I've been a marketer for 20 years, but I have to tell you that one of the most exciting AND effective tools I have come across to help connect businesses with their customers is blogging.
Whereas before you had to invest serious dollars in advertising or direct mail to build up awareness and interest in your product or service, today you need only invest your time, skills and perhaps a tiny fraction of your marketing budget to reach your market through blogging.Whether you write your posts yourself, purchase private label rights content (that you edit) or hire a writer, it is ESSENTIAL for budget conscious small business owners to take the time to build relationships through blogging.
Posting regular to your blog each day helps to educate your market about your products/services, but more importantly helps them to build trust between your market and you/your business.
I was talking to a client on the weekend and I told him not to be afraid to be himself on his blog. He wanted to introduce a mascot/character to take the focus off of him and I had to ask why?
In this online world, things are pretty "anonymous" as it is and that anonymity does NOT build trust. Anything you can do to show your authenticity helps your target market to believe more in what you say about your quality products/services.
That kind of trust can lead to sales, referrrals and ultimately a thriving business for you!
To get your FREE ebook on how to increase your online income with blogging visit:
http://bloggingforbusinesstoday.com/
If you've got questions about blogging please feel free to ask in this discussion thread. I'm available today :)
Sharon
Small Business Study
Replies
Great tips Sharon. Authenticity is definitely the key, both offline and online. Also, as you mentioned, posting regularly is important for seo purposes and to keep the content fresh. You really hit the nail on the head with the points on how to get content for a blog.
One huge challenge though is driving traffic to a blog. There are so many informative blogs on the market, and many more popping up daily. Unfortunately, for many blogs, almost no one except the blogger him/herself will see them. What mistakes do you see bloggers make when it comes to getting the word out about their blog?
Cynthia (on FB http://www.facebook.com/cynthiafrazier)
http://bit.ly/fggxLn