Writing on the Web for Free
Marketing Your Home Business Through Stategic Web Writing
Working at home means a lot of self-promotion. Writing free web content can boost your profits no matter what you do for money.
If writing is enjoyable and working at home is your dream, incorporating some free writing about your home business into your daily routine will boost your bottom line. Writing for free isn’t going to directly make you any money, but writing strategically about your home business can improve your credibility, increase traffic to your money-making web site(s), and strengthen relationships with current and potential affiliates and partners.
Keep a Personal Blog
Whether or not a businessman feels like he’s a writer, he should be keeping a personal weblog. The only reason for this is to give an excuse to practice writing. No matter what the business is selling, marketing (especially on the web) requires a lot of good writing, and practice makes perfect. Better writing skills make it a whole lot easier to write a more important free piece. Make a commitment to update a personal blog twice a week.
Write a Business Blog
This weblog is important to any home business’ marketing strategy, even if the small business does not make money through writing or paid blogging. Post to your blog somewhat regularly, even if it’s not frequently. Make posts that focus on a couple of specific keywords that describe one product or service, such as “titanium spork” or “business plan revisions.”
Remember that this is a business blog – it’s a good idea to remind your readers what your business is selling, and provide a way for them to do business with you. If you don’t ask for what you want, you’re never going to get it.
Publish an Ezine or Newsletter
Like your business blog, ezines (electronic magazines) or newsletters should be written on a regular, although less frequent, schedule. Writing clear, focused articles for an ezine can position you as an expert in your field, which increases the chances that people will look for you. Bob Burg, in the third edition of his book Endless Referrals (Upline Press, 2005), speaks highly of the power of newsletters to establish credibility and expertise.
If you don’t have a big readership, consider writing articles for article clearinghouse websites that provide content for other, more widely-read ezines. The internet is full of badly-written content, and a free writer that proofreads and edits his copy will get circulated quickly. Angela Booth discusses ways to distribute your articles in her own online newsletters and her book, Making the Internet Work For Your Business (1998). Your articles, if informative and well-written, will get published on other site, getting your name out to a wider audience.
Review Other Products and Services
Many consumer sites, such as Amazon and Ebay, invite users to review products and services. Write up honest reviews in areas where you have an educated opinion. Most of these sites also allow users to create profiles, which can be customized with such information as the URL to the home business web site of the reviewer.
Be a Farmer for Your Business
Creating a presence online by writing doesn’t turn into dollars overnight. It takes time developing results, just like it does in agriculture - you're planting seeds now that will benefit your business for years to come. Choose your words carefully to develop a respected online presence. Home business owners should be prepared to write, whether or not writing is part of the home business. More than ever, we are judged by our words.
