Blogs are great Attraction Marketing tools
Attraction marketing is all about focusing upon creating customers instead of focusing upon creating sales. On the surface it may sound like a "chicken and egg" kind of conundrum, but actually your choice of which end of the marketing spectrum you will direct your attention determines everything about your business.
If your focus is upon sales, you’ll create a different marketing message than if your focus is upon attracting customers. If your business is engaged in making a major sale (read more about major and minor sales in my book,“Beyond the Niche: Essential Tools You Need to Create Marketing Messages that Deliver Results
When you’re searching for attraction marketing tools, nothing can compare with the power of a blog to promote your business (Again, I’m assuming you are making major sales).
The thing is, when you’re using your blog as an attraction marketing tool, you can forget about becoming the biggest or worrying about growing your blog traffic. Steve Rubel writes on On the Devaluation of Traffic:
My Google Analytics account is my laboratory. And over the past year I have noticed a trend. Most of my traffic is from Google and they are largely passerbys. The same holds true for anyone who visits my site from Techmeme, Digg or even big blogs. A prominent mention in The Wall Street Journal a couple of weeks ago garnered me a whopping 40 visitors.
Ah… isn’t that what most businesses are looking for when it comes to web site traffic? A casual passerby who has found them via a search on Google? Then, the passerby will judge whether this business is a good "fit" for them… by reading a few posts and seeing what the author knows and how he/she communicates that knowledge.
Alexander Vanelsas writes in his post Newton’s Universal Law of Blog Attraction better than a Techmeme leaderboard?
The narcissistic way of ranking (who has the biggest..) seems less valuable to me than being able to see which blogs attract me and I am attracted to. Newton’s universal law of gravitation, which calculates the attraction between two objects seems perfect to tweak into a blog attraction formula.
I love Alexander’s definition of the quest for a top blog spot: narcissistic!
As a matter of fact, I’d go as far to say that narcissists are unable to make attraction marketing work. They’re too focused upon themselves to be able to devote any attention to the wants/needs/desires of their potential customers.
I have a client who has been blogging for about 6 months. His readership is EXTREMELY low… as in double digit figures. He kept asking me for a log analysis and I kept stalling… because 28 visitors a month is not going to encourage him to keep blogging. Here’s the great part… last Friday he got his first appointment from someone who identified himself as coming to my client because he was a blog reader.
Since my client is an EXCEPTIONAL practitioner of his craft AND is by no means narcissistic, I’m confident that his newest client will become a life long customer. After all, my client’s customer retention rate is incredibly high. However, the best news for my client is that he not only has one more client on his rolls, he also has another "missionary" so to speak. Someone else who will spread the word about my client and encourage others to begin using my client’s services as well.
That’s the power of blogging. When you’re making a major sale, trust is a HUGE issue. By blogging, you share yourself and begin building that trust long before and introduction is in order.
Resisting the irresistible…. or how NOT to be a victim of a really great sales letter.
I got an email from a client on a new service that promises it will do the following:
- It gets you traffic to you blog
- It adds relevant content to your Blog
- It ads (their spelling, not mine) new and constantly changing content
- It makes your visitors happy
- It is 100% F.ree
- It is easy to use (all you need is a blog or website)
- There is NO up-sell or after sign up offer
This is TRULY a case of an INSPIRED marketing piece. The offer is truly irresistible.
The product truly promises to solve a myriad of problems faced by the typical web site or blog owner.
However, it’s only an irresistible if you DO NOT KNOW how Google works.
Here is my response:
There is a thing for which Google will penalize your site and it’s called "duplicate content".
What that means is that if the content that shows up on YOUR site is showing up on other sites as well, Google has to make a choice on WHICH content it will feature. If you’re lucky, and it’s YOUR content being featured on other sites, Google will recognize YOUR content as the originator and your content will be featured while the other copies are doomed to the "supplemental index" (Google’s version of Hell.)
Knowing this bit of information will help you to understand the glaring FLAW in the product’s business model.
From a marketing stand point…. it’s brilliant. He’s addressing EVERY blog owner’s deepest desires:
- Effortless quality content
- Effortless quality visitors
- All of the above delivered for free.
However, while this product will probably be a HUGE success for the developer…it will do little for the countless throngs who sign up to allow him to syndicate his content via their blog. Those who sign up should not be surprised if adding his content to their site does NOTHING for their traffic or their customers.
I guess that’s why my clients have me on retainer, to help them see BEYOND the hype!
In this case, learn from a truly BRILLIANT marketing piece. It does a MAGNIFICENT job of defining a problem and presenting a solution. Not only is it brilliantly crafted, but it was then TIGHTLY targeted to a mailing list filled with web site and blog owners who signed up to learn more about marketing their small business via the internet.
I always tell my clients to look at what artists like this are DOING to promote their product instead of getting caught up in the sales frenzy being generated. Watch their feet, don’t listen to the song!
The I follow movement
I guess I should have recognized it sooner…. after all, Word Press is GREAT about letting you know what’s going on when it comes to inbound links to your blog. Here I was out laying "bread crumb trails" by commenting on other blogs and few if any of those comments were resulting in inbound links.
Then I stumbled upon the I Follow Movement. DUH! So that’s what the Do Follow Plug in with Semilogic is all about!
Thanks to Randa Clay, there’s even a logo for the movement! THANKS!
If you’re using a Word Press Blog, then simply installing the Do Follow plug in will open your blog up so that people who comment will be rewarded with an inbound link from your blog. If you’re using a Blogger blog, then here is the tutorial for removing the no follow in your blogger blog.
Understand, if you don’t already, that inbound links are what makes the internet world go round. More inbound links means a higher page rank and therefore, higher SERPs (Search Engine Ranking Position) for your posts.
Instead of relying on the kindness of strangers…. who will exercise proper blogging etiquette by reciprocating useful links, now you can create your own.
Since listing another site as a "Do Follow" blog, I’m finding that people are finally commenting on my blog!
So, if you’ve noticed that it looks like no one is reading your blog because no one is commenting…. get into the I Follow movement.
If you comment, I follow. However, I don’t approve spammy comments. Hey, a girl has GOT to have her standards! <grin>
Using Blogs as Marketing Tools
Blogs are one of my favorite marketing tools and they can be used by ANY business to promote their products and services.
Keep in mind that marketing is merely letting potential customers know how you and your business can solve their problems. A blog is a GREAT way to share information to let potential customers know how YOU can solve their problems.
For example, think of the last time you assisted a customer. What questions did he/she need answered before he/she made the decision to purchase? That type of interaction would make a GREAT blog entry.
Let’s say you own a hardware store and you had a customer who came in with a question about hanging a mirror. One question the customer may have asked is, "Which wall anchors work best for a large heavy mirror?" While you may field that question ten times a week, you may not have thought that it’s a GREAT blog entry.
Of course, the ugly "protective" monster tends to rear it’s ugly head at this time during conversations with actual clients. They worry that if they share their expertise, that people will visit their blog for information and then go to Lowes or Home Depot to buy their products. I can’t promise you that it won’t happen. But remember, if people are coming to you for answers, it goes to follow that eventually they’ll come to you for your products. (This is assuming that your products are priced fairly, that your customer service is acceptable, etc.)
Expedia built a multi-million dollar web resource for travelers. They only convert 5% of their visitors into customers…. but that 5% has resulted in a profitable business. Expedia knew that if people came to them for travel answers, they’d convert some of those browsers into customers.
Finding Content for Your Blog
Chris Garret is an expert on New Media, including blogs. Recently, he posted on the subject in "Need Fresh Content For Your Blog"
Chris’ guidance is SUPERB, however, there were many comments lamenting the lack of "true" direction. What the commenters were seeking was a way to find FRESH content without writing it or paying for it.
See, a web site or blog filled with nothing but duplicate content will get your site sentenced to the "Siberia" of the Google Index…. also known as the Supplemental Index. So what Chris’ readers were seeking was a way AROUND getting slapped by Google while still finding an easy source of original content.
My clients too face a similar dilemna. Busy executives and professionals rarely have uninterrupted hours in their day to devote to writing, whether it’s for a blog or for other publications. There is a time honored way AROUND this restriction: the ghost writer.
I once read that as a business owner, you’re either short on time or short on money. If you’re short on BOTH, then you’re spending your TIME doing the wrong activities. Within 6 months of reading that quote, I broke the 4 digit barrier on my monthly income.
So, assuming you don’t have the TIME to blog, then surely you have the money to hire a ghost writer. Of course, there will be time invested in finding the right writer for your business, but it’s the best investment you can make in your business. See, your ghost writer can write 1500 word ARTICLES which you can then submit to publication to various MAGAZINES, NEWSPAPERS and other print media. Don’t expect to be PAID for those articles. Your byline should be enough. Or you can choose to break that 1500 word article into SEVERAL blog posts.
A ghost writer is FREQUENTLY the best investment you can make in your business. Before you hire an assistant, an attorney or even a CPA, hire a ghost writer. The content provided can be used in multiple ways as you promote your business.
Why your blog doesn’t have a lot of comments
There has been a LOT of "fuss" lately over comments or the lack thereof on many blogs. Chris Garret has a great post on 10 reasons commenting is good for bloggers.
Since I recommend Blogs for my clients, I prepare them in advance for the lack of comments they may experience on their blog. I tell them that from a blog standpoint, it’s better to have 100 bloggers who read your blog (and therefore LINK to your blog via comments and trackbacks) than it is to have 1000 non-blogging readers. The reason: because I’ve found the overwhelming reason most blogs have comments is to create a link back to the author of the comment’s own blog or web site. PERIOD! Which is why, the blogs with the most comments deal with, surprise surprise…. BLOGGING!
In the case of my clients though, most don’t have ANY intention of becoming a "professional" blogger. Instead, we use the BLOG as a type of CMS or Content Management System. Using a word press blog instead of a traditional HTML web site allows my clients to create content easily and update content on their web site. In addition, posting allows my client the ability to share their stories and connect with potential clients.
AND BLOGS DO A GREAT JOB OF DOING THAT FOR MY CLIENTS! It’s not uncommon for my clients to relay tales of someone reading their blog, then subscribing to their newsletter to end up signing up for long term coaching with my clients.
However, these very blogs, the ones that are actually WORKING delivering clients to my clients, are suffering from a DEARTH of comments, which is why I warn clients up front not to expect a LOT of commenting to go on when it comes to their blog. Since they’re not speaking to "bloggers" there isn’t a lot of "reason" for their readers to comment.
Of course, it’s HARD when your comment spam blocker is working over time but few if any people are leaving comments. It reminds me of a story from an edition of the Click Tracks newsletter.
In that edition of the newsletter, the editor relayed a story of a company who had launched a company blog and insisted that key employees begin blogging. The employees did as instructed, but within 6 months virtually all blogging activities had stopped. The lack of comments on the blog had lead employees to believe they were "wasting their time" by blogging. However, after running a Click Tracks reports and tracking buyer behavior, the company saw that visitors to the blog portion of the web site were 60% more likely to buy than people who didn’t visit the blog. Suddenly, armed with the information that their blogging efforts were making a difference, the staff got back to regular blogging, no longer feeling that their efforts were a waste of time.
So don’t judge a blog by it’s comments. It’s possible for a blog to have dedicated readers who prefer to "lurk" rather than comment.
Quality Hosting for a Blog
Lorelle helps you learn more about Word Press and blogging via her Word Press blog. But while Lorelle knows blogging, she doesn’t know web hosting.
In her I hate my web host blog entry, she pleads for a recommendation and so far, she’s gotten approximately 80 replies, many of which are either thinly veiled affiliate links or blatantly obvious affiliate links. (eg: buyhostgator.com which redirects to the affiliate link with the end provider of the hosting service.)
Oh, and one comment suggesting that she take the BIG leap to dedicated hosting. It makes me laugh.Moving from a "typical" hosting solution to a dedicated one is very similar to making the switch from driving a sports coupe to an 18 wheeler…. both may travel the same roads, but the 18 wheeler requires a lot more skill and dedication than driving a traditional 4-wheeler. In that guy’s defense, he’s not recommending his affiliate link be used, but me thinks he doesn’t recognize that which comes easily to him doesn’t come easily to all web dwellers.
Blogging is easy.
Finding quality hosting is hard.
Finding quality hosting with great customer support…priceless.
Finding quality hosting with great customer support for people who REALLY don’t understand this whole "computer" thing let alone internet thing…. nearly impossible…with good reason.
5 Steps to Attracting Traffic to your Blog
I’ve posted recently about the client of mine who launched her brand new blog and six weeks later, wrote to me wondering why she wasn’t on the first page of Google for her desired keywords. What makes this even MORE sad is that the only post made to her blog was the "Hello World!" that comes as part of the Word Press installation.
So this list will start AT THE BEGINNING…..
Read more
Blogging for business….
Blogs began as vehicles for individuals to post their thoughts on the web…. but with the evolution of the web, many businesses are adding blogs to their marketing tool arsenal.
Over at the Undersigned, there’s a great post on "Why Business Blogs are Important"….. among the list are a blog’s ability to establish you as a "guru" in your field. On really unique benefit of a successful blog is…
Get the best employees
If your blog will be one of the heavy boys on the internet, within your field of business, you will experience that more people, and often more qualified people, will request a job in your company. It’s “human nature” - people always want to play with the heavy boys.
Wow. Not only does blogging help to establish you as an expert in your field, perform better in the search engines than a traditional web site, and allow you to quickly and easily add content, it appears that blogging also helps recruit the best of the best for your business!
Of course, I advocate a blog INSTEAD of a traditional web site for bootstrapping entrepreaneurs who want the most BANG for their web buck. However, if you have the budget for both, definitely do both! If you have to pick between one and the other, pick the blog.
Consumer Generated Content - A Tactic or A Strategy?
Great post over at Web Liquid about the "realities" of consumer generated content.
First it’s important to make clear that CGC (Consumer Generated Content) is not a marketing medium, it’s a conversation amongst consumers about the products/services they want to buy, might buy or have bought
Blogs are a great way to enter into that conversation. A company blog allows customers, both future and past, to communicate directly with the company.
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