Welcome to the first of many blogs that will let you into the world of marketing and design.

I’m Lindsey Moore, Client Services Manager for liquid. If you’ve never heard of us we are a design and marketing agency on Lord Street in Liverpool.

It’s my first blog. I was thinking: what should I talk about? Then it hit me: blogging! The unprecedented growth of blogging in recent years has seen businesses rushing to get in on the act. Here, then, are my top five tips for successful business blogging:

Be clear about what you want to achieve
When launching a blog knowing what you want to achieve and how to make it happen is vital. Setting out clearly defined goals beforehand is a good start.

Make sure you make it easy for people to take action. Look for highly trafficked blogs in your area of business: becoming networked within your niche audience is key.

Know your audience
It’s important to know your audience: if you can grab their attention and hold it, they will come back and may also tell their friends. Find out the key areas of interest, write about them and invite responses.

At worst, you have successfully engaged your audience, raised brand awareness and built your profile. At best, you’ve increased enquiries and, ultimately, sales.

Write mindfully
Blogging gives you complete freedom over content as well as the tone of your article. That sounds fantastic but it’s a double edged sword. You must ensure that you control content and that the language you use is appropriate for your audience.

Invest the time
Be realistic about the time you’ll need to invest in your blog – researching, writing, monitoring and evaluating. A blog that isn’t updated reflects badly on you and is frustrating for the reader. Conversely, one that is updated regularly will gain higher search engine rankings.

Encourage a response
Your blog should reflect your opinion. In today’s ultra-competitive market, companies are beginning to look increasingly similar so you need to prove yourself as someone worth reading. A well thought-out opinion can create debate, which is good news for your online reputation.

One last thing to remember is: if you don’t talk about yourself, who will?

Whatever your opinion I’d love to hear what you think. Please email me at: Lindsey@liquidsolution.co.uk