Your Interactive Expertise Distribution Site

A blog is an interactive site that distributes expertise to a community. Just don’t call it a blog, because that term may no longer be relevant.

What comes to mind when you hear the words blog or blogging – a string of random thoughts or a well-crafted piece of content that helps a specific community to solve real-life problems?

I suspect most people think of the former – free-writing that occasionally makes a point. This is one reason why the mainstream public still does not consider blogs to be valid news sources. Well, that is changing, and this is good news for both bloggers and just about anyone with valuable expertise.

The reason the words blog and blogging may no longer be relevant is because blogs are replacing the static websites that businesses have traditionally considered their online home.  SEO changed all of that.  Now you must have an interactive site if you expect to be relevant to Google.

Just Don’t Call Them Blogs

Blogs are where people in the know go to get the most relevant news.  This is precisely why AOL Media paid handsomely for top blog The Huffington Post – a site that is seldom referred to as a blog.

Given their value for delivering valuable and relevant content, it may be time to forget about blogs and instead direct our communities to our interactive websites – these online forums where they can tap into our expertise and a great deal more.

Most small businesses are not blogging, a fact that I reaffirmed last week while speaking to several hundred small business professionals.  They still struggle with getting their minds wrapped around the concept of blogging.

However, they easily embraced the idea of making their websites more interactive, and in the process, gaining more control of their site while vastly improving its optimization for search engines.  That can all be accomplished right here on WordPress.

Showcasing Your Expertise

Entrepreneurs and small businesses underestimate the expertise they have to share. Yet, they educate their customers everyday in a fashion that is quite similar to blogging. Why not capture that expertise online where it can be distributed to a larger audience?

The web is the central location where consumers and businesses alike come to do their research.  Gone are the days when just being here was enough to satisfy the basic professional standards.  Now it is essential that you have an interactive presence where your community can engage with you.

Engaging with Your Community

Online interaction can occur on a number of channels.  For most small businesses, this is happening on Facebook.  While having social interaction on a Facebook page is valuable for building relationships with your community, it may not be where they want to consume business content.

WordPress sites are not only better for distributing content to your community, but they are also more likely to be ranked higher than Facebook Pages by Google.

And don’t forget that unlike your WordPress site, you have little control over the content on your Facebook page.  Both are valuable for interacting with your community, but one is essential for preserving your professional online presence.

Enhancing Your Reputation

If you are really serious about the marketing of your small business, you want to start building an online audience around your expertise.  This will enhance your online reputation, create a library of content that can be readily shared on the social networks, and help you to better understand and serve your community.

Ready to get started?

You’ll find the following articles will help you get started, get better, and sustain your efforts. Despite the use of the word blog, these articles are as relevant today as when the day they were written.

The only thing that has changed is the increased level of professionalism that is now associated with this practice of content marketing.

How to Start a Blog

21 Reasons to Blog

5 Ways to Make Your Blog Posts Outstanding

How Often Should I Blog?

How to Write an Article Faster

How Blogging Enhances Your Sales Presentations

My 27 Favorite Blogging Tips

Content Marketing

How could your business be enhanced if your interactive site was widely considered the go-to source for help in your area of expertise?

Leave a comment below or share this with your social community on Facebook or Twitter. You may also wish to try the Google+1 button in the red bar at the bottom of your browser.

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Until tomorrow,  Jeff

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