As a corporate marketing writer for more than 20 years, I've seen a lot of changes in marketing strategies. One of the fastest growing concepts is blogging, the beginning of social network marketing. I posted my first blog on Geocities in 1998 and in 2005 posted on blogger when the concept was already well on its way to becoming the marketing venue of the future. The future is now. If you don't have a blog, you're just not making the most of your marketing opportunities.
COST EFFECTIVE: Blog sites are usually free, so you don't have domain name or hosting costs attached to them. You do, however, have to keep them current for them to helpful. The more you post, the more you show up on searches for the subjects you cover. Unlike the old days of the print newsletter (which I was a master of), you can't wait for three months to post to a blog or even once a month. Blogs are expected to have titillating tidbits every day or at least every week to maximize your return on the effort. That should not be daunting though. If you spend fifteen minutes writing a short client appropriate post every day or two, you'll quickly develop a following. People sign up to be notified when a new post hits their favorite blogs, and the more they know about you and your expertise, the more they will trust you as a vendor.
BE SPECIFIC: One of the best things about blogging is that the content is searchable by search engines, so the more you blog, the higher your products, services and opinions rank in searches. This is especially helpful to small businesses that don't have big budgets to buy higher positions on the engines, high-priced ads, or recommended site status. The more people search a particular subject and then choose your link, the higher you move on the list. Just be sure you choose subjects and key words carefully to get the right potential clients to your site. It does you no good to draw big audiences that don't really want what you have to offer, and readers get very annoyed by bait and switch tactics. So, choose your subjects carefully to contribute to your prestige.
SELL SOMETHING: If you are not selling something or linking to a sales site on your blog, you are missing the opportunity to take advantage of the "buy now in response to the article" syndrome. Even in the days before blogs, everybody in advertising knew that companioning an ad with an article was much more likely to generate buyers than advertising alone. Whatever you are touting in your articles should offer some kind of purchase opportunity. If you can't sell on your blog, you can at least link the article to a sales site where a purchase can be made.
That's my writing tip for today. If you'd like to blog, but don't think you're a writer or you need an editor to help define your content, I'm available. I'm available, affordable and knowledgeable. http://writingmuse.com
COST EFFECTIVE: Blog sites are usually free, so you don't have domain name or hosting costs attached to them. You do, however, have to keep them current for them to helpful. The more you post, the more you show up on searches for the subjects you cover. Unlike the old days of the print newsletter (which I was a master of), you can't wait for three months to post to a blog or even once a month. Blogs are expected to have titillating tidbits every day or at least every week to maximize your return on the effort. That should not be daunting though. If you spend fifteen minutes writing a short client appropriate post every day or two, you'll quickly develop a following. People sign up to be notified when a new post hits their favorite blogs, and the more they know about you and your expertise, the more they will trust you as a vendor.
BE SPECIFIC: One of the best things about blogging is that the content is searchable by search engines, so the more you blog, the higher your products, services and opinions rank in searches. This is especially helpful to small businesses that don't have big budgets to buy higher positions on the engines, high-priced ads, or recommended site status. The more people search a particular subject and then choose your link, the higher you move on the list. Just be sure you choose subjects and key words carefully to get the right potential clients to your site. It does you no good to draw big audiences that don't really want what you have to offer, and readers get very annoyed by bait and switch tactics. So, choose your subjects carefully to contribute to your prestige.
SELL SOMETHING: If you are not selling something or linking to a sales site on your blog, you are missing the opportunity to take advantage of the "buy now in response to the article" syndrome. Even in the days before blogs, everybody in advertising knew that companioning an ad with an article was much more likely to generate buyers than advertising alone. Whatever you are touting in your articles should offer some kind of purchase opportunity. If you can't sell on your blog, you can at least link the article to a sales site where a purchase can be made.
That's my writing tip for today. If you'd like to blog, but don't think you're a writer or you need an editor to help define your content, I'm available. I'm available, affordable and knowledgeable. http://writingmuse.com
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t's a big help to those who want to self-publish.
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This is great that you are doing this....Yeahhhhhhhhhhh!
ReplyDeleteHave you heard of Andrea Adler, she's the author of The Science of Spiritual Marketing, her website is www.holisticpr.com. She has some really wonderful info that companion's yours.
You've really inspired me to take the plunge and get started on my own blog. Thank you!!!
In Gratitude
Claire