Open source products provide users with applications that rival commercial products yet have no cost attached to downloading them.

Over 2.7 million developers have generated more than 260,000 software programs designed to do everything from creating a document to managing a company. Just how do these developers produce this much free content? Keep reading!

A Matter of Principal

The open source community has three core beliefs.

• Open source products should be free, as in no strings attached.
• Open source products should provide users with the source code.
• Open source products should allow users to modify and distribute the source code without paying royalties or fees to the developers.

Why Open Source

Maintaining an open source program is not free. Developers have to pay for server space, a domain, and other expenses involved in maintaining a popular program. Why then would they give away their product?

Each developer might have a different answer to that question. Some are paying it forward because they used open source code in their own creations. Others have struggled against commercial manufacturers and view open source as a way to take a stand against manufacturer gridlock.

Project Origins

Many open source programs, such as Pidgin, began as school projects for students pursuing degrees related to some type of technology or computer development. As such, the developers spend much of the time creating the project doing homework for class. Other projects, like PHP and Calibre, began because developers wanted to implement a solution for a problem they faced.

Production

When developers give away the source code to a product, it inspires creativity. Other developers will take the code and hack it, or modify it, to expand the original parameters. These volunteers then add their modifications to the open source project. Other people who have benefited by using the free program often contribute by helping to fix and correct any bugs that occur.

There are many things, like virtualization technology, that may not be as easy to make free. So this is another thing to consider in why some things are open source, and some things aren’t.

Development Time

Creating and maintaining a program takes time. While the initial code may come together quickly, it can take years to expand the parameters and gain traction. What a consumer downloads today may seem like a hefty package, but developers may have pieced the code together until it grew to the latest version’s feature-rich package.

Building From One Another

Open source code encourages developers to modify something already in existence rather than starting from scratch. Consider libpurple, a developer’s library for chat clients. Almost every open source chat protocol available today has some piece of libpurple in the code.

Donations

Donations help keep open source programs going. Consider the person who uses an open source PDF creator instead of a commercial one. The person could potentially save hundreds of dollars. Donating $50 helps the individual show his appreciation. It can also pay for the product’s domain registration for a year, depending on the host the developer uses.

Open source programs rely on several factors to support free distribution. All the aforementioned things, such as volunteers and donations, contribute to the ever-growing open source community. These things, working together, are the essential elements that allow developers to give away free products.

Many businesses are discovering that social media provides an excellent way to advertise and promote products and services. With the advent of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and many more sites, companies are able to reach consumers in a cost-effective way.

However, it’s of utmost importance for businesses that are using social media as a marketing tool to create and maintain an entertaining and informative blog to go hand in hand with these other marketing efforts. An illuminating business blog will keep readers informed, talking, and coming back for more.

Now the question becomes how to build an informative blog that keeps readers coming back again and again. The answer lies in how well you write and promote your blog, as well as how well you communicate and listen to your readers.

1. Keywords are Key

Start your blog the correct way. Keyword optimization is an integral way to target the right audience for your blog. Search for keywords that describe your blog posts and are commonly looked up on search engines, such as Google, and use them in your blog. This will ensure that current and potential readers are able to find your blog easily.

2. Write Interesting Content

Not only is writing interesting and informative content integral in maintaining a successful blog, but so is providing this information in a colorful and entertaining way. Make sure to use catchy titles or headlines that encompass the keywords you researched, and make sure the information your provide is useful and appropriate for your target audience.

One way to make sure your information is appropriate for your target audience is to utilize online survey software to hone in on the topics that your readers and customers find useful. Keeping readers talking positively about your blog will undoubtedly lead to brand awareness and new clients.

3. Promotion is Paramount

Sure, keyword optimization is one tool to help readers find the blog that’s right for them. However, no blog will succeed without promotion.

Whether you choose to advertise your blog on your website, email signature, printed business cards, or company letterhead, this is an easy way for customers to check out your blog. Another way to promote your blog is to participate in others’ blogs. Write a post on another blog as a guest and link to your blog at the end of the post. This will help your business blog gain awareness throughout different audiences, creating a plethora of potential readers and clients.

One last great way to promote your blog is to respond to readers. Interacting with readers, answering questions, and hopefully solving problems, will create trust and loyalty within your audience. This in turn will create buzz and cultivate clients, repeat business, and referrals.

Writing a blog is an easy and cost-effective way to disseminate pertinent information. If you use these tips and tricks in your blog posts, you will keep readers coming back, and you may even convert some of your new readers into clients.

What are you doing to promote your business? Are you paying for banners and sending out emails or are you still using the print and television medium?

Various businesses, small and large, are using blogs to increase their business awareness hence improving their customer base. Advertising and promotional costs can run high, but there is always a simpler and cheaper solution.

Think of creating a blog as your advertising medium. There are several major blog sites available and with a little research you can find something that caters to your need. Commonly used blog sites such as Google Blogger and WordPress provide a free and easy to use service that is both efficient and easily searchable. Here are some little known reasons to help you determine if blogging is the way to go, for your business.

1. Creating global awareness without having to venture into the foreign market or spending any additional penny on further advertising. Blogs are live on the World Wide Web, so they easily appear under search results.
2. Major blog sites are free to create, update, upload and maintain, and a majority of the cost associated is your time.
3. Free plug-ins, such a Contact Form 7, can be easily used can help you manage your brand image, new leads, contacts, forms, and important emails from your site. Use the free contact form plug-ins, to receive important information from your potential customers.
4. Blogs are much friendlier than direct approach methods. Customers are tired of constantly being interrupted with marketing and blogs can provide that same information to the customer without the annoyance.
5. Blogs can be tracked easily and linked to other blogs. Search engines such as Google are known to include blogs in searches, so you have a better chance of increasing hits to your site.
6. Brand building is simplified with the help of a blog. It’s more than just word-of-mouth or direct marketing and helps provide your target customers with that additional information they need to become brand loyal.
7. Use blogging as a communication tool to provide your customer with information regarding your product and service. Become a friend to your customer rather than a supplier. Customers will feel more aware of your business through your blog and be able to communicate with you easily. They are always looking for a way to communicate with suppliers without any hassle.
8. Use your blog as a research method by letting your customer review your products and leave you feedback. Most often this will help you in determining whether a product or service is worth launching or requires further improvement.
9. There are many free WordPress themes available that can be found in the WordPress Theme directory. Some examples?

Business Turnkey-

Download

Several3-

Download

These are just 9 of the many ways you can improve your sales, corporate image, customer base, and brand loyalty.

Informative and interactive blogs not only help your potential customer but with the various free plug-ins available, it will help you automate information which you might not think was otherwise possible. Over 25 million people are using free blogs such as WordPress, so what is stopping you? After all, there is no harm in trying something new without worrying about capping your budget.