The Connection Between Blogging And Internet Marketing
Many bloggers start out thinking that they’re going to
make their million by blogging on a topic that they find interesting. While
there are certainly exceptions, in general this is a sure fire way to failure.
Let me clarify that I have nothing against blogging (I myself run a blog), but
blogging for the purpose of creating income is rarely a profitable exploit.
It is only recently that the power of blogging when it
comes to internet marketing is being recognized. For a long time, blogs were
associated with people’s online personal diaries.
But know, savvy marketers know how easy it is shape
public opinion through such a “personal diary”. If you are a marketer, blogging
is something you really should have in your arsenal.
Here’s why:
1. Simplicity
Nothing can beat the sheer simplicity of blogging. If you
use a free like word press or Blogger, you can get started within 5 minutes.
You can very easily make multiple blog focusing on different niches and influence
a lot of opinion.
2. Authenticity
Because blog have long been associated with online
private diaries, people have come to expect authenticity with blog. What the
blogger writes feels like the truth to an reader. While traditional advertising
can invoke skeptic thoughts, blogging feels more earthly and genuine – a great
asset to any marketer.
3. Low Cost
You don’t have to pay a dime for starting a free blog at
blogger or wordpress. If you want to have a custom branded blog, all you need
is a domain name and a cheap hosting account. You could get started for as
little as $15 and pay just $5 per month for hosting. This is very, very low
cost as compared to traditional advertising, where figures are quoted in
thousands rather than single digits.
4. Conversational
Imagine being able to hold a conversation with 10,000
people at a time. This is the power that a blog gives you. Blogging is
conversational by nature. You can initiate a dialog with a visitor and he can
respond through the comments. Other readers can join in, and suddenly, you have
dozens of people talking about a topic. Imagine the marketing possibilities.
Blogging, writing, speaking are all ways for
entrepreneurs to develop a following, increase their email marketing lists, and
eventually acquire new clients. The two burning questions that I hear from
clients in this regard are:
Blogging has to be seen as a marketing tool, not just a
nice thing to do or a creative outlet. Yes, it might be the only time you get
to spout your words of wisdom uncensored, but more importantly are you
providing something that is meaningful to your clients?
If so, the time you spend writing a blog entry is a great
use of your time. However, if you still feel like you are short on time,
consider these five options:
Speak your blog into a digital recorder or a online
recorder such as audacity.com. Driving or maybe even taking your daily walk
might provide great ideas. Record these ideas and buy a translator program such
as Dragon Naturally Speaking and turn your voice into a blog. Editing once it
is transcribed is fast and easy to do.
If you work with a team, ask them to contribute to the
blog. No one said you have to do all the writing or provide all the ideas.
Enlist you team to help you.
Include your customers, associates, and partners in
blogging with you. Invite key people to contribute to the blog. Possibly ask
them questions in which they respond or link your blog to something insightful
they have written.
Set a schedule for your blogging. Decide if you will blog
once a week, once a day, or every two weeks. Your readers will want to know
what to expect from you. Allow yourself to write draft of different blogs as
ideas pop up and once a week pull one out, edit it, and voile you have a blog
post completed in 15 minutes.
Subscribe to a photo service such as dreamstime.com and
you will have easy access to inexpensive photos to support your blog. Pictures
tell a thousand words. If you are an amateur photographer, feel free to include
your own photos as well. This is a great way to show the human side of your
customers.
Now, what you say and what you blog about needs to be
considered in the following ways.
What type of blog you are presenting to the world.
Strategically, you have to decide if you are sticking only to business issues, mixing
business and family, or business and personal anecdotes, or just personal. Who
is your target and what is of most interest to you target reader.
Answering
this question will provide you with parameters for yourself and others on your
team.
Make a file on your desktop that is entitled “Blog
ideas.” Every time you read a blog, an article, an rss feed and it spurs some
new ideas for you, copy it to your folder. This becomes a reservoir for future
blogs.
Once you use the idea, file it to another folder entitled
“Blog ldeas Used.” You may want to recycle them at another time, but for now,
it keeps your blogs fresh and makes sure you don’t repeat yourself too often.
Something hits you. From time to time a new idea,
something you heard on the radio, or something you read will spur your
creativity. Jot down the idea and allow yourself to write free flowing. If you
don’t have time to reread, research and edit the article, put it in a file to
revise later. These fresh ideas can be some of your best blogs and the most fun
to write.
