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.
