How to Harness the Marketing Power of Blogs
e-Marketing Company
in the last few years: blogging.
A "blog" (derived from the term "web log") is basically just a website
with two key differences: First, it's extremely easy to add
information to it. A blog is like an online journal, so you just log
in, type what happened today, post it, and you're done! Second, you
can add a simple little feature that automatically tells a whole bunch
of other websites that you've made an update to your blog--every time
you make a change.
The fact is, blogging is fast becoming an extremely important strategy
for any online marketer. An effective blog can:
1. drive swarms of traffic to your main website,
2. generate more product sales,
3. create an additional stream of advertising income,
4. be a great customer service tool,
and much more!
Blogs have an informal, conversational style, and readers can join in
by commenting on each post. Blogs can be chatty, informative,
opinionated and often humorous, and it's this "human" aspect of blogs
that draws many people to them.
But the best part about blogs is how accessible they are to everyone.
Blogs are free (or very inexpensive) to set up using services like
Bloggeror TypePad. They're also easy to use (you can literally create
your own blog in less than five minutes) and easy to promote with all
the new tools and resources that have been created specifically for
blogs.
How You Can Use a Blog to Accelerate Online Success
The fact is, blogs are no longer just online diaries of people's
personal lives. Both online and offline businesses can use blogs to
take their products and services to a wider audience, increasing their
traffic, leads and sales.
Let's look more closely at a few of the extremely powerful ways your
business can benefit from a blog. With an effective business blog, you
can:
1. Humanize your business. Because a blog is much more informal than
other websites, you can write posts in your own voice and give your
business more of a human face. This helps reassure prospective
customers that there's a "real person" behind the website who'll take
care of their needs. It also allows you to inject much more of your
own personality into your online business than your main sales site
could do.
2. Improve your customer service. Your blog can act as a kind of
interactive FAQ, allowing your customers to submit questions and you
to answer them. You can also provide product updates, how-to articles,
and other information of relevance to your customers. Prospective
customers who see your blog will be encouraged by your commitment to
good customer service.
3. Give your target market the information they're looking for. With
its automatic archiving feature--by date and category--a blog is a
fantastic content-management system. It's easy for you to post new
information on a regular basis, and it's easy for your visitors to
find the information they want. With a well-written, regularly updated
blog, you can become a reliable resource in your industry and build a
following of loyal readers who depend on your content. These people
will be your best potential customers.
4. Drive traffic to your sales website. If you already have a website,
a blog can give your traffic levels a real boost. For starters, your
blog will attract new visitors that you can then redirect to your main
sales website through links and special offers. But an even more
effective technique is to use strategic keywords and links to specific
sales pages to dramatically improve the search engine rankings of both
your blog and your main website.
5. Build your credibility and establish yourself as an industry
expert. You can give your credibility a real boost by regularly
posting valuable and relevant information on your blog. It's a great
way to establish yourself as an expert in your subject area, and allow
your visitors to feel much more comfortable buying from you.
6. Promote your products or services. You can actually sell products
directly from a blog, or you can use your blog to mention new products
and direct visitors to your sales website.
7. Generate extra income. There are now several advertising programs
available, such as Google AdSense, that allow you to monetize your
blog and generate an extra revenue stream.
3 Key Tips for Starting a Business Blog
Excited yet? You should be--blogging's not just a winning strategy,
it's also a lot of fun! The beauty of blogging is that you can easily
incorporate it into your daily schedule of tasks. You can even blog
when you're on the road.
But what does it take to become a really successful blogger?
1. Great content: If your content isn't interesting and relevant to
your target market, your blog won't work. It's as simple as that.
You'll be surprised, however, how easy it is to find things to write
about if you really put your mind to it. It could be news articles
about your industry, product updates, interviews, personal insights
into topics of importance to your target audience, and much more.
2. Regular updating: I won't lie to you: there are some days when I
really find it hard to find the time to post a new article. But if I
don't post, no one will come back. It's like subscribing to a daily
newspaper but only getting a copy delivered now and then! So post
often and your audience will keep coming back. And regularly adding
fresh content to your blog also gives you a boost in the search engine
rankings.
3. Your own distinct voice: It's important that you write in your own
voice. A blog is no place for formality and corporate speak. It's more
of a forum, a place where ideas can flourish and topics of current
interest can be debated. You don't even need to be a brilliant writer;
you just need to be able to relate to your audience and give them good
content.
Final Thoughts
Starting a blog can take as little as five minutes. Of course,
starting a blog is the easy part; turning your blog into a strategic
tool that drives traffic and sales to your online business is a
completely different matter.
Building a truly effective blog that keeps people coming back again
and again takes a lot more than five minutes; it takes time and
dedication to develop a blog that keeps your audience coming back for
more.
Sincerely,
Scott Richard Adams, CEO
e-Marketing Company
www.e-marketingcompany.com