blog—for some that’s after one post and for others that’s after a month or more—you want to let people know you’ve got one. In addition to maximizing search engine optimization, here are some promotional tips to get the word out that you’ve joined the ranks of the bloggers:

• Tell customers, family and friends about it.

• Include the address on your business cards.

• If you have a store Web site, link to your blog.

• Include the blog link in your e-mail signature line.

• Add your link to store flyers and all advertising.

• Hand out something at the end of a transaction with your blog address on it.

• Write the address on your shop window.

• Link your blog to other blogs and ask people to include a link to your site.

April Miller is a Cleveland, Ohio–based freelance writer.

RESOURCES

Blogger
www.blogger.com

Compendium Blogware
www.compendiumblogware.com

Movable Type
www.movabletype.com

Squarespace
www.squarespace.com

TypePad
www.typepad.com

WordPress
http://wordpress.com