How Did I Get From "There" to "Here"?

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It’s funny how the circumstances of life can take you to places you never imagined yourself going. I don’t mean just in the big “cosmic" sense, but in the smaller, subtler “what just happened here?” sense as well. 

As a privacy-loving person, I vowed to myself years ago that I would eschew most social media unless absolutely necessary. For years, my technology-averse self  managed to muddle along quite nicely with basic e-mail, the bare-minimum computer skills to navigate through my on-line courses through ESC, and enough rudimentary texting capabilities to keep track of my children and their activities. Anything beyond that... just not for me!

When I found myself in the position to open my own retail business with two old friends last year, I never imagined that I would soon be the administrator of our stores’ Facebook page. Nor did I ever envision that I would contemplate dipping my toes into the waters of other social media outlets in order to advance the success of our business. Yet, here I am, the proud (?) owner of my very first blog. How did this happen? How did I get from there to here?  What do I do with this skill once this class is over? I am out of my comfort zone, and admittedly a little nervous. Like I said…life can be funny.

So, I’ve read all of the articles and explored every link. I’ve paid particular attention to the sources that concentrated on blogs for small business.  I’ve actually learned some good stuff!  I found Dave Zahorsky’s article What a Blog Can Do For Your Small Business  particularly useful.  He states that business blogs are a good way to share a company’s specialized expertise. It occurred to me that my partners and I have special marketable skills and talents that go beyond that which is obvious within the walls of our store. While a sign displayed in the store informing our customers that we offer specialized services might reach those who visit us, a blog could reach potential new clients that might not be aware that we offer custom drapery services, interior design services, or any number of made-to-order products. This is a really cool way to expand our footprint and reach a client base that might not otherwise venture into our place of business.

I found How to Blog Your Way to Small-Business Success, by Matthew Bandyk, to be an insightful read as well. According to the article, many people, myself included, actually rely on a Google search rather that a specific website search for initial information. With our own website under construction, this is information worth knowing.

The other articles offered good general information to help the uninitiated like me to get started. The practical tips on keeping a blog regular were helpful. It is easy to see how easy it could be to get carried away in the excitement of blogging at first blush, only to lose that momentum as the day-to-day realities of operating a business eat up your valuable time. Under promising and over delivering is very sage advice, I think.

Lastly, I assumed that the practice of  “viral marketing” was strictly a negative. Who knew that it is  more akin to a clever combination of creative art and precise science? I didn’t. Did you?