Case studies: A blogging idea

Case studies.

You know them when you see them.

They are real life business examples of how a business idea or application worked.

Or failed.

They are often set up by outlining a problem facing the business, and then the potential solution to that obstacle is presented. After that, the process used to employ the potential solution is explained.

The ending of the story is either a happy one.

Or not.

The case study is intended as a teaching tool that offers an object lesson is management. By showing real life examples of business successes and failures, dry as dust business and management concepts are brought to life.

Parallels can be drawn between your own company and that of the business shown in the case study. The lessons can then be applied to your own business, along with the caveat that no two businesses are exactly alike.

Case studies make great blog post topics.

In fact, a well written case study is very likely to be heavily linked by other bloggers. The resulting SEO power in the search engines and the extra new visitor traffic are a pleasant result.

More importantly, however, a solid and honestly written case study provides real value to your readership. By offering realistic, open, and honest assessments of the challenges faced and the solutions offered, other business people can benefit from your experience.

As a matter of fact, case studies have much in common with blogs.

Both are at their best when transparency, openess, and honesty are part of the presentation.

By presenting the truth about the case study, warts and all, powerful lessons can be drawn.

Those lessons are not only valuable to the reader, but to the business person writing the case study. The post game analysis of the business success or failure is part of the business learning process.

By writing down objectively how a problem was solved, whether successfully or not, the writer can honestly assess the management's actions.

Out of that open and honest examination of the facts and figures, a better manager will emerge.

The readers will benefit from the solution employed, even if it was a dismal failure.

Bloggers should seriously consider writing case studies of their businesses as blog posts.

Everyone benefits.

Both writer and reader in equal measure.

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Blog business cards: Networking your blog

Business cards have long a staple marketing tool of the business community.

They are almost universally found at marketing and networking events. Business people hand out dozens of their business cards every day.

You probably hand out handfuls of business cards, and receive even more back, each and every day.

One of the major exceptions to the business card rule appears to be bloggers.

Bloggers of all types, and especially business bloggers, don't use business cards.

Since a business blog is a powerful marketing tool for your business, it makes perfect sense to have business cards that feature your blog and its URL. After all, when you mention your blog to prospective customers and clients, you want to make it as easy as possible for them to find your daily posts.

You would always include your website URL and e-mail address, along with your phone number, fax number, cell phone number, and street address, on your business cards.

Right?

Why not include your blog URL too!

It's essential that your blog URL be featured prominently on your regular business cards. If you don't have a regular business card, have some cards printed specifically for your blog alone.

Derek Andrews of Marketing Mania makes a powerful suggestion for blog business cards.

Derek says about business cards for your blog:

Why not just use your regular business cards and let visitors follow the links on you website? Well, that would work to a point. But how many people will bother visiting your website? After all, it's just another website competing with millions of others for attention. Unless you give people a darned good reason for doing so, it will probably go unseen.


One of the advantages of having business cards for your blog is how they establish you and your blog as being serious about your topic. Whether you blog about business, politics, sports, or your personal life, what you say is important.

You want your blog considered the same way by others.

Instead of your blog being treated as a lark, it will be treated as a real online business website. Because there is still so much misunderstanding out there, about the nature of blogs, it's imperative that your blog be treated as a business.

Get some business cards printed up that feature your blog URL.

If you already have business cards, have your blog URL added to your next batch of business cards. Don't depend on the visitor clicking a link from your static website to your blog page. That event might never take place.

Instead of leaving your blog off the business card, place the blog URL front and centre on every card you use in your business. After all, the business blog is intended to build a strong customer relationship through conversation.

Whenever you attend any networking event, large or small, take a stack of business cards with you.

Hand them out freely, as you would links to interesting blog posts. Business cards aren't there to be hoarded.

They are for sharing with others.

Business cards are not for saving for a rainy day. When your supply runs out, print some more. They are very cheap advertising.

You do want more blog readers and customers, I would think.

Let business cards help you achieve that goal.

The lowly blog business card could boost your bottom line.

Now, that happy result should get your attention!

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Carnival of the Vanities at The Conservative Edge

The 142nd edition of the longest running internet blog carnival, the well known Carnival of the Vanities, is up at Brian Goettl's political blog known as The Conservative Edge.

Carnival of the Vanities is the original collection of blog postings, assembling some of the best and wide ranging bloggers on the internet.

This week's Carnival of the Vanities entries include politics, literature, science, medicine, technology, business, culture, comedy, and sports.

I have an entry in this week's Carnival of the Vanities as well.

My entry post is entitled "Bloggers as event speakers" where I discuss how bloggers should make themselves available to business, government, and non-profit organizations to speak on the value of adding a blog component to their internet presence.

To participate in the Carnival of the Vanities, or any of the other blog carnivals, one of the easiest techniques is to use the all inclusive carnival entry form at The Conservative Cat.

Another participation option is to simply e-mail your entry to the host of the week.

That's what I usually do.

As I suggest elsewhere, hosting and contributing to the various internet blog carnivals is a great promotional idea for your blog.

Next week's edition of Carnival of the Vanities will be at the eclectic blog known as Mister Snitch!.

In the meantime, head on over to the The Conservative Edge hosting of Carnival of the Vanities and enjoy the posts on offer.

You will almost certainly be introduced to some great new blogs.

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Words of choice: Regional terms

Regional terms and spellings.

You know what I mean.

Some areas drink pop.

Other areas drink soda.

There are those who drink Coke, regardless of brand.

Words can be combined into soda pop.

I happen to prefer the term soft drink, or I use the real brand name.

For some fun, check out the map (via Minor League Ball) of North American usage of carbonated beverage terminology Great Pop vs. Soda Controversy.

Okay, you ask, how does this affect blogging?

Well, I'm glad you asked.

After all, I spell in Canadian on this business blog. As you are already aware, my posts are littered with colour, honour, and labour. Centre and licence abound.

Other bloggers, writing in other countries or areas, are likely to use their favourite (there's another one in the neighbourhood) regional or national terms and phrases.

One of the joys of blogs is the regional flavour (hmmmmm) that different spellings and terms provide for the reader.

They are fun for the writer too.

Just make certain that your readership understands what you mean.

As a blogger, you must be able to communicate your message and ideas to your visitors. Highly localized or accutely regional terms and phrases might hinder understanding.

And we don't want that, now do we?

After all, I once had no idea that a soda was really a soft drink. The word soda was never used in Manitoba, Canada where I grew up.

I learned about the word soda later in life.

I have always used the phrase soft drink.

Oh, and it's chocolate bar, and not candy bar.

Good thing I am multi-phrase lingual.

I can give temperatures in both Celsius and Fahrenheit too.

Is that being multi-tempered?

Or simply running a temperature?

Anyway.

What terms and spellings do you prefer to use?

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Free teleseminar: Conversations with experts - Susannah Gardner







Pushing the Boundaries on Blogs: Do Fake Blogs Work?

Wednesday, June 8, 2005, 8:30 p.m. ET

Hosted by Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff of Build a Better Blog System.

Guest Expert: Susannah Gardner of Buzz Marketing with Blogs, featured in the Build a Better Blog System.

Blogging continues to move out of the realm of personal diarists and into the hands of business professionals and marketers. The transition isn't always smooth, especially as creative marketers use blogs in new ways to promote products, businesses and business strategies. Long-time bloggers often refer to these efforts as "fake" blogs, and the resulting hue and cry generates publicity – of the negative kind.

Are there lines that can't be crossed? What has been tried, and failed? What has been tried, and succeeded? Learn to plan for the reactions you will get as push the boundaries with new and exciting ideas.

Susannah Gardner, author of "Buzz Marketing with Blogs for Dummies" will review recent efforts to create creative blogs. Learn where and why marketers have had problems, and what strategies are succeeding.

We'll talk about the Lincoln Fry blog, the Mazda blog, Moosetopia, Where The Secret Girls Get Real, and others. As well, Susannah will talk about some of the programs and efforts that exist today to recruit popular bloggers as marketers.

This session will give you some targeted suggestions for creating a marketing blog that won't rock the blogosphere with outrage.

Susannah Gardner is the co-founder and creative director of Hop Studios Internet Consultants, a Web design company specializing in custom Web solutions for content publishers.

She is also the author of "Buzz Marketing with Blogs for Dummies" a practical hands-on guide to business blogging for marketing and PR professionals.

To register for this free teleseminar featuring Susannah Gardner, go to:

Registration: Susannah Gardner

Conversations with Experts is sponsored by Build a Better Blog System.

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