One method of course is to court controversy.  Works well – but it’s not the only way.

Another way is to begin your post  with a provocative analogy. Done well it can make even the most mundane topic interesting. And few topics are as unexciting as PCI compliance in the credit card industry. Yet, the Merchant Maven finds a eye-grabbing analogy that practically compels you to read – and presents its information in an unforgettable way.

I won’t give it away, but I’ll just mention it draws on one of the most famous Seinfeld episodes. One with George Costanza, cold water, and manhood. See for yourself…

http://themerchantmaven.com/wordpress/category/hot-industry-topics

Blogvertise has a network of blogs. Depending on the package you buy, you can either pick or let them pick the blogs you want to appear on. The blogger is notified about your blog/content and the anchor text links you want. They write about you in a post (or post a link on the nav bar of their home page) using your anchor text link. If you don’t like what they write you can delete it.

It’s a simple way to generate buzz. In addition, the ability to place your anchor text links in their blog network helps raise your search marketing profile for the keywords you want. And it’s quite affordable.  Prices depend on the quality of the blogs that are chosen,  and range as low as $4.00. Check it out at www.blogvertise.com

According to Evoy, “(Blogging) is a financial mistake for most small businesses. Few make much money at blogging because it is usually the wrong way to grow an online business.”

Keep in mind that Evoy has a dog in this hunt. His product is a tool for building theme content sites, and so competes against blogging software.

Here is his argument in a nutshell:

Blogging sucks up your time
By its chronological posting structure, blogging requires frequent updating. Even short posts take time. But if you don’t keep making new posts, your blog dies.

Blogging is perfect for some businesses – essentially news oriented sites. That’s why political and sports blog do so well. They are well-suited to what blogs do best. But, Evoy says, because of the need to constantly update a blog “this is the wrong direction for most e-businesses.”

“Professional bloggers, and professional promoters of blogging, usually fail to mention the “dated-content treadmill” that they so desperately run upon every day. What happens when you stop blogging? You watch your traffic melt away. Why? Because Search Engines know that blog posts are like newspapers… good only for wrapping fish after a few days.”

Evoy notes that the physical layout of a blog isn’t conducive for most e-businesses.
A blog’s very layout focuses on the latest post. It’s not suited to display evergreen material about a theme. Blogs do not have the horizontal nature of a content site, where material can be arranged logically instead of chronologically.

Evoy says this post after post quality of a blog doesn’t add up for readers.
“Blogs merely keep adding new posts, one after another, without editing out the old and without pulling related posts together into cohesive and fresh articles. As a result, visitors ignore the old material and have trouble using a blog for anything more than the latest news or the “thought of the day.”

Evoy supports this with evidence from Google.
“Blogs usually have high Bounce Rates no matter what since
normal visitor behavior is to read the newest post and then leave.”
- Google Analytics 101

The time and stress required to maintain a blog leads to a high rate of abandonment.
The Information Highway is littered with abandoned blogs. Feeling the time and stress of having to continually update a blog, people just give up. As Chris Anderson, executive editor of WIRED magazine and one of the most prominent bloggers, said (in Blogging Heroes), “A Blog Is This Beast – A Monkey On Your Back. It Wants To Be Fed Every Day, But We All Have Jobs And It’s Hard To Do.”

Having said all that, there remains the question: To blog or not to blog?”
The benefits of a blog for online business are too big to ignore. A well-done blog post can send out a virtual scent that attracts search engines like a biscuit to a hungry dog. And because blogs have, or should have, a distinct personality, they are valuable brand builders.

But Evoy’s comments about the time a blog requires are correct, and a busy small business person should think it through before investing the time to start one. If you do decide to go for it, I recommend two blog strategies to help you cope

One, is a content strategy. You must map out where and how you can quickly find, use and repurpose content on an ongoing basis. To try to just come up with new content on an ad hoc basis will become a burden and won’t work in the long run.

The second is an outsourcing strategy. At its best, a blog should be a reflection of your own voice. But if you are not up to constant updating, but still want the benefits of a blog, find someone you can pay per post who understands what you are trying to say; someone who knows how to go out in the blogosphere and make your present felt.

To read Evoy’s take on blogging vs theme content sites, go here.
To comment on this article, click below

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Leon Altman is a Internet marketing consultant, copywriter and entrepreneur with 25 years of experience. For his free marketing ecourse, go to www.YourMarketingRoadmap.com . For his copywriting services, go to www.altmancopypro.com.