• Advertise for offline. Although an offline business can just put a one page contact web page up, they could also work a little more, and make it a growing site with a blog. By posting frequently, you build content, and offer a more rounded view of the company. And few companies wouldn’t benefit from extra online sales, even if it’s just calling a toll-free number found on the website.
• Build for a miracle. YouTube may not have planned this, but that’s what I call it. Build a site, and then hope and pray someone comes calling with a suitcase of cash. If they don’t, keep smooth talking investors until they do, or you crash (remember something called the Dot-Com boom?).

You’ll notice in these I don’t mention a one-time fee. The reason is simple: if you want members, don’t charge at all, or charge regularly. Anything in between is a disservice to members who naturally expect more regularly, and a business that doesn’t have the cash flow to keep running adequately. There are exceptions (such as a onetime fee to gauge the market), but I think they are few and far between.

Since I started ActiveBlogging, I’ve always expressed my opinion that blogs are good for three things:

• Advertise your product or service.
• Advertise yourself.
• Advertise your business.

So whether you want to make a name for yourself or your business online, or want to build up a service or product, I recommend a blog.

But when you do build it, keep in mind the business model – because if you don’t think now about how it pays, when will you?

Pages: 1 2 3