In part 1 of this article series on marketing with blogs, I discussed the reasons why blogs are excellent tools for marketing.

In this article I outline some tips on using your blog as a good vehicle for your marketing communications.

Tip # 1: Choose The Topic Of Your Blog Well

Make sure you are targeting the right audience for your products. You might love golf, but you cant use it to sell your products unless theyre meant for golfers.

You generally wouldnt write about something like golf on a marketing blog, unless youre using it as a metaphor.

Pick the topic that will attract the right audience people who are looking for your products, but more importantly, people who are willing to actually spend money on them.

If youre not an expert on your topic, but are learning about it, blog about your learning process. Theres no shame in being a learner, in admitting that you dont know everything.

In fact your journey could even teach others who are learning and help them relate to your experiences. Products you recommend would then be easy to sell to this group because youve established the emotional connection that makes selling easier.

Tip #2: Spend Some Time Learning The Basics Of Blogging

You need to learn how to use your blogging software, and which blog engine or service will give you the results you need. Decide how much time you want to spend on your blog.

Hire a blogging coach or buy a blogging tutorial. Spend some time learning about trackbacks, pingpacks, keywords and how to use them, linking, blogging etiquette.

When you know how to use the tools that are available to you, it becomes that much easier to focus on your goals and save time in the actual process of blogging.

Tip # 3: Dont Sell

When you start writing a blog, forget about selling. Too many people use their blog like a sales letter. Those people just dont get it. Thats not what a blog is about at all.

Blogs are about communicating connecting with your audience. Use your blog to build relationships with your audience. State your opinions whether they are popular or not. Politically-correct or not.

A while ago I wrote an article on this titled Its a Blog, Not a Sales Letter in which I recommend using your blog for branding yourself, building your reputation and communicating with your audience - and not just for making a sale. http://www.blog-maniac.com/blog-sales-letter.htm

As marketers we aim to sell. But when you blog, you have to forget about selling and focus on sharing.

That doesnt mean you give away all your secrets on your blog. But it does mean that you should not use your blog for in-your-face marketing.

Your readers will be very put off if all they read on your blog is one sales pitch after another. People are not stupid. They know when theyre being sold.

The most unobtrusive way to sell is to write reviews about products and link to them, mention products in passing, write articles or tips and recommend products (yours or other peoples) and services on your blog.

Part 3 of this article series discusses more tips on using your blog to market your products and services online. http://www.blog-maniac.com/marketing-with-blogs3.htm