If you remember only one thing from this column, it should be the title, because therein lies perhaps the single most important key to success for a company wanting to incorporate blogging into their marketing mix.

Successful blogging for business is blogging continued…week in and week out. Even when it seems like you’ve got twenty things more important to do. A few weeks back I said that a blog is like a pet. You have to commit to feeding it regularly or it will die. The good news is you don’t have to feed it every day, like a dog or cat. Try for a minimum of two posts a week. If you can manage three or more, all the better. But remember that the idea is to keep people coming back because they have confidence that you’ll show up, too.

In addition to posting regularly and reliably, there are other ways to get people to keep coming back to your blog. Ask questions. Invite comments. Remember that a blog isn’t a speech or a sales spiel: it’s a conversation. Also, think about what kinds of things people who read your blog are interested in and then offer them those things. It could be useful information in the traditional sense—a bike shop offering tips on how to choose between a mountain bike and a hybrid—or information related to your business, but not literally what you sell, i.e., your five favorite bike paths or trails. Useful information doesn’t even have to be directly connected to your business. If you build decks and patios you can offer tips for entertaining, because that’s what decks and patios are for.

You’ll notice that I keep talking about “you” and not “your company.” To the government and your accountant you are a corporation, LLC, partnership, etc. But when you blog, you are a person. Not necessarily one person—you can share the posting responsibilities with employees. But the blog’s point of view should always be personal. Your website is business formal. Your blog is business casual. Let customers meet your employees, hear your thoughts on your area of expertise, feel like they’ve got a backstage pass to your business.

Back in a few weeks with the right way to sell in your blog, why links matter, and dealing with negative comments.