Small-Biz Consultant Barry Moltz on Why You Should Blog

One of the most important pieces to your online presence is your blog. It's also the one aspect many businesses struggle with the most. Many companies need help improving the effectiveness of their blog. I recently interviewed Barry Moltz, author of Small Town Rules, consultant to businesses, and a 31-year Chicago native about where to go to learn the power of blogging.

From his successful podcast to his four books, Barry spends his time educating businesses about how to compete in this fast-changing technological world. He has both used his blog to build his business and soon he will teach other businesses how to position themselves online.

Barry also will speak at BlogWorld this June in New York. The conference is dedicated to blogging and the business of blogging, so I wanted to hear from someone who knows business about where to go to learn the skills.

What are you looking to get out of BlogWorld?

Barry Moltz: Since I sold my company in 1999, I’ve been speaking and consulting. As someone that goes to 50 to 100 conferences a year, this is a conference I can attend to learn. This is the third time I will be attending BlogWorld. It’s a great place to learn and a great networking place.

Is there a benefit for a business owner to attend BlogWorld?

Barry Moltz: It will give you strategies that you can really use in the digital space. From marketing to social media, reputation management, they have all sorts of different tracks depending on what kind business you are in. The best is that you can learn from the best and brightest.

You are speaking about your new book. What are you sharing at BlogWorld?

Barry Moltz: The reason we wrote this book is because now, with the Internet, every customer can now talk with every other customer. It’s kind of like living in a small town where your business reputation really lives or dies with your business reputation. People put a lot of faith in earned media, peer reviews on Amazon, Yelp, Trip Advisor or eBay, and that is what people really consider most when they are looking to buy from you.

Why is your book title Small Town Rules and not Business Rules?

Barry Moltz: It’s kind of like living in a small town: What can we learn from the success of small-town entrepreneurs? People really value today the human voice over a big corporate message. It used to be that small businesses wanted to act like big companies. Now, because of the human voice, people really want to interact personally, so large corporations are trying look like they are small businesses.

With businesses building their brands in an environment where people talk and gossip about you, your blog is a great way for you to set the message. Integrating your blog with your social strategy is the perfect way to build a strong community around your business' online presence.

Jabez LeBret is the author of the Amazon bestselling law office marketing book How to Turn Clicks Into Clients. As a partner at Get Noticed Get Found, a legal marketing agency, over the last nine years, he has delivered over 800 keynote addresses in six countries. His main area of expertise is managing Gen Y in the workplace, advanced Facebook strategies, LinkedIn strategies, Google+, SEO, local directory optimization and online marketing.

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