Whether you maintain a store blog or not, you probably can imagine

how thrilled a blogger would be to get a ready-made entry

from you. There’s just two steps to getting some great exposure.

First: Find blogs whose audience is a good match for the marketplace you want. Local blogs are good. Google to find them. Technorati will search for local blogs for you too.

You can narrow down your choices of local blogs by topic: real estate bloggers would probably have a good audience for your furniture shop; home-schooling blogs for your kidswear emporium.

Second: Read some. Get a feel for which blogger is interested in what topics. Then write a short (400 words max) article on something that would interest that type of audience. You can do a Q-&-A format like Answers to your wardrobe dilemma in OurTown or something current, as in Libertyvillites save $ on Back-to-School, says MyShop owner Susie Q, or something simply helpful: 10 Tips on Staging your Home to Sell by local furnishings expert Susie Q.

Then contact your chosen blogger(s) with your chosen “guest entries” and

see how quickly they’ll snap your offer of free content up!

Note: Hate to write? You could even have a blog entry that’s nothing more elaborate than, say if your shop was in Sarasota, Read this article about Siesta Beach! Aren’t we lucky to live here! I found that story on Topix.net. Or how about a “picture story”: MyShop gets 3 Saturday Night at the Park outfits together for less than $X? Or put your eager customers to work: Take a poll on the best place to take kids that doesn’t cost much. Or interview that loyal consignor who’s an interior decorator.

PS Don’t forget to Facebook/ Twitter that YOUR shop is on THAT blog! The blog owner will love you for it and probably your business will become a go-to resource for her/him.